When we are in need of hiring others to do specific tasks for us, we can find it challenging to complete the hiring practices. There are some things to consider when hiring others. There is no exception when hiring a marketing firm. Here is a list of five things to think before employing a marketing agency. Each one will be discussed briefly.
- Agency or In-House
- Reputation
- Expertise
- Costs
- Commitment
Agency or In-House
Companies looking for a marketing team need to decide if they will build a team from within the company, or are they going to hire an agency (e.g. search engine optimization for plastic surgery practices) to conduct the marketing for them. Building an in-house team might not sound like a difficult task. However, if you are a company that is just starting, you might want to hire an agency instead. Hiring an agency to create an in-house team for you might be a more economical decision to meet your marketing needs.
Reputation
You can ask around for referrals to marketing agencies. It also might be a good idea to read online reviews about the agencies you are considering. If the company does not have any reviews, it should be a warning sign. You should always do your homework before choosing a marketing firm to represent you. After all the firm you employ will be a reflection of your company.
Expertise
Many agencies contribute to one or two fields of expertise. It is a good idea to ask the agencies you ate considering their areas of expertise. Some questions you would want to consider requesting the agency might include items that go along with the ideas you are looking for your company. If you do not know which questions would be good questions to ask, ask the company for some case study examples. They should be happy and proud to show them to you. If they do not have case studies examples to show you, it might be a good idea to walk away from that company.
Costs
There are three ways a marketing agency will consider charging your firm. These consist of hourly, monthly, and resource allocation. With the hourly charge, marketing companies discuss your budget, ask for a retainer, and go to work. They bill you by the hour. When they are doing a job for you, they take the hourly fee from the retainer. If you are charged a monthly fee, you are given unlimited services for a flat monthly fee. Finally, with resource allocation, they bill according to the resources they use. There is no one correct billing solution for every company.
Commitment
Usually, marketing agencies will require you to sign a contract with them. The marketing agency chooses between six and twelve-month terms. They will expect the duration of the contract to be honored in its entirety. Some companies will offer you an out clause. The out clause usually will require you to give the firm a thirty-day notice. Sometimes, they need work of at least 90-days before you can get out of your contract.
