In short, hiring with the right agency will save you time and make you money.
Are you considering hiring a digital marketing agency? No matter what your current marketing system looks like, you’re probably trying to accomplish (at least) three objectives: decrease your personal involvement (to use that time elsewhere), be sure you get a return on your investment, and grow your brand.
So, how do you know what type of agency is best for your company?
In this article, we’re focusing on the advertising and marketing needs of home product manufacturers, but the principles apply well beyond this industry.
Why Hire A Digital Marketing Agency?
A digital marketing agency utilizes their experienced and diversely skilled talent to provide results for your manufacturing business, at a fraction of the cost of building an in-house team.
For deeper insight into the pros and cons of building a team vs. hiring an agency, review our article, “Should I? Marketing Agency vs. Internal Marketing Team.”
In short, hiring with the right agency will save you time and make you money.
Know Your Needs
Once you’re clear on your objectives, start by narrowing your focus to know what marketing agency characteristics fit your needs best.
As the marketing ecosystem becomes increasingly complex, many agencies are hyper-focusing on their craft — like social media agencies offering only social media services.
Other agencies become skilled at serving a specific industry — like manufacturers.
Knowing your needs leads to clarity on the agency that can accomplish them.
Know Your Audience
A digital marketing agency’s services vary widely, so understanding your audience and where they “hang out” is a great place to start.
For example, your agency should have strong search engine advertising skills if your audience predominantly begins with a search.
If you’re unsure where your audience is online, our Customer Finder service is a perfect place to start.
Partnering with an agency that has experience with your target market offers advantages as well. Better industry knowledge and quicker onboarding exist when you hire an agency that knows your market and your industry.
What Else to Look For
Whether you’re considering hiring a marketing agency for the first time or replacing your current agency, below are additional considerations that you should look for in an agency:
- Understand your products and customers
- Respect your business model
- Comparable culture and values to yours
- Aligns with your needs and budget
Where We Stand Out
Perk Brands is a digital marketing agency focusing on serving home product manufacturers.
We founded Built for Home, a brand highlighting home product manufacturers in the building materials and home consumer product verticals. Sidenote: if you’d like your brand featured in an upcoming Built for Home article, get in touch.
In addition to serving home product manufacturers, our marketing model separates us from other agencies.
Our marketing model, VMAP or Velocity Marketing Action Plan, is a strategic marketing action plan founded on a main goal: to clarify each company’s vision, mission, and message. We believe that when a company realigns all brand, communication, marketing, and sales efforts around a clear vision with deliberate goals to get there, they will achieve them… with greater velocity!
VMAP takes the best parts of different types of agencies and distills them into a process that:
- clarifies your company’s vision, mission, and message
- aligns your marketing efforts to achieve your company vision and mission
- includes marketing at every stage of the customer journey
- streamlines marketing efforts through automation for cost efficiency and greatest return
- is data-driven to ensure returns and progress toward your goals
Red Flags To Watch For
No matter which type of agency you choose, ensure you first screen them for the following warning signs:
- Promise fast results
- Pricing is too good to be true
- Don’t spend time getting to know your brand and mission
- Don’t focus on metrics (ie: results!)
- Vague strategy
- Poor communication
- You don’t click
- No experience in/with your market
You may be tempted to pick one of the first results in an internet search, but it is worth it to spend the time researching the best fit for you. The right marketing agency can turn your business around and become a partner in success for years to come.
Your Next Steps
If you’re spending too much of your time managing your marketing efforts and are looking for better marketing results, contact us. Let’s see if we’re a fit. If we are, our team will dedicate themselves to growing your business. If we aren’t a good fit, we’ll do our best to point you in the right direction.
About the Author
Jason Otis is the president of Perk Brands and founder of Built for Home. Perk Brands is a digital marketing agency that partners with home product manufacturers to make their products easy to find and buy. Built for Home is a community of home product manufacturers and a resource for buyers to find products that make their lives better at home.
