You’ve just started your own business and now it is time to start marketing that business. You know you can’t do that on your own so you begin looking for a marketing firm to assist you. There are 4 things that every business should consider when hiring a marketing agency: budget, communication, the type of agency and the size of the agency. All 4 of these factors will play a key role in choosing which agency is best for your business and why.
Budget
Part of every business is the budget and within that budget is the marketing budget. Your marketing budget will include things such as advertising expenses, sponsored web content (if applicable), and marketing staff. This budget can be broken down quarterly or yearly.
When considering a client’s budget, some agencies will choose marketing campaigns on both ends of the pricing spectrum. Some may deliver greater results with a price tag to match while others may be more budget friendly but still yield positive results.
Most agencies usually offer an array of pricing packages. Some agencies offer a retainer model allowing you to make monthly payments on your services and then allow you to pay for additional services you request outside your contracted plan. Other agencies work on commission based plans and only receive pay based on the services and marketing tactics you elect.
Each pricing model is made to work with the individual needs of the business. Be sure to select the budget that works best with your business and your needs.
https://blog.hubspot.com/marketing/how-to-manage-marketing-budget-free-budget-templates
Communication
When I say communication what do I mean? I mean monthly business reporting. Roughly 30% of potential clients ask about monthly reporting. This is a startling number as that means the other 70%, over half, are not concerned or don’t think to ask. At Giraffe Marketing, we believe that reporting and communication is an integral part of a working business relationship.
Why are reports important and why should they be communicated? Marketing reports can show businesses and agencies the success of chosen marketing campaigns, KPIs, and web page analytics. Knowing these statistics will let you and your chosen agency know if changes need to be made and the time frame in which they need to happen. Reporting frequencies as well as the data that gets reported varies by agency as well as by client.
Choose the agency that will keep you involved. Giraffe Marketing, LLC believes that communication and reporting for clients is not an option, it’s a necessity.
https://www.datapine.com/blog/daily-weekly-monthly-marketing-report-examples/#:~:text=A%20monthly%20marketing%20report%20is,as%20the%20CPC%20or%20CPA .)
Type of Agency
To know the type of agency you want to select you must know what type of campaign you will want to run, ie print, media, or online. Knowing the type of campaign, you want to run will then help you select the type of agency you want to work with. Not every agency will work with your ideas as most are specialized in their set mediums. Once you’ve selected your marketing medium, you must then decide which agency can get you the tactics that work best for you.
There are some agencies that can dive in. They can discover, analyze and plan; however, they can’t adapt and change. There are others that don’t have the follow through. They can present everything to you perfectly and then fail to give you the results. Then there are a few that produce the needed reports that in the end mean nothing as there is no substance behind them.
What does all this really mean?
When you are looking for a marketing agency you are really looking for a partner. You are looking for someone to share your ideas for growth and development with. As a client, you need someone that will not only plan but also execute a marketing campaign. You want an agency that will present you with reports of growth and sustainability. An agency with true value is one who will grow with the client and their ideas. Marketing agencies cannot be a set it and forget it industry.
Size of Marketing Agency
Does the size of the agency matter? There are amazing agencies that are composed of a single person to those with well over 100 employees.
The only time that size would matter, would depend on the client and the clients’ needs. As with everything, there pros and cons and the same can be said with agency size.
With a smaller agency clients are guaranteed direct access. The same cannot be said when you work with an agency with 100+ employees. If you are someone who prefers things more personable then perhaps a smaller agency is for you, if it doesn’t matter then I suppose you could go either way.
At Giraffe Marketing LLC, we may be small but we are mighty. We work with our clients to provide the best outcome for their business with a budget that works for them. We provide the communication that will keep them updated on their businesses performance and that will allow them to make any needed changes. At Giraffe Marketing LLC, we work alongside owners to make sure their ideas succeed.
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