Most small businesses spend around 10.6% of their company budgets on marketing, which averages most small business owners around $35,000 a year. Many businesses allocate 25% or more of their budget towards marketing. This is a big chunk of your company’s profits to spend, and choosing the right branding and marketing agency is a critical decision for any size business that spends a part of its budget on marketing. After all, your brand is the foundation of your success. It’s essential to find an agency that understands your unique needs and can deliver results that drive growth.
To help you make an informed decision, we’ve compiled a list of five crucial questions to ask potential agencies during the interview process, and why you should ask them.
1. What Types of Industries Have You Worked With in the Past?
This question provides valuable insights into the agency’s experience and expertise. For example: If you own a real estate brokerage, you’ll want to inquire about their experience working with other real estate agencies and brokerage marketing. For a healthcare practice: Inquire about their experience marketing for other medical practices, clinics, or hospitals. For a financial services firm: Ask about their experience marketing for other financial institutions, investment firms, or wealth management companies.
Finding out what industries the marketing agency has worked with in the past is crucial in determining if the agency possesses the necessary experience and understanding to effectively market your business.
- Industry Expertise: Inquire about their specific experience within your specialty. For example, in the mental health sector, you could ask if they have worked with other therapists, counselors, psychologists, psychiatrists, or other behavioral health professionals.
- B2B, B2C, and B2G Experience: Understanding their experience across different business models is crucial.
- B2B (Business-to-Business): Have they worked with other businesses that have a B2B model?
- B2C (Business-to-Consumer): Do they have experience marketing directly to consumers?
- B2G (Business-to-Government): Have they marketed for companies that do business with government agencies or non-profit organizations?
- Understanding Your Target Audience: A strong agency will demonstrate a deep understanding of the unique challenges and opportunities within your industry. They should be able to articulate how they tailor their strategies to reach specific demographics.
By carefully considering their past experiences, you can determine if the agency possesses the industry-specific knowledge and expertise to effectively market your business.
2. What Size Businesses, Budgets, and Resources Do You Have Experience With or Access To?
This question helps you assess the marketing agency’s ability to adapt to your specific needs and resources. The answer to this question will help provide insights as to whether the agency or freelancer knows how to make the most of branding and marketing efforts, regardless of your monthly marketing spend.
When inquiring about resources, it will help determine if they can provide support that may be beyond the scope of what you engage them for. For example, would they be able to source or refer a videographer or publicist on your behalf if you needed one? This answer is important if you are looking for a go-to source for all of your branding and marketing, who can point you in the right direction, rather than having to piece different aspects of your marketing needs together on your own.
- Do they primarily work with large enterprises, or do they have experience working with smaller businesses as well?
- How do they approach marketing campaigns with varying budgets?
- Do they have access to a network of freelancers or other resources that can support your marketing efforts?
If you’re a smaller business with limited resources, you’ll want to work with an agency that understands the importance of cost-effective marketing strategies. In 2023, there were reportedly 90,800 marketing agencies operating in the US–are you finding the best fit for your business? Let’s continue with more questions that can help you narrow down the search and find the best marketing agency for your business.
3. What Type of Revenue-Generating Results Have You Produced?
This question helps you understand how the agency measures success. The answer to this question will involve metrics that connect to awareness (likes, shares, follows, website
visits) or conversions (classes booked, discovery calls, products sold). “Revenue-generating” is included in the question, because it provides insights as to if they measure success with data, and how they may define success for your specific needs.
- Go beyond vanity metrics like social media followers.
- Inquire about their track record in delivering tangible results such as:
- Increased website traffic
- Lead generation
- Sales growth
- Improved brand awareness
- Increased customer engagement
By focusing on revenue-generating results, you can ensure that the agency aligns with your business goals and delivers a strong return on your investment.
4. Do You Focus More on Tactics/Execution or Marketing Mix and Strategy?
This question helps you understand the agency’s approach to marketing. It opens up the opportunity for the agency to talk to you about strategy (what they’ll do and why) as it relates to your overall business goals. You’ll want an agency that deploys goal-focused initiatives and recommendations, to make sure that you’re investing your budget in tactics (efforts, touch-points, activities, content, etc) that will provide the most traction and return on your investment.
Because not every marketing tactic is created equal, you’ll want to make sure your agency will provide you with services that best support your goals.
- While tactical execution is important, a strong strategic foundation is crucial for long-term success.
- Inquire about their strategic planning process: How do they develop a comprehensive marketing strategy tailored to your specific business needs and objectives?
- Do they consider factors such as target audience, competitive analysis, and market trends when developing their strategies?
By choosing an agency that prioritizes strategic planning, you can ensure that your marketing efforts are aligned with your overall business goals and deliver sustainable results.
5. What Is Your Process for On-Boarding, Working With, and Communicating With Clients?
This question provides insights into the agency’s client service approach and helps look for any red flags regarding how the agency communicates, the level of service they provide, who will be your point of contact, and how well they will understand your business.
- How will they ensure clear communication and collaboration throughout the project?
- What is their project management process?
- How will they keep you informed of progress and address any concerns?
- Who will be your primary point of contact?
When you understand their client service approach, you can better ensure that you’ll have a positive and productive working relationship with the agency.
By carefully considering these questions and evaluating the agency’s responses, you can make an informed decision and select the best branding and marketing partner for your business. Remember: Building a strong brand takes time and effort. By partnering with the right agency, you can unlock your brand’s full potential and achieve your business goals.
Need guidance on finding the right marketing agency for your business?
We are here to help. Having the guidance of an experienced and professional consultant or team will help guarantee that you are building a business and brand with the right tools and tactics.
Why Choose D. Foster Marketing?
- Data-Driven Approach: We leverage data and analytics to track the performance of your marketing campaigns and make data-driven decisions to optimize your results.
- Client-Centric Focus: We build strong relationships with our clients and prioritize their success.
- Results-Oriented Strategies: We focus on delivering measurable results that drive client growth and achieve your business goals.
Ready to experience significant growth? Contact D. Foster Marketing today for a free consultation and let’s discuss how we can help you achieve your marketing goals.
Dawn Foster is an unapologetic branding and marketing nerd who is passionate about research, analytics, and great storytelling through words and images. She is focused on helping business owners build and evolve their businesses with the right branding and marketing strategies and tactics. She has helped transform business owners into powerhouses through research, strategic planning, content development, education, and empowerment so that they can achieve success and reach their goals. As a business owner, her goal is to see others win, support her community, and do what she loves.
*Forbes Advisor. June 2024. https://www.forbes.com/advisor/business/software/website-statistics/
