One of the most difficult things a business in New Jersey goes through is finding a local marketing agency.
It's cool...we get it.
That's why we created this epic blog post.
Whether you're looking for a NJ-based marketing agency, a marketing firm in New Jersey or a marketing company in NJ (hint: they're all the same thing), we can help.
Take a look at these questions we prepared. Find the questions that make sense for your business, your marketing challenges and your goals... and then use these questions to have better, more meaningful conversations with the NJ-based marketing agencies you're considering.
And yes, it's totally fine to ask us these questions.
We're not saying we're the best marketing agency in NJ, we're saying we're going to help you make the best decision as you look for the perfect marketing agency for your business.
Being helpful is the new "marketing", right?
This blog is broken up into four question categories: First Things First, The Marketing Agency's Execution Process, The Marketing Agency's Evaluation of Results, and Evaluation of The Marketing Agency's Results. After each question follows the best response you should be looking to hear.
First Things First
Who is going to work with me? How much experience do they have?
You're looking for someone who has experience and essentially knows the "ins and outs" of their company and the business world. Working with someone who is a new employee or has been recently promoted can be a bumpy ride. In this situation, discover how much experience they've had and who they report to.
How many people will be working on my account?
This is a simple question to ask to find out if you are going to be working with an individual or a team. If the answer is more than 2-3 people, you should send up the red flag. However, if your campaign includes multimedia such as, pay per click, social media, SEO, mobile and display, a team that fits your budget is right in your direction.
What about our business resonates with you?
Through this question you're looking for your allies. What I mean by this is you're looking for an agency that believes in the work that you do and is not just looking for another piece of business. Always look to form partnerships wherever you can.
What does your marketing agency actually do?
One big problem that happens when hiring a marketing agency is the assumptions clients make about the services an agency will provide (and we all know what happens when you assume). Not all marketing firms specialize in everything; so find out more about what their team does. This is also a great way to get to know their strengths and weaknesses.
What does your billing structure look like?
Whether it's on an hourly rate or a project rate, it is always smart to know how you are being charged. The last thing you need is to be surprised by a billing statement, so be smart and ask about it beforehand.
What percentage of your company is in-house, freelance, and interns?
There are different areas that in-house employees and freelancers specialize in that you should be aware of. In-house employees should handle website development, while freelance writers are ideal for blog posts.
Be sure to ask the agency if they have a system in place and how many blog posts they have published for clients in the last 3 months or so. Decide what you are comfortable with and receive all information upfront in order to make this decision.
Are you willing to work with other professionals?
More likely than not, you have probably established a working relationship with professionals, such as your in-house website developer, a PR firm that specializes in your niche, or a graphic designer and you wish to continue to work with them. Knowing if a marketing agency is willing to continue these relationships will give you the best of both worlds.
Do you have long-term clients?
Here's our daily tip: you want to work with an agency that has an average tenure with their clients of over two years. Most clients will flee from a marketing agency if they are not profitable even after a year. Look for the agencies that are have long-term customers because this shows their success and loyalty to their clients.
Where are you located?
Sounds like a basic question but how pumped would you be if you hired an agency right down the street? There's nothing better than face-to-face meetings, although they aren't necessary. Figure out the type of communication you would like to use and go from there.
Marketing campaigns can be run from any location. If the agency isn't local, find out what type of communication they will use to get in touch with you (email, phone calls, Skype, etc.)
What ongoing training do you provide your staff?
Technology, marketing, and the business world are always changing. You want to find out how a marketing agency ensures that they are staying current and up to date on the latest and greatest marketing tactics. This will show how progressive an agency will be and the advantages it can give you over your competition.
How much education do you want your marketing firm to provide?
We all can't be as tech savvy as the teens these days but we can definitely try. If your company isn't as confident in one or more areas, find a marketing agency that can provide a level of education and training to your team. There are always ways to keep improving, so find the agency that compliments your needs.
Who else (if anyone) are you working with in my industry?
It's always good to know your competition but furthermore, know if this particular marketing agency is working with any of them. Get to know any competitive relationships the agency is working with and if that will affect you in anyway.
The Marketing Agency's Execution
What process does your agency have in place to understand my target buyer personas?
Marketing to the right people is one of the most important parts of marketing. A marketing agency should get to know your company as well as your company's target buyer personas. From there, they should be able to offer ideas on how to attract the right customers.
What technologies will you use to promote my brand?
Good, old marketing tactics will never fail. However, technology is the key to any great marketing campaign. So when you use both of them together, it results in something phenomenal.
The marketing landscape is not limited and is very dynamic. Technology can offer more opportunities for you to reach more audiences. Search for the agencies with this in mind!
For creative work, how much can I edit, review or redirect? Is there a limit on revisions?
As we have learned since we were young, "there is no 'i' in team". You want to find a marketing agency that is willing to work together and listen to your thoughts as well. You also want to find out if they put any limits on the revisions you can make. This will help contribute to a very smooth process.
How intimate will your team be with my sales team to help us close the leads you help us generate?
The best marketing agencies should know that sales and marketing are closely connected these days. It's beneficial for the marketing agency to converse with your sales team and show them how to use content to close more deals. In return, the sales team can share their knowledge about the customer such as, their buying decisions, how they think and what the buyer's journey looks like in your industry.
The Marketing Agency's Evaluation of Results
What work does your team do weekly/monthly to ensure that our discussed marketing goals are reached?
Ask the agency to tell you exactly how they review performance, adjust tactics, and optimize results. This will give you a better insight on the company's effectiveness to generate leads. You're looking for an agency that is able to pivot on strategies and tactics that need to be adjusted.
How quickly should we see results?
If any agency tells you that you should be able to see results immediately, send up that red flag again. Maybe you'll get some leads early on, but good marketing takes time to execute, especially inbound marketing. Look for a marketing agency that tells you realistically how long it will take to see results.
Can you provide project examples and case studies that demonstrate measurable results?
This is a great way to see what type of information the marketing agency will provide your business with while working with you. Some things they should be measuring are information qualified leads, marketing qualified leads and sales qualified leads, along with ROI (return on investment) and CAC (customer acquisition cost).
How often do we interact?
Communication is key to any strong relationship (just ask any girlfriend). Regular check-ins are important to measure success and progress. So whether it's weekly, monthly or even daily, scheduled meetings should be set so it doesn't feel like you're always playing phone tag with your marketing agency.
Does your team use detailed web analytics to make decisions?
You should be looking for a savvy online marketer that will be able to incorporate analytics into any and every marketing campaign. This will ensure that data can and will be tracked.
Firms should be using tools to measure how many people are interacting with your Brand. For the not-so-number-savvy people, these numbers should be presented in a simple and intelligible manner and explained to you what they mean and how they can be improved.
Do you use marketing software tools?
Software tools are a critical component of a successful marketing implementation. It also shows that a marketing agency is efficient. Most people wouldn’t be attracted to a lazy couch potato, so why start now with a lazy marketing agency? Make sure they have experience implementing these tools to optimize clients' performance and training clients on it. These tools should make your life simpler, not harder.
Do you offer performance guarantees?
If a marketing agency guarantees you first page rankings, run! An agency cannot guarantee you #1 rankings or any other KPIs. Instead, they should present you with tactics and tools that have worked well in the past with companies similar to yours.
Evaluation of The Marketing Agency's Campaign
How do you ensure that your team is committed to and focused on exceeding my expectations?
When asking this question, you're looking for an answer that includes processes such as net promoter score calculations and customer satisfaction surveys. However, it does not have to be limited to just those. There are other creative ways agencies can show that they are committed to your Brand.
What metrics do you use to track effectiveness?
Most marketing agencies track similar metrics, but you are looking for the agency that goes above and beyond. The ones that dig a little deeper into content performance, landing page conversion rates, and social reach are the keepers! These metrics will help measure the success of their work.
If your marketing program doesn't work, what do you think would be the reasons?
Nobody's perfect and not all marketing campaigns are perfect, but you don't want to work with a marketing agency that thinks they can do no wrong. If their response to this question is putting all the blame on you, they're probably not a good fit. Instead, they should take some responsibility for their work and be open-minded and willing to improve their strategy.
What part of your marketing program will give me the biggest advantage over my competition?
A marketing agency isn't worth much of your time or money if they can't set you apart from your competition. Find the agency that can offer you reasons on how they can give you a significant edge over your competitors.
How do you apply new changes, test out new processes, and integrate new thinking into client work?
With the forever-changing world of marketing, it's important to understand how a marketing agency will incorporate these new processes into your work. The application of these new changes will set you apart from competition and is definitely something to look for in a marketing agency.
Do you reassess the effectiveness of the campaign and offer suggestions to improve or reinvent the strategy for increased conversion rates?
If your marketing campaign isn't as effective as you wanted it to be, don't go into panic mode. Your marketing agency should forever be reassessing the effectiveness of the campaign and offering suggestions to further improve the strategy. This questions is important to ask to see what their future plans would be to make sure you feel comfortable with their efforts.
Let us know which questions you found helpful in our comments below!