How to Choose a Marketing Agency

Welcome! We’re excited that you’re here and that you’re considering taking the next steps to hire a marketing agency for your business. 

Here at Root & Roam, we understand that this can be a big step to take and often feel intimidating and overwhelming. Let’s talk through some of the basics. 

TABLE OF CONTENTS

Why Hire a Marketing Agency?

Marketing agencies are here to help businesses of all sizes, from teams of one up to the biggest corporations. There are many reasons to hire an agency. There may be that one task that keeps falling off your plate, a skill set that you don’t currently have on your in-house team, or you’re in need of fresh ideas. Hiring a marketing agency is the perfect way to feel confident that the work will be completed by a team of experts who are focused on helping you reach your goals. 

To choose an agency, you must first know the problem you are trying to solve as a company. 

• Do you need to clarify your “why” or market differentiator? 
• Do you need help telling your story? 
• Do you need help with social media? 
• Do you need to fix your website? 
• Is your trouble a lack of brand awareness? 
• Are you needing to design or refresh a logo? 
• Are you focused on getting more sales, email addresses, or other leads? 

Types of Marketing Agencies

Once you have determined your goals, you must then decide what kind of agency you want to work with. There are many different types of marketing agencies and specialties, including: 

• Storytelling 
• Design 
• Inbound Marketing 
• Digital Advertising 
• Social Media 
• Growth Marketing 

The key to your search is that you should be able to find an agency that possesses all the competencies needed for your business. This is ideal because your agency will be able to align all aspects of your marketing to the same goals and campaigns.

Another option is to build a group of agencies (preferably independents) who complement each other.  You can have one group of people doing their stuff on the front-end (designing a website, for example) while another group is doing their stuff on the backend (like writing blog posts). That way everyone chips in with their specialties without competing with the others. A team of designers, a team of copywriters, and a team of inbound marketers can all achieve the same results while still working in their own spaces.

Skills Needed to Solve a Problem

The answer may be apparent in your situation, but each scenario is unique with different fits for businesses. Finding an agency that has the skills needed to solve the problem within your business and fits with your team is vital. When you find one, consider speaking with their current clients, inhouse designers and web builders, and view their website and portfolio (if they have one). Then decide if they are the right fit for your business.

If yes, it’s time to reach out!  But remember—there are plenty of agencies out there who specialize in creative design, inbound marketing, and digital advertising, so don’t be afraid to look around. It’s a common practice to meet with a few agencies and get pitches from a few places to see which agency has solutions or campaign concepts that resonate with your business. Finding the right fit for your company – financially and creatively – is key. 

Helpful Recommendation

A good partner helps navigate the changing landscape and set realistic goals and performance indicators. Consumer behavior is constantly changing for a combination of psychological, social, cultural, personal, and economic factors. There are industry and platform benchmarks that are used to help determine these for you if you don’t have any historical data. Be cautious if an agency guarantees you a certain return on investment (ROI) or promises a specific amount of impressions.

For example, if you are an ecommerce business using Shopify, make sure to consider what the industry benchmarks are for conversion rates. This may be a target to shoot for if you are below the benchmark, and then as you learn about your customer, you can fine-tune to exceed those benchmarks over time.

 Find the Marketing Agency of your Dreams

Congratulations on building your business, and here’s to finding a partner to help you grow it! So go ahead and find a marketing agency to partner up with—you really can’t go wrong with a good partnership! If you think that Root & Roam may be the agency for you, get in touch!