Things you should and should not ask from a Digital agency to ensure mutually rewarding and smooth business relationship
Everyone wants to build a business that grows successfully and gains accolades while ensuring sustainability and diversification with core specialization.
In today’s context, if you are running a business and you are not online promoting it, you might as well not really exist to the real world.
So reaching out to digital agencies seems pretty much a sensible choice most of the times, because:
- You get specialized and professional services from those who do this for a living
- You do not need to micromanage and as a business head or founder or CEO, you get to focus on your brand and organizations core goals
- You do not need to invest into constantly reinventing the wheel with newer marketing and or new age media tools since you have hired someone who surely needs to!
So when you work with Digital agencies, here are some quick tips to make the process go smooth and make the digital marketing and social media journey a real bliss for both of you:
Things you should ask from a Digital agency
- Their credentials in terms of Case studies and work. Request a one-on-one meeting if need be to understand what and how they delivered. You could use one of their case studies as a reference to ask them to take you through the same in a step by step manner.
- Their awards and recognitions. Make sure these are globally recognized credentials and not just some random award ceremony started by their own venture or someone they know. Ask them to share some posts and or event pictures too if need be. No, it’s not rude to ask them. It just shows you want to ensure you are getting the core queries sorted out before you enter into a business relationship.
- Understand what sort of deliverables ‘you could expect’ by investing a certain amount over a specific period of time. Do not settle for deliverables like, hits, views, likes, follows etc unless those are the things you are really going for, which as a brand in the long run, you really shouldn’t.
- Ask for an easy EXIT Clause option. This gives you an easy way to exit from an agreement without causing much damage to either of the parties. No one gets into a business with the idea of getting out, but still, it might just not work out, so you might as well keep this as a last resort to protect your business time, money and resource.
- Reports: Ask and clearly understand what kind of reports would be shared with you and with what level of frequency. Ask for data that is relevant to you and not just everything that they seem to offer.
- If you are offering to invest seriously into digital marketing and social media with that agency, share your concerns and queries clearly at the start itself. Ask the following relevant questions:
- Are you ‘content ready’ or will the agency help you with that (for a cost of course)
- Does the agency really believe you will benefit by the services available for the goals that you are looking for or are they suggesting the services because that’s all they offer?
- Understand bifurcation of “types of digital marketing and social media” services the agency offers. Sometimes, they have only one model or business service and that’s the only one they try to “push” for your brand. Don’t agree to buy something from someone because that’s all they can offer to sell it to you. Digital marketing is a plethora of services and features that encompasses wide range of services. Don’t compromise for just one type of service because that’s all the agency offers.
- Put forth your organizational goals and understand which of these are realistic?
- The background, credentials of the Founder and or CEO of the agency. Not their staff, but the person at the helm of their entire business. Speak to them, meet them one on one. Are they able to connect with you and your organization’s values?
- Do they offer customization in between the campaigns in case the reports suggest that something is not working?
- Value for your buck – Yes, you can ask for value-added services for the investment you are ready to make with the agency in terms of time, money and resources. But ensure that the value-add you suggest are relevant and in sync with the money that you invest in the campaign. For eg. if you are investing around a million bucks over a period of time, you could expect few value-add trial services for free, but if you are investing literally peanuts with them, don’t try to demand too many things for no additional cost. It really ‘diminishes your brand image’. Also, in the long run, even if you are a small business account for the agency, if they respect you, they will value you and offer these value-add from their end too. For every agency, it’s the account and the way they are treated that matter the most, not the money invested. So make it work and win them with mutual trust and respect.
- If you have an in-house marketing team, ask the agencies if they are willing to conduct focused digital marketing and training workshops for your teams and provide support and guidance instead of full-fledged digital services.
Things you should not ask from a Digital agency:
- Will you do this for Free?
- Negotiations are good and a must, but ensure they are negotiations and not ridiculous ‘demands’ that end up offending the agency. Be realistic.
- How much money does your agency make? – Why would you ask them this? Are you going to invest in their company or ask them to invest in yours? Rather ask them, “Do you feel you are certainly qualified as an agency to deliver services for our company?” This is where their recognition’s, case studies, their CEO or Founder’s credentials come into play.
- Can I meet every staff in your company and talk to them? – Many times, agencies are put off by this not because they do not want you to speak to their teams but mostly because they have an innate sense of fear that these talents they have groomed, might be poached by the companies trying to hire their services. So respect their privacy and space. Think about it, would you like if your customers come down to your office and start interviewing everyone involved?
- Will you work on a profit-sharing model where you invest your time, money and resources and based on the returns from my business and in return I will share my profits with you? – Remember, if you don’t invest in your business, no one else will. So never ask any agency this question. It completely diminishes you, your brand and services in the eyes of the agency because it clearly tells them that you are not ready to trust your own business or brand.
- Can you guarantee? – Do you ask for guarantees when you run Google Adwords or facebook ads or LinkedIn ads or when you put up an ad on a TV or newspaper or magazine or a hoarding? So why do you think you can ‘demand’ these from agencies? Did you not check their credentials, their case studies, meet their Founder or CEO and understand where they come from? You can expect it of course, even ask them to add those deliverables as a goal in your agreement, but not demand a guarantee. Also, it matters, in terms of what you are willing to invest with that agency in return. Understand this very simple fact: Every agency working with your company wants to make money for you. They really do because that’s the easiest way they can grow with credentials too! So trust them and work with them.
These points work well for the business / organizations / brands and the digital marketing social media agencies in the long run.
Whenever a business or a brand has worked with us and we have been able to follow through majority of the steps shared above, the journey has truly been blissful for both of us. We have generated business, actual revenues, global brand reach and recognition’s for those brands and in turn they have helped my business flourish and rapidly grow too.
For me, your success is truly our success! Why because in reality, the easiest way to grow is when you grow together!
Do share your comments and views on this with me. Would love to hear from you.
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