Inbound marketing seems to be the current preferred style of marketing compared to the traditional methods of marketing. Deciding to hire an inbound marketing agency requires thorough research and analysis. You've to ensure you hire the right inbound marketing agency that will drive your business forward, and are compatible with your business goals and visions. In this article, you’ll learn essential things to consider when hiring inbound marketing agencies.
1. The Inbound Marketing Agency is Compatible with Your Business Goal
Before you search for a team to collaborate, you've to be certain about your business goal. There are several inbound marketing agencies that offer different services. The services have to complement your business goals.
- Is your business goal to be strategic in terms of SEO positioning?
- Are you looking for an increase in website traffic?
- Are you looking to increase your social media presence and engagement?
These are some questions you can explore to determine which inbound marketing agencies would be a best match with your business.
2. The Inbound Marketing Agency Website
An agency website is a marketing tool on its own. The website gives you an impression of the quality of work the agency delivers. A good inbound marketing agency website should exhibit the strategy that their business implements. The website should show the illustrations of the work that the agency has done before. This is because you don’t want to be left guessing the credibility and quality of the agency and its services. The website should have contact information readily available, so that you can immediately enquire about the collaboration with the agency.
3. The Inbound Marketing Agency Costing is Within your Budget
Generally speaking, inbound marketing isn’t as expensive as agencies that provide traditional marketing strategies. Having seen the services that are provided by the agencies, setting up a consultation session is a good idea. Usually agencies’ services are not set in hard stone. It depends on your preferences and requirements. You may have to choose the services that fall in line with your budget as well, without of course compromising your ultimate goal. These are discussions that inbound marketing agencies are happy to have with you.
4. The Inbound Marketing Agency’s Reviews and Reputation
After a consultation session, you'll most likely have received information regarding their previous work with earlier clients. You can check out the agency’s online portfolio to assess the quality of their work. You can tell whether the agency can actually deliver what they say they can. Reviews on the agency’s services and processes, are also found online. When clients are happy or discontent, they’re more than willing to let others know about their experience. You must however, be aware that not all reviews are genuine. Some people may have ill intentions and post fake reviews that throw potential clients off.
5. The Inbound Marketing Agency’s Integration Strategies
If you've certain preferred traditional marketing strategies such as print and billboard, a good inbound marketing agency will implement marketing strategies that embrace this idea. There’s no rule that forbids your from integrating both outbound and inbound marketing. A good inbound marketing agency is able to get creative. For example, you can advertise an online competition on a brochure that you wish to distribute. This infused marketing strategy, will still drive traffic to your website, if that’s your main goal.
6. The Inbound Marketing Agency’s Client Dealing
The quality of services, or lack-off during your process of engagement, gives you insight into the kind of relationship you'll potentially experience. You should look out for the language that was communicated with you. If you met one-on-one, what was the body language? Did the team seem interested in you and your business? Was authentic information shared with you when you asked questions? Usually your gut instinct will tell you whether it’s a team that you’d want to collaborate or not.
Conclusion
Choosing an inbound marketing agency to hire is a process and not an instant event. You've to be willing to do some research, have conversations with the agencies, and analyze whether your goals are in congruence. The manner in which agencies deal with potential clients, is also very telling of the professional treatment that you'll receive in the long-term, or lack there-of. At the end of the day a successful business partnership not only is determined by the work and results produces. Relationship dynamics can also make or break a business partnership.
Do let us know in the comments section below how had been your experience with an inbound marketing agency.
