8 Red & Green Flags for Finding Your Perfect Agency Fit

It’s no small thing. Searching for the partner that’ll impact your business in big, long-lasting ways. But 2023? It’s almost already here. And for many of our friends at companies both big and small, the new year is bringing new brand and content challenges along with it.

So to all those inquiring “How would you pick an agency partner?” we’ve compiled a series of ?? and ? flags as a simplified starting point. Let’s go: 

??Red Flag: Yes is the answer to all your questions. 

For best business results, brands of any size should be looking for a partnership, not a vendor. These are your go-to humans who will listen, collaborate – and also gently push where needed. You’re picking them because they’re in it to help you win now and in the long run. Friction makes fire, and all of our best work is proof of just that.

? Green Flag: They understand this is a BFD. 

As brand and content people, it’s not like we do brain surgery every day. But still. Your agency knows that brand and content is how careers are made and businesses are built. They’ll understand how big of a deal it is to put your brand in other people's hands.

?? Red Flag: There’s just no chemistry.

This one often gets overlooked because it doesn’t seem all that important. But these are the people you’ll be on weekly calls with. Folks you’ll collaborate with for months – and ideally years. You don’t have to be BFFs, but you’ve got to like interacting, at minimum. Trust.

? Green Flag: Your values and culture = aligned. 

Typically you’d see transparency and communication as standard green flags, for really good reasons. And underlying all of that: values and culture. Your agency partner will be on the same page here, and that’ll help you build trust and business results.

??  Red Flag: You don’t enjoy their content.

End of story. You’re their target market – are you feeling the stories they’re telling?

The tone of their writing? The quality of their design? Search their own marketing content out and evaluate accordingly.

? Green Flag: They see brand and content as one in the same.

Performance-driven content has been an understandable priority for many brands in years past. But the result of creating solely for clicks? Canned, skippable, forgettable filler.

Your agency will understand that every piece of content is a bit of brand building…or brand denigration. They’ll know that content is branding– so the end-product is effective but also, always of quality.

?? Red Flag: They have deep expertise in 1 vertical.

A bit of a curveball, but this is what we’ve found: out-of-category experience provides the necessary outside perspective to take a product and turn it into a brand. One with a robust, clutter-breaking asset library. While deep experience can be nice, it can also act like blinders to new possibilities. 

? Green Flag: Data is informative, not definitive.

Of course your agency will perform and analyze research to inform their choices. But they ideally don’t cling to it for comfort, and they’ll gently challenge you if you do. Data should be directional, not the maker of all decisions. For best results, approach your brand and content as a series of experiments. Test and learn with talented people you trust.

Have some red and green wisdom of your own to share? Please hit us with the goods in the comments and we’ll make a helpful mega-thread. ??

Want to talk more in-depth about more of those red and green flags? Let’s find a time.