5 signs that a marketing agency is helping your business grow
We begin today with a hot announcement. No, it’s not enough for the marketing agency you’re working with to meet KPIs. Although, of course, that’s important too. What should you look for when seeking an effective partnership with a marketing agency?
You can only call a marketing agency great if they share your values. Only then can you call them your partner.
You’ll learn why this isn’t too high a claim and what are the signs that an agency is interested in your company’s growth in our new text.
Sign 1. Agency comes to you with initiatives
You may come to an agency with a specific request: to increase brand awareness, attract new customers, or make a campaign for a new product. You don’t need to know how to achieve those goals. You don’t need to know about trends, new advertising channels, and analytics.
An agency, on the other hand, tracks them every day. As a result, it knows in which cases the client can get more than it originally expected. And then there are two options:
- Quietly meet the KPI at the expense of the usual tools;
- Offer new solutions.
In the first case, everyone is happy: both the company and the agency make a profit. The second option is more complicated but has more potential: if your company grows faster, the agency’s business also grows.
And if you see each other as partners rather than a marketer and a client, you’ll be more motivated to cooperate and look for growth points.
Sign 2. You’re informed about problems and are offered solutions
Projects inevitably have flaws. Things go differently than planned. And that is normal. What’s not normal is when you only know about problems once its too late – you’re behind schedule or not meeting KPIs. For example, you had a landing page error, a product order error, or an incomprehensible user scenario in the app.
And in both cases, they suggest how to solve the problem.
Sign 3: Your expectations are adjusted to more realistic ones
People come to a marketing agency to spend less on advertising, earn more, and grow faster. But you can’t be 100% sure if your goal is realistic.
If your company wants to grow by 230% per month, but the industry norm is a maximum of 30% per quarter, a good agency will tell you it is impossible. They’ll share statistics and their own experience. And by doing so, they’ll help you achieve the maximum results.
And if they promise a lot in a short time – it’s a red flag. Ask lots of questions and find out where those promises come from so you don’t end up with stretched deadlines and unmet KPIs.
Tip: Let’s take Scale Final as an example. Pay attention to the elements on the website that confirm our expertise: testimonials, case studies, and the About Us page.
Sign 4. They share their expertise with ease
You don’t just come to the marketing agency to achieve KPIs. You came for the expertise. But agency specialists start talking jargon. And when you don’t understand, they roll their eyes.
This is not cool. And yes, we marketers know how to talk differently. If we want to cooperate, we will invest time and effort in explaining our actions.
We also are willing to share expertise. Sharing knowledge with another person is always about dialogue. Your requests and concerns can be better understood.
A client will work with a marketer because it’s easier and more fun.
Tip: If you’re just picking an agency, check out their content marketing and social media. A good example is our PBN Service: We didn’t market it like it is a godsend, but we also created a comprehensive guide to PBN creation and how you can create it yourself: PBN ultimate guide.
Sign 5. Agency invests in trust and builds a transparent feedback system
In a long-term partnership, it’s crucial to check the clock constantly: Is everyone happy, is the company comfortable with the agency team, do you trust each other?
Here are some types of transparent feedback systems:
- Open communication: an agency might create weekly status reports that list tasks completed, plans for the next week, and any issues or challenges encountered. Tools like Slack, Asana, or Trello are popular because they make it easy to share information and track progress.
- Full report disclosure: You’ll learn not only good news, you hear bad news. For example, a monthly performance report could include a “What Didn’t Work” section where the agency explains why something didn’t work and how to learn from it.
- Regular check-ins: weekly or monthly calls, video or in-person meetings. At these meetings, you can discuss the status of ongoing projects, address concerns or issues, and brainstorm ideas for future campaigns.
Here’s the final advice:
We also have a related article but told from an agency perspective. Whether you’re a client or a marketer, we recommend you look into it: 5 worst tips to lose a client.
