At a recent meeting with a potential client, we were getting into the nitty-gritty of what the current provider is doing as part of the marketing contract. A very familiar response came back “they’re doing a number of things, although we’re not sure on the exact detail”. Sadly, it’s an all too common statement and whether you’re just starting out or you’re an established multimillion pound turnover business, you need to have a solid marketing plan and know how that plan is intended to achieve growth or improvement for your business.
So how do you know if your marketing agency is delivering on their promises?
One way is to ask them the right questions….
- What are your marketing goals?
It’s essential to understand what your marketing agency is trying to achieve for your business. Are they increasing brand awareness, generating leads or boosting sales? Working together to identify these goals and develop a marketing strategy that aligns with your business objectives will mean you’re all singing from the same hymn sheet and have shared ideas of what success looks like.
- How will you deliver the marketing strategy?
Your marketing agency should be able to provide you with a clear plan of action on how they intend to achieve the marketing goals. This should include the tactics they intend to employ (such as email marketing, content creation, paid campaigns, social media and the like). They should also be able to explain how they are executing your marketing strategy, including things such as developing content, creating Ad Campaigns or managing social media accounts. Make sure you ask how they intend to measure the success of the strategy delivery too.
- How are you testing and measuring the results?
Your marketing agency should be using various data to test and measure the success of campaigns. Make sure you know what metrics they’re tracking, how they’re monitoring results, how often they’ll providing you with reports and how they’ll explain in real terms what this means for you. This information will help you understand the impact of the marketing investment on your business and identify marketing tactics or campaigns that are working well and those that may need to be reviewed.
- How are you staying up to date with the latest marketing trends?
As marketing is constantly evolving, it's essential that your marketing agency stays up to date with the latest trends and best practices. Ask them how they stay informed on the latest developments in the industry and what they do to ensure they are delivering the most effective marketing campaigns for you.
- What credentials do you have?
It’s worth checking out what accreditations and certifications your agency has - either as a business as a whole or for individuals responsible for certain areas. Are they an establihsed business or are they just starting out, do they have any relevant qualifications from industry bodies, anything that will help build your trust that they are experts in their field and will be able to carry out what they’re promising so you can be confident to let them focus on your marketing whilst you focus on running your business.
It is crucial to understand what your marketing agency is doing for you in order to effectively evaluate strategy performance, optimise your marketing budget, and ultimately ensure that your business goals are being met. If you're not sure you can do that with the information you have been given, ask the question. It's important to have clear communication and expectations from both sides and asking these questions will give you the opportunity to address any concerns or identify further opportunities to achieve your business goals.
