In a world filled with ‘experts,’ choosing a marketing firm can be daunting. It’s easy to be swayed by flashy validators like high social media follower counts, a web page filled with logos, or visibility in the press. With all of the noise out there, how do you go about selecting a firm that will actually help you reach your long term goals? Here are ten questions to help you determine your firm needs and to vet potential marketing partners.

1. Do you work with companies like ours? Coming in with experience in your profession will allow the marketers to hit the ground running. Conversely, marketers with a range of experience may pull in external ideas that are creative in your field. You have to decide how much “on the job” learning you want to help your marketing firm with to get up to speed on your business model, how you sell, and what your clients want and need to hear in order to choose you.
    
2. What size marketing budget do your clients typically have? This question gets at size compatibility. Also, this will prompt you to think about your own marketing budget, which is an important part of the process for all parties.  If you’re not willing to set and disclose your budget to potential firms, you may not be ready to engage an outsourced firm at this time.
    
3. How will I know what you’re working on? Every firm handles check-ins and reporting differently. It’s important for you to know what to expect and that you can agree on the process.
    
4. How do I know what you’re going to do? It’s important to understand how the marketers create a marketing plan. What is the strategy and how does it take into account your business cycle or your clients’ business cycles? 
    
5. How long do your clients stay with you? Does the firm have a history of longevity? Happy clients stick around. It’s also important to differentiate between project based firms and those who provide ongoing services. Pay attention to how they pitch their services. For example, will they build a beautiful new website and then leave you alone, or is building your new website one part of a longer strategy? 
    
6. How will I know it’s working? In the beginning, your agency can do benchmarking, which will likely be focused on marketing metrics. Overtime, you’ll see movement in your referral sources, and perception in the marketplace and among your peers. You also have to have a bit of faith. You could spend your entire budget doing the research to see what has worked. If your advisor suggests the “wait and see” approach, it’s not necessarily a bad thing. As long as progress is made towards your goals, you will know it’s working.
    
7. Would you work with one of our competitors? As you may run into with your own firm, serving two businesses in the same space is working with competitors. Work with a dozen? Now you’re an expert. This is a good conversation to have, but be open to their response and try to tailor your question so they understand your objection, if you have one. If there are one or two direct competitors you would not want the marketing firm to work with, have that conversation early. Or, maybe you want to pay for industry exclusivity with the marketing firm. 
    
8. What capabilities does your team have? What do your services include? How do you work with in-house marketing teams? On one end of the spectrum, you’ll find marketing firms that strictly provide advisory services. On the other end, there are marketing production houses that will create all of your assets (sales materials, digital graphics, presentations, website, etc), with direction from you. There are also firms in the middle who provide the strategy and guidance, while pulling in production specialists as needed. Understanding how your outsourced marketing firm works, what they do and don’t do illustrates where their focus lies. 
    
9. What commitment will you need from us to do your work? Your marketing efforts will only be successful if everyone does their part. Ask potential firms who in your firm will need to be involved, what the time commitment might be and what kinds of activities they will have to be involved with. Compatibility here is key. If you want to be involved with every decision and in every conversation, be upfront about that. If your firm leadership has little time for marketing, make sure that is known as well. 
    
10. Who will I be dealing with? You want to feel confident you are in good hands, and your point-person is responsible for that. After the agreement is signed, who will you interact with?  Some firms assign junior account managers as the front line, others lead with senior level advisors or even the owner. Different firms handle this differently for a variety of reasons, and you should know upfront who you will be working with.

As modern businesses evolve and change, it’s important to select a marketing firm that will continue bringing you the ideas that will help you reach your goals. You also have to select someone you can trust and be open with. Your marketing firm shouldn’t be in the vendor seat; they are advisors who can help you achieve your vision for your firm, which likely includes personal goals as well. If you can’t be candid with them, it’s not going to work. Thinking about engaging an outsourced marketing firm? Contact me to discuss your firm's needs.