How to Find the Right Marketing Agency

As a business owner and entrepreneur, handing over the reins of your marketing efforts can feel like a daunting task. Whether this is your first time outsourcing marketing support, or you manage a robust marketing budget, picking the right marketing agency to work with can seem overwhelming. 

At StoryWell, we believe in true partnership with all of our clients - from aligned values to streamlined workflows, we work hard to be the agency of choice for businesses across all industries. 

Here are some of our top tips for finding the right marketing agency for your needs. 

Understand Your Needs and Goals

First things first, it is important to do an internal reflection about your goals and vision for working with a marketing agency. We recommend having a clear expectation of the work you’d like to outsource, how you would prefer to be involved and who on your team will be the primary liaison with this new marketing agency. (Our handy guide on the blog should help point you in the right direction). 

In addition to understanding your scope of work, we also advise that prospective clients set realistic big and small goals for their business. Simply saying “we want to improve our sales/client load/profit margins etc.” As your partner in business, a marketing agency needs to comprehensively understand what these goals mean to you, how you envision your business getting there and what smaller goals are milestones along the way. 

Lastly, we encourage all of our clients to come to our first meetings with an understanding of their current marketing efforts, how these efforts are performing and the challenges/opportunities facing their marketing strategy. This type of internal audit helps our team hit the ground running and use this starting point as an opportunity for further growth. 

Do Your Research

Once you have completed your internal business audit, it is time to start your research to find a marketing agency that fits your needs. 

Here are some of our top “green flags” when researching marketing agencies for your business:

• The agency has a robust list of clients and experience—bonus points if they have worked with businesses in your niche or industry

• The agency has a well-designed website, social proof and a polished portfolio

• Your business is valued from your very first interaction. Any marketing agency you are considering working with should take the time and effort to understand you, your business and your needs. 

• The agency has a clear scope of experience and has experts on their roster ready to support clients. (Tip: Here are just a few of the projects/marketing activities a marketing agency can help you with!)

• Your values align with your agency partner

• The marketing agency does not make outlandish promises or “guarantees” on work outside of their scope or control (For example, promising a certain number of followers or increase in sales, etc.)

Consider an Alternative to the Agency Model

For many small business owners, working with a marketing agency can be financially unattainable in their early stages of growth. Luckily, there is a new form of marketing agencies available called marketing collectives (hint: we are one of those collectives!). 

A marketing collective is a group of project managers, marketers and client specialists that allow businesses to select the services they need without the overhead and additional staffing costs of a traditional marketing agency. 

At StoryWell, we curate a tailor-made team of niche marketing professionals so you have access to top experts in the services you need, without paying for the ones you don’t. We work under a remote, freelance model so we can often provide the same top-quality level of service as a traditional marketing agency at a much more attainable price for small businesses. 

Ready to learn more about how we create true partnerships with our clients? Contact us today!