Oh boy, this could get interesting...
Marketing in 2020 is tough business. As soon as you think you've mastered the art of marketing your business, along comes a new platform or feature that sets you back to square one again. For example, it's crazy to think that Instagram stories were only introduced in 2016, yet 500 million users now take advantage of the feature every day.
Because of the ever changing landscape of digital marketing, it seems like handing over your digital presence and campaigns to an agency might be the best solution, right? The problem here is that when it comes to marketing and advertising agencies you'll find a spectrum of abilities and specialisms. What does this mean for your business? In an ideal world, you'd go with an agency who have genuine passion for your blood, sweat and tears (just like how we operate here at Dimension), however there are also agencies out there that don't always hold your businesses best interests at heart. Here's a few pointers to think about before signing the dotted line.
The Medicine Show
I remember learning about the medicine man in History at school - do you? Well, there are plenty of 'agencies' out there today that claim to be the one-stop-shop and miracle cure for all your business needs. Interestingly, this reminds me of a Catherine Tate sketch. Take a look below, you'll soon see what I mean!
See what I'm getting at here? Another way of putting it is 'jack of all trades, master of none'. You'd be hard pressed to find an agency who are true experts at everything, the reason being is that we all have strengths and weaknesses and it's exactly the same with businesses. It might be that an agency is incredible when it comes to social media content but leave more to be desired when it comes to branding. At Dimension, we are transparent and clear with all of our clients, explaining what we can achieve and where we can't we will source the solution for them, rather than make a teapot out of chocolate!
Hey, Big Spender!
One of the best lessons to learn early on when working with a marketing agency is that they are still a business. They have bills to pay, targets to meet and profits to increase just like you and I. This doesn't have to be a negative thing however. Many agencies, including ourselves, take care of an intimate roster of clients which means we retain our customers. How do we reach this correlation? Well, in short, we've got an incredibly talented team but only when they're able to give 100% to a project or client. The simplest way to think of this is the good old fashioned rubber band. You can pull it in every direction, but only so much! As soon as the going gets too tough, it snaps. If you're looking for an agency then do some research and find out who they're working with. Agencies will often display their clients on their website and you'll soon be able to work out whether you'll be a big fish in a small pond or a small fish in a lake. Of course, when it comes to huge marketing budgets you'll most likely be at the front of the queue, however for small businesses you don't want to feel as if you've been pushed to the back of the line. Every client is important, not just the big spenders.
Same Product, Different Label
If you're anything like me, I'm a skeptic when it comes to own brand supermarket goods. The kind that look and taste just like your favourite snack but sport the supermarket label on the front. Well there are some agencies that take the same approach with their clients. Let's take a website for example, click through various clients' websites, do you see a pattern? If so, the chances are that the agency has simply changed a few images and pictures and voila! The point here is that whilst the website might be perfectly functional and look presentable, it makes you question how much care and attention is really going into your account. There are times that clients have a limited budget and timeframe to work within, in these cases using previous templates is understandable but if all the clients in their roster are sporting the same Squarespace design, it might be time to look elsewhere.
If you're looking for an agency that has a genuine interest in high quality work and relationships, let us discuss your businesses future here at Dimension.
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