4 “must-haves” when hiring a marketing agency.

Posted by Anya Sleezer << back to blog

Last Updated on March 15, 2023

Here’s an old joke: What do you call a company that doesn’t market?

Out of business.

Whether you’re a small business or work for a large company, marketing is a core function that’s every bit as critical as finance or production. It’s so important you shouldn’t just “run and gun” it yourself, but should employ a full-time person (or team), and/or a marketing agency.

If you’re going the agency route (which you probably should … just sayin), you might be asking yourself…

What should I be looking for?

Who can I trust to help me reach my business goals?

How can I find a partner who delivers the best ROI?

Your options for a marketing partner aren’t endless; but close enough.

To narrow your search, it’s critical to know the attributes your maraketing agency must have.

That’s key. These aren’t “nice-to-have” features. They’re must-have attributes.

Don’t know what to look for? Let us help you out. Here are four must-haves when hiring a marketing agency!

1. Prior Industry Experience

Marketing agencies usually work with many organizations across multiple industries. This should give them a strong understanding about how to market to most industries. A good marketing agency will know your sector, products, and competition, among other things. They can’t know it it as well as you given it’s your full-time (tbh, it’s a red flag if they say they do because that’s a lie), but they know the most important part: their role. When interviewing agencies, look for one that has done work in your specific sector, not just the industry. For example, instead of just focusing on “food and beverage” or “consumer goods,” we focus on “vegan products and brands.”

2. Direct Access

You know what they say: “The bigger they are, the less likely they are to take your calls.” Bigger agencies have more layers of bureaucracy and middlemen, which means your priorities may get lost in translation, delayed, or even ignored as you bounce from person to person. When you interview an agency, ask who you’ll be working with, their title, and their experience and expertise. Ask them to describe their internal communication structure and how their team plans to ensure your project(s) stays on time and budget. Also, find out if you’ll have access to principals. No, the boss at a big agency won’t be making sure your Facebook ads are running; but you want access to him or her if they’re not. However, there is something special about the one-on-one attention you get from working with the principal, like you get with us. 🙂

3. Make Sure You Matter

Agencies juggle many clients, with multiple projects, timelines, and moving parts. They prioritize the largest (i.e. highest-paying) clients first, which should be expected. But there’s a difference between being the third item on the “to do” list and not being on the list at all. When hiring an agency, ask about their current workload. How many people can they dedicate to your project? What level of priority will you receive? Their answers will give you an idea of how important you are to them and how hard they are willing to work to keep your business. At Levo, we handpick teams from our pool of experts who can commit to your project, ensuring you get the quality and customer service you deserve.

4. Out-of-the-Box Thinking

Many agencies follow a "one size fits all" approach. Why? The same reason any other business does; because it’s “better, cheaper, faster,” hold the “better.” It’s common to see marketing agencies use pre-built templates and cookie-cutter packages to make their services more affordable (and double their client roster). The end result of generic work? Generic results. When hiring an agency, look at their website and see if they are selling the same packages, designs and solutions to multiple clients. See how similar the work looks. If you can add any of their services to a shopping cart, so can everyone else. At Levo, we believe no two clients are the same. We look at everything with fresh eyes in order to deliver maximum results.

How We’re Different

At Levo, we believe you’re unique, and so is your business. We also understand that while people buy based on what you do, they become loyal based on why you do it.

This is your #RallyPoint.

Your #RallyPoint is the power behind your brand and the best way to attract business.

Our goal is to create authentic, lasting relationships with your audience that inspires them to come back time and again. It’s a philosophy supported by high-quality work and customer service, and proven by our results.

Still looking at marketing agencies? No problem. We’ll still be here.

Ready to level up your marketing with Levo? Contact us to schedule a free consultation!

Anya Sleezer

Anya Sleezer is the owner of Levo, a full–service marketing agency, focused on helping companies from all industries who are concerned with their marketing results, traffic, branding, advertising, or websites.

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