How to Choose a Marketing Agency

Choosing a marketing agency is a big decision.

Today’s subject is a popular one: How to Choose a Marketing Agency. And while it’s in some ways complex, I can simplify it for you with just two words – Pick Me!

I’m kidding, of course. In truth, while we have excellent relationships with our customers, just like your own business, POP isn’t for everyone. So, before choosing a marketing agency, review some marketing agency red flags and the best questions to ask to help in the decision-making process.

Think About What You Want – Questions to Ask Yourself

Before you think about hiring a digital marketing agency, you should figure out what you want out of your new marketing plan. So before we dive into questions to ask a marketing agency, let’s discuss the questions to ask yourself or your strategy team.

Do You Know What You Need?

Do you know you need to dive into marketing because you have a general sense it’s a good idea, or someone told you it’s something you should do, or do you actually know exactly what you’re looking for?

Marketing covers a lot of bases, from van wraps and client gifts to the quality digital marketing that POP is known for. Ads are also all marketing, but not all marketing is advertising. So, are you starting out looking for someone to tell you what you need, or do you already know?

What is the Scope of the Project?

If your answer to the first question is yes, you know what you need; then what is the scope of the project? Is it a one-time build or revamp, or do you want a long-term relationship with your new marketing agency?

Marketing agencies have different specialties. While some are one-and-done, some are regular content creators, and others stay in a more advisory role. That brings us to your next question.

How Involved Do You Want to Be in Your Marketing?

Remember how I said POP isn’t for everyone? We take over all or part of a business’s marketing. We don’t do marketing consulting. So if you want to primarily do your marketing in-house, you’ll look for a marketing consultant rather than a digital marketing agency.

What Are Your Marketing Goals?

Finally, similarly to the scope questions, do you know your marketing objectives, or do you need input from your new marketing partner to understand them?

Most marketing is about creating awareness, but some is more about direct leads. Understand what your marketing will be doing to avoid misunderstandings later.

Questions to Ask a Marketing Agency

Ok, now that you’ve gotten yourself sorted out, it’s time to ask the marketing agency some important questions. Some of them will be pretty similar to what you’d ask any company before beginning a relationship, while others are marketing-specific.

Reputation-Based Questions to Ask a Marketing Agency

Just like any other business, before working with a marketing team, you should find out about their business and reputation. Some qualifying questions are:

How long have you been in business? While longevity doesn’t have a completely ____ relationship with skill, a certain amount of time in business implies this marketing agency won’t disappear on you.
Can I speak to some of your customers? I recommend looking at reviews and then seeing if you can have a direct conversation with someone who gets the service you’re looking for.
Are you local? This one is a matter of preference, but a local marketing company is more likely to know the area and less likely to dodge you. It’s harder to ignore people in your own community.
Are you a BBB-rated marketing agency?

Business Practice Questions to Ask a Marketing Agency

I’ve written extensively about questions to ask before buying a website, and I encourage you to check on that blog if you’re looking specifically for that service. There are a surprising number of pitfalls in the website purchase process to avoid.

For other types of marketing, I have a few general questions to suggest

Do you reuse content? Reusing content is an SEO red flag that can get your site deranked. You’d be surprised how many content-churning agencies just swap out company names but use the same sentences across blogs and social media posts.
Do you use AI? This is my newest question, as AI is everywhere now! That said, one place you don’t want it is your marketing content. Google and the other search engines want to see human-written content and will penalize you for AI slop or other poorly done writing.
Do you understand my industry? You don’t need to be a dentist to write about dentistry, but you should be able to understand it. My team of writers is excellent researchers who work to turn your highly specific knowledge into easily digestible, easy-to-read material for your perfect clients.
Can I edit content? Don’t get into a situation where you work with someone who does a bad job writing for you and then charges you to fix it – or worse – is unreachable for months at a time when you want to make a change.
How long should I expect the project to take? You’re not necessarily looking for someone who will create the fastest, but you want to understand how long you need to wait. Good content takes time, and a good marketing agency will take the time to get to know you, your product, and your voice.
How do you learn my brand? Don’t work with a marketing agency that does everything the same way. Pick someone who looks to understand your value proposition and build your brand around it.

Marketing Agency Red Flags

Finally, I have some warnings. This isn’t the first time I’ve written about Marketing Agency Red Flags , but since I don’t labor under the twin delusions that:

a) I have a rabid reader base chomping at the bit for my next blog, and
b) said reader base has committed most of the words to memory,

I’ll review them here before launching into the news ones to concern yourself with in the AI age.

Forever Payments on a one-and-done product
Belittling what you already have – some people use this to get down your guard and then sell you something you don’t need.
No one will talk to you on the phone – this is a good sign that there aren’t a lot of humans in the work pipeline.
They brag about utilizing AI to create something quickly. People love new things, but as I mentioned earlier, AI can get you in the digital doghouse.

Choosing a marketing agency is a vital decision for your company, and picking the wrong one can lead to major consequences, not only to your wallet but to your reputation.

The questions I’ve suggested in this blog should help get you on the right path, but remember that the right fit for someone else isn’t necessarily the right fit for you.

Never forget the value of vibes! But don’t trust them blindly either. Use other customers, third-party raters, and reviews to look into any company you hire, marketing or otherwise.