As we run our businesses, trying our level best to earn the daily bread while also offering employment possibly to a few, one big thought often crosses our mind. How do I make what I have bigger and better? Opening a charter in another part of the city, having a branch in another city, getting some marketing done are a few options that can yield substantial results. Of these, marketing is the most cost-effective way to increase your customer base and get more sales/clients.
Management of both, the business and its marketing, is like walking on a rope; very difficult to balance and one wrong step can lead to a fall. Hiring a marketing firm gives you a little bit of buffer where the experts can handle the headache of getting more customers to you while you focus on managing finances and inventory of your own business. However, getting the right kind of marketing company is also important for better conversions and better quality lead generation.
Cost is an obvious question and everyone asks about it before finalizing anyone. However, there are some questions which are either not asked as often as they should, or are not answered inthe way they should. Let us take a look at these 5 questions you should ask whenever you’re looking for or are approached by a marketing firm:
- What kind of marketing will the agency provide?
This is the single most not-asked important question when it comes to pitches. Almost every marketing firm gets asked questions around this, but not this specific one. An experienced businessman knows different types of marketing styles, but may or may not be tech-savvy. Not every company does their marketing the same way. Some are experts at street-level brand creation, some excel in paid mainstream media marketing, while some can make great use of social media to drive quality leads your way.
Once you are clear what kind of customers would serve your interests best, the agency which answers your question the way you like checks through one green-flag.
- What is your track record?
This one is a fairly common question and firms are almost always ready with a well-rehearsed and documented answer. However, there is a small nuance which you can look for as a business owner – the vagueness of their answer. A company that has a very good track record will never shy out from flaunting it with precise responses. A company with not many feathers in their hats is likely to have their representatives run circles around the track record question.
- How is your reporting and how do we communicate?
As the customer, we might expect them to be available at a moment’s notice to answer any and all of our queries; however, they too are humans and may not be available on demand. As fellow humans, we all understand that. A good marketing firm understands your need to get answers too and addresses this very well. As experienced businessmen, a firm that sets time-to-time and meetings and detailed reports should be highly desirable.
Reports include actions/tasks undertaken and their results, including any paid campaigns or advertising done.
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- How long do I wait before I see results?
After having been in the business sector, we all know it takes time for anything to kick start and get running smoothly. Similarly, results cannot be expected right away. However, there is still a timeline every marketing company must offer while making their pitch to you. Some campaigns yield results quickly but the leads may not be great. Others may take their sweet time, but becomes effective in the long run. A trustworthy marketer will give you fair insights into every approach as well as the return on investment for each one as well.
- Are there any guarantees?
Being businessmen, we all are hardwired to stay away from bad deals. This is especially true during these testing times when economies are just starting to get back on track. Of course, no marketing agency offers any guarantee, but a good marketing expert will give you practical tools and tactics that have a great track record of being effective, with customizations well-suited for your company.
There is a wide range of factors which affects even the best laid out campaigns, causing them to fail. The most widespread example we can take is that of the COVID-19 pandemic. Many campaigns, which worked wonders just 12 months ago have now become obsolete, which cannot be attributed to a faulty strategy placement. A dependable marketing firm, however, will still try to come up with creative marketing ideas to make sure your audience don’t go away.
To Summarise
Hiring the right marketing company for your business is important, but not all that difficult. Taking some time to talk to a dozen people, getting to know what way they will help you, how much will that cost you and how soon can you expect good results is the way to go. A good marketing company will answer all your questions without avoiding them, give you clear timelines, and set the right expectations.
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