The 6 Do’s and 6 Don’ts of Selecting a Marketing Agency
Smarti Solutions is a marketing consultancy and agency search firm that connects businesses with advertising agencies, PR firms and allied companies. Founder/President Michele Harris has authored an interesting white paper on “Selecting a Marketing Agency” that may be helpful for those looking for help in a hurry. She divides her advice equally between “Do’s” and “Don’t Do’s.”
Do’s and Musts
- Establish a budget range up front
- Scope the size of the agency’s clients
- Develop a clear scope of work
- Check to make sure agency top talent is still on-board
- Gauge expertise
- Match agency culture with your own corporate culture
Don’t and Pitfalls
- Avoid paying for “full-service” unless you really need ancillary services
- Don’t fall for “hot” or trendy – what works for others might not be right for you
- Avoid signature creative looks that may prove restrictive
- Differentiate between the chemistry of the team and the needs of the business
- Beware of larger firms taking on smaller clients during the recession.
- Issue a blanket RFP to a long list
Health Care Communicators Benefit From Up-Front Homework
Harris’ last point is particularly important to health care marketers in a hurry. Sending out a flood of Requests for Proposals is like a carpet-bombing campaign: it destroys everything in it’s path. Your up-front homework:
- Saves you internal staff time – by some estimates up to 40+ hours for a small to medium size RFP
- Allows you to focus only on those agencies already up to speed on your business and regulatory environment
- Preserves honor and goodwill. If you invited them to bid you must read the proposals and take the meeting for the final presentation.
At Group 8020, we recommend issuing the RFP to just 3-4 agencies, any one of whom you’d be interested in working with. Yes, it takes a little bit of effort but it pays off in longer term relationships. In fact, 100% of the agencies selected by our clients have been invited back for repeat business; none of them required Group 8020 for that second round of work. It’s a win-win for everyone.
Links:
- You can read Smarti’s full article here [open's PDF in new window].
- Link to Smarti Solutions corporate website
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