Marketing
Should You Switch Marketing Agencies? Ask Yourself These 5 Questions
By Ryan Parlee
If your current marketing agency makes you want to pull your hair out, remember—you can always let them go.
But before you get on the phone and give ’em a piece of your mind once and for all, ask yourself these five questions when you’re considering the right time to switch marketing agencies.
Do they share their tactics with you?
Despite what your marketing agency thinks, they are not the Pentagon. The tactics they share with you are not super-ultra top secret. In fact, if they’re not telling you what they’re doing with your marketing, it’s time to start shopping for a different partner.
Be careful with marketing agencies that hide their strategy under lock and key (or lock and password). A marketing agency that is expert at its craft isn’t afraid of letting their tactics out into the open. After all, great tactics don’t make for a great marketing plan—an experienced team does.
Do they give you access to their tools?
Tesla, a leading manufacturer of drool-worthy electric cars, worked tirelessly to make huge strides in their industry. Then they turned it all around and made all of their proprietary patents open-source. Why? Because they were light years ahead of the competition anyway.
Your marketing agency should share their tools in the same way. Can you log in to the same tools that your agency uses to track and improve your site’s marketing? When you use them, are you coming to the same conclusions as they are?
No marketing agency has the “secret sauce.” Don’t be duped by an agency that claims to have one.
Do they ask you to do things?
An inbound marketing campaign is not a set-it-and-forget-it sort of project. You can’t take a nap in your ivory tower while the agency does your bidding and rakes in sales.
No matter what an agency does, you’re going to know much more about your company than anyone else. A smart agency will ask you to put that knowledge to work, writing blog posts, starring in videos or types of content. Get ready to work alongside your marketing agency to achieve your end goal. (Besides, it’s way more fun to give someone a high-five when you reach your goal, and we’re pretty good at those.)
Do they listen to your concerns?
There are two types of companies in this world: walkie-talkies and radios. The radios blab incessantly about themselves all day. (“What’s that? You don’t want to hear Abba played over and over again? Too bad!”) The walkie-talkies talk about themselves a little bit, of course, but also take the time to listen and respond to inquiries. They might even let listeners dictate the topic of conversation entirely.
Which one do you think you’d like to do business with?
The agency/client relationship is a two-way street. If your agency doesn’t take the time to listen to (or respond to) your concerns, it’s time to reconsider.
Do they make excuses?
You’ve probably heard it before. Something looks a little off-kilter on your site, so you drop a line asking your agency to tinker with it. Then you get the dreaded response: “That’s out of our scope.” So frustrating!
If your agency is nickel-and-diming you on every occasion, it’s time to shop around.
