So you need to grow your business and you start thinking maybe you need to do some marketing otherwise you'll fall behind your competitors.
Somehow, all the marketing agencies seem to know this and you're getting calls and emails multiple times a week trying to sell you marketing services.
You're skeptical because you've tried a marketing agency in the past but after a few months nothing changed and you cancelled the service.
You decide to take a few meetings from the more persuasive salespeople, but you're not sure if any of them are actually good at what they do.
Which agency should you hire?
The truth is, it can be difficult to choose the right marketing agency if you don't know what to look for. Many of these agencies are really just great sales organizations with mediocre marketing talent - so making the wrong choice could lead to a disappointing experience.
To help you in your search, here are 4 red flags to look for when hiring a marketing agency.
1. They Guarantee Immediate Results
Some marketing agencies will guarantee immediate results but won't give details on how they're going to achieve it. Sometimes this means they're just buying leads from another platform like Angi's list and then feeding them back to you. They also might just be hoping you don't look closely at the results and see nothing's changed. For SEO, count on 4-6 months before you see measurable differences. With paid advertising, it usually takes 1-2 months of testing before you know how effective it has been.
2. They don't ask questions
A good marketing strategy needs to be tailored to your needs. If you're onboarding with a marketing agency and they aren't asking you questions about your business and goals, then they are probably going to do the least amount of work possible - if any work at all. Oftentimes, these agencies will only focus on getting you to sign papers and make a payment, after which, you'll almost never get a quick response again.
Tip: If you're not sure if your marketing agency is customizing their work to you, ask them what's differentiating you from your competitors (choose the top competitor in your area). If the agency can't give you specific answers, then they probably aren't doing custom work for your business.
3. They don't track performance
One of the most common complaints I get from business owners is that they don't know if their marketing is working. This is usually a big red flag and often means your marketing agency doesn't want to give you bad news and they hope you don't ask.
A quick example: I recently set up Google Ads for a client. The first week, there were no good leads, just a sweet grandma who called in asking for advice on how to wash her windows (nothing to do with the service). In situations like this, it's tempting to not say anything to the client until you have more data or performance improves.
What did I do?
At the end of the first week, I sent a very open and honest email showing exactly what happened, explaining why it can take time for results to materialize, and I even acknowledged the grandma's call. The result? The client trusted me even more because they also knew the ads hadn't been performing yet. After making some adjustments, the ads started to improve and within 2 weeks they were delivering 3-4 quality leads each week.
4. Their pricing is too good to be true
It's an old saying, but it's true, "You get what you pay for". Many business owners are skeptical of digital marketing and frankly, I don't blame them. However, the general rule of thumb is if you're paying as little as possible for marketing services, then you shouldn't expect good communication or quality work.
For example, one business owner recently told me they're paying <$200/month for SEO services. It turns out they actually meant website management. However, for the sake of the example, if a solo-operator were to take on clients at $200/month and wanted to make a good living in the U.S. They'd probably have to take on 50+ clients. How much time is this person giving your company if they're handling 50 clients? Not much. This usually ends with a frustrated business owner "giving up" on marketing.
To get quality work and results from marketing, you need to pay for quality services.
Conclusion
Don't choose the first agency you find. Make sure to get to know your agency, a few video meetings is ideal. Ask questions about how they work, what kind of reporting you can expect, and look for proof in previous clients that highlight their impact.
Finding the right agency can massively impact your business performance. Make sure you do it right.