Have you ever tried to push a pull door? That’s what running a business without marketing is like.
You put in all the effort to see no results. Marketing opens that door and connects you to your customers on the other side.
You can have the most innovative products out there or the best service ever run, but your business is only as successful as it is visible. In today’s extremely competitive digital landscape, having a strong marketing strategy in place is crucial for getting noticed and making sales. Small start-up or established business, working with the right marketing agency can make a significant difference in achieving your goals.
A good marketing agency will leverage their knowledge, skills, and resources to help you reach your business goals whilst an ineffective marketing agency will lead to wasted time, money, and missed opportunities, hindering your business’s growth.
This guide is to help you make the tough decision of choosing which marketing agency is best for you by walking you through the factors you should consider.
Define Your Goals
If you don’t know what you want to get out of a partnership with a marketing agency you’re not going to get very far. Are you looking to increase brand awareness? Drive more website traffic? Generate more leads? Boost sales?
Different agencies will excel at different areas of marketing so knowing what you want will help to narrow down your options.
If you want to track your ROI when working with a marketing agency, we recommend setting SMART goals (Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant, Time-bound) to help you get the most out of the partnership.
Make sure you also know what specific services you need; do you need an SEO expert? Social media manager? Graphic designer? Google Ads professional? Copywriter? Choose an agency that can supply all the services you need.
Determine Your Budget
If your goals include spending on Google ads and wanting to be the top result on the page, you’ll need to have good budgets in place. Setting a budget based on your intended marketing activities helps in selecting the right marketing agency for you.
Knowing your budget and providing it to an agency will help them gain a better understanding of what you need from them. An accurate budget will help them tailor their offering to exactly what you need.
You’ll also want to find out the marketing agency’s pay structure, some may require an upfront payment or a retainer, others might do monthly instalments or project-based billing.
Research, Research, Research
Carry out a thorough online search for marketing agencies. Research into agencies that have a strong online presence with a well-designed website, case studies of their work, and client testimonials. First impressions count!
Consider reaching out to your professional network and ask for recommendations. Word-of-mouth recommendations are great for learning about an agency’s reputation, reliability, and the results they put out. Try and find evidence of measurable outcomes.
Note down the agencies that appear to fit your requirements the closest. Focus on looking at the agency’s area of expertise, their client communication, project management skills, reporting methods, track record, team size, and experience.
Finally, you might want to look at different agencies awards and accreditations, this might be a specific marketing award or being a recognised Google Partner.
Schedule Meetings with Potential Marketing Agencies
Once you’ve narrowed down your list of agencies to a select handful, arrange meetings in person or over video calls with them to ask any additional questions you might have.
Assess whether you think their attitudes and values align with your business’s, are they listening to your needs or trying to pitch you a hard sell? Good marketing agencies will listen to your needs and tailor their approaches accordingly.
A reputable marketing agency will be happy to answer any questions and provide documents or evidence to alleviate any of your potential worries. Review everything again before making your final decision.
Why Choose Dash Agency As Your Marketing Agency?
If you’re on the search for a marketing agency in Shropshire, Dash Agency is here to help.
As an award-winning creative marketing agency, Dash is capable of not just meeting your business’s needs but going beyond them. Our mission is to deliver innovative, end-to-end marketing solutions that drive growth, enhance visibility, and create meaningful connections between brands and their audiences.
So why choose Dash?
1.We Do Right By The Customer
At Dash, our focus has always been on long term relationships with clients. We want to offer you the best value for your money and that’s why we don’t just spend your budget recklessly, but instead we advise and recommend where your budget is best spent. We want to collaborate with you on ideas and utilise your own industry knowledge whilst offering our input in the form of our marketing experience.
2.We Have The Experience and Accreditations
Our team has a range of experience from different backgrounds including over 10 years’ experience in marketing roles, qualifications from the Chartered Institute of Marketing, a degree in Media Studies, experience with FMCG brands and household names, managing over £5 million in ad spend on digital platforms, and experience managing international brands and campaigns…. The list goes on!
We’re also proud to be Google Partners and Shopify Partners.
3.We Are Reactive and Flexible
We understand that in business everything is fast paced.
We’re proud of our ability to be reactive to change and our ability to jump on tasks as they come up. This can range from amends, to overhauls, to emergencies, to last minute event prep. We don’t charge by the package as we understand everyone has different needs, instead we focus on building the marketing campaign your company needs.
4.We Don’t Charge An Onboarding Fee
We don’t believe in a transactional relationship.
For us, we want to equally invest the time in one another for a successful long-term relationship, much like you would with a new employee.
5.We’re Independent
We don’t have any commercial contracts or trade agreements.
You will not be forced into choosing specific avenues of marketing if it would not benefit your company. We believe on finding the best choice personalised to your business.
We buy audience, not placement.
Ready to get started working with Dash? Get in contact today to see how we can help you reach your business goals.
Whether you’re looking for marketing expertise or have a specific project in mind, we’re here to assist.