4 Secrets on How to Pick the Right Ad Agency

Time's up! You realize that you need to optimize your online presence, get more targeted leads and build your brand awareness to stay relevant on the marketplace and surpass your competition. Because all is now happening online, you no longer have the luxury to be wishy-washy. Challenge is you are not sure where to start, you are aware of potential scams and you wonder how to prioritize your efforts for the best ROI.

Here are 4 tips you can use to move in the right direction:

Tip #1: Clarify your core values

You can't surround yourself with the right partners if you don't have clarity on who you are, what you stand for, why you do what you do and how you want to do it. It's indeed a matching game. We attract like-minded people, and if you want a team to deliver to your expectations, ethics and values, you need to ensure you are clear on your identity and value proposition.

Tip #2: Stop Buying on Price

Let's be real! You are not buying a box of chocolate or toilet paper. Commodities are short term benefits but don't last in the long run. If you want quality and results, you need to base your selection on value, expertise, proof of expertise and work ethics. If you want your marketing team to help you grow your business and sustain that growth, you have to look at them as an investment, not a cost. You invest in people not in computer software, which should focus your selection criteria on a different set of standards.

Tip #3: Test before you commit

It's like dating. You don't ask someone to marry you the next day you meet them. Put a few agencies in competition and ask them to advise you on what priorities you should be focusing on to reach your goals. The good ones who are organized, grounded and focused will be able to get the right information from you to provide you with relevant advice and direction. Once your agency is selected, build a list of milestones to achieve and don't start the next milestone until they have perfectly delivered the previous one. Splitting the bill in a set of milestones will not only release some of your fears of not seeing return on your investment, but also force the agency to deliver results before they tackle the next action item. Once they have proven their value and worth, you can think about a long-term contract that would benefit both parties for the long-run.

Tip #4: Focus. Focus. Focus.

I see too many business leaders lacking focus and direction, either spreading themselves too thin wanting to do it all, not being able to delegate or so scattered that they can't finish any task they tackle. They are controlled by fear and end up going nowhere because they are unable to focus. Clarity creates focus and focus fuels success. The right agency will be able to assist you in building that focus and guiding you to implementing life-changing tactics.

Remember that you are going to work with people. The closer you are to them in values, ethics, professionalism and drive, the better results you will achieve. Big is not always better. Large agencies often hand you over to unexperienced junior staff that aren't able to communicate to your level providing you with just "good enough" service.

If you want results, "good enough" won't do it. You need "great", and to get "great" you need to invest in your marketing and branding efforts. You won't go to a Lexus dealership and tell them you can only spend the price of a Kia. To buy your Lexus, you either had to save money or get a loan. It's the same concept with your marketing. If you can't afford paying for value that lasts, you might as well throw your money in your local dumpster.

To your success always,

Catherine

CEO Sliice Marketing - A Core Branding Agency

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