Five Questions Your Advertising Agency Should Be Able To Answer

With the rise of social media, apps, and other social platforms online, the field of marketing has become much more complicated than it was in the past. Successful implementation and execution of marketing plans can make the difference between growth or bankruptcy. At any moment a new technology or online website could be changing the marketing landscape rendering your current marketing plan ineffective. How can you navigate all these challenges? The most successful companies make sure to hire the best talent to assist with their marketing goals. Here are five questions your advertising agency should be able to answer.

1. What expertise or experience do they bring to the table?

The reason for selecting a hiring an outside entity to handle your marketing is so you can focus your resources on other aspects of the business while having the trust and confidence that your needs will be taken care of. You will want to ensure your money is well spent by asking any potential agency what expertise and experience they bring to the table. Are they familiar with digital media, social media, and other online forms of marketing? Do they understand online retail? Are they familiar with growing an audience through engagement?

2. What is the scope and sequence of service?

Planning and organization are crucial components for success in any field. This is especially true with marketing. To ensure a successful campaign you will want to discuss the scope and sequence of your services. How long will it last? At what points will there be communications and measurements of its effectiveness? How long will each phase of a strategy last? Take the time to hash out all the details ahead of time and make sure you are both in agreement.

3. What strategies will they implement?

You will want to bring your own tentative plan to the table and inquire how it can be improved upon. For example, you may want to focus on a strong local online presence first, before thinking of wider exposure. Or perhaps you want to fine tune your messaging to zero in on a particular market? Will you implement one phase at a time, or utilize different phases in tandem to make a big impact?

4. How will they measure success?

You will want to have some idea of how the success of any marketing campaign is doing. You may want to agree upon some necessary benchmarks or discuss the types of goals you want to achieve. A good company will try to use efficient and objective measures of data to provide you with a clear picture of how things are unfolding.

5. How will they communicate results?

Will you all meet weekly for meetings or will you receive daily or weekly updates via email? What types of reports will you receive and how often? Which results are most important to running the business? These are some of the questions you will want to work out so the departments that need the information the most can be prepared to communicate efficiently.

Don't be afraid to ask tough questions and make sure you are getting the best marketing services possible. After all, its nothing personal, its business.

To learn more about an Austin advertising agency, go to MindEcology.com