If you are in the market for a brand marketing agency in NJ, there are several questions you must be prepared to ask. This list isn't comprehensive for every business, but it is a good place to start and it could help you brainstorm some questions of your own.
The first and last questions on this list are paramount and should be included in any arrangement that you have. What is this company going to do for you? How can they help you differentiate yourself from the scores of others who are out there? How will their work excel your business? This isn't the time for you or them to be coy. If all that you get are vague generalities then you might want to keep looking. If the company rep gives you specific tactics they will employ and metrics they will strive to reach, then you may have found a good brand marketing agency in NJ.
If you are working with a worthwhile brand marketing agency, then they will have samples of their work; whether they were paid for them or not. Even a new startup brand marketing agency in NJ will have things to show off their insight and vision for what they would like to become. Maybe they have redesigned the Nike Swoosh, reimagined the Golden Arches or helped Apple take a bite out of the PC market. Or maybe they have only done so theoretically. Still, if you are dealing with a legit marketing agency, then they will have a vision and samples of this work that they can do for you.
Brand marketing is not new. Brand marketing agencies have been around for quite some time now. So how long has the agency you're working with been around for? It's not a disqualifier as long as they have some vision and samples of what they would like to do. But the longer a brand marketing agency has been around, honestly, the better. If they have been around a time or two, then the chances of them getting good things done for you and your business only increases.
Price is one of those things that we all just sort of scuff off, but for your brand marketing money you need to know just what you are going to get. If you can't nail them down with firm numbers and a guaranteed result of some kind that you are satisfied with, then you could be looking at a dud.
Brand marketing spends a lot of time off site, so you are going to need to know just what it is they are doing with their time. You will also want to try and nail them down on some kind of a time frame parameter so that you will be able to hold your agency accountable. These people are working for you and you should be calling the shots so that they will know when their feet are to the fire.
This is another area where you can be flexible, but you basically are asking to see what they have gotten done. If they are a new brand marketing agency in NJ but they look promising, then you need to drill down deeper. Where did they go to school? What were they doing before starting this agency? You want an idea of who these people are and what they will bring to your business.
This is a "Goldilocks moment." You don't want to be left waiting for days to hear back from your agency, but there is also something a little disconcerting about someone who is right back in your face with a response as soon as you send them an email. "Guaranteed response in 24 hours" is a good rule. Just think about it in terms of how you would respond with any of your tertiary vendors.
This question gets a little more cerebral, but you are basically asking the brand marketing agency in NJ to tell you who they are spiritually. If you're a dog food company, you want to know that your brand marketing agency at least likes canines, right? If you're a hedge fund company, you want to at least know that you're working with a team that understands how options spreads can be beneficial. You need to be working with a brand marketing agency who has a foothold in your industry and can help you and your business flourish.
This one may take a bit more investigative journalism work, but you want to know who this company is and what their rap sheet is all about. You can troll around on discussion boards, look for write ups or just do a search, but for your own sake, PLEASE, don't just rely on the faceless quotes the brand marketing agency puts on their website! Please.
This is another one that will throw the ball right back in the agencies face and will be especially telling because too often people don't ask it. A brand marketing agency relationship is probably going to be an ongoing one; you want to be sure that this agency is here for the long haul. If a marketing agency is only in it for the money, you might want to reconsider that agency and continue your search for a different agency. You want a company that will be with you the entire way and learn your business front and back.
If you have done your homework and thought about all of these different questions, then the brand marketing agency relationship you are about to embark on can be lovely and fulfilled. Make sure that you don't sell yourself or your business short in the quest for a new brand identity!
Did you find these questions helpful to ask? What else would you ask a brand marketing agency? Comment below your questions!