Did you know that before, there were only a handful of good advertising agencies to choose from? You only had 5-6 choices in advertising firms if you were a brand who wanted some advertisement-related things done.
Good thing that all changed now. Advertisings are dime-a-dozen nowadays so we have a lot of choices. Should you go with a quirky and rebellious advertising agency or should you settle with a more tame and traditional one?
Choosing the right advertising agency is said to be an integral part of your business growth. If you are a business with no in-house advertising department, your only choice is to tap a third-party provider to help you out. But with the increase in the number of advertising agencies willing to help us out, how can you possibly pick one that is right for you?
Eeny, meeny, miny, moe choose the agency who’ll bring the most dough
When you are a small business who wants to get their feet wet on advertising, choosing a partner is always confusing. You have a lot of things to consider (especially finances!) when choosing the right advertising agency. But should you just focus on price? Of course not. Here are some tips on how you can choose the right advertising agency for your business.
- Before you even consider getting an advertising company, try to define your advertising goals first. Make sure you know why you need one before you get one. You don’t go to the hardware to buy a chainsaw and hope a tree sprouts in your backyard as soon as you get home. Ask yourself (or your team) what are your business goals? Who are you trying to reach? What do you want the advertising agency to do for you? Be as specific as possible but don’t expect it to stick in the final plan. Some of the answers you give yourself may change along the consultation period.
- As soon as you have your advertising goals clear, start shopping for advertising agencies. It will be best if you write an RFP or request for proposal and send it over to the advertising agencies in your area. Your RFP should include some background regarding your company and your advertising needs. Remember the questions you asked on Tip number 1? Include them in your RFP so the advertising firms can understand what you need. A word of caution though, keep everything as realistic as possible. Don’t ask for a Super Bowl ad with a $500 budget. Make sure the scope of your needs is attainable and is in tune to your business goals.
- When choosing between advertising agencies, try to check their track record. How long have they been in the industry? Who were their past clients? This will give you a good idea on whether they are a good partner or not. If you want to, you can even contact their past clients and ask them about the agency. Honest advertising agencies will be more than happy to give you the leeway to contact their past clients for any feedback. If they are hiding their client list from your or you hear something negative about them from their past clients then you should consider those as red flags.
- As soon as you have a shortlist of the advertising agencies you want to work with, ask them how they are going to work the project for you. Any good firm can give you a flowchart of the process they have in mind. This is important as it will show how the agency considers each step. Are they more particular on polishing the ad itself or are they more focused on the advertising channels? How do they treat the results and data? How will you, as the client, work with them during the process?
- After following the past 4 steps, I guess it is high time you go and talk to the team that will handle your account. You should get a good idea of how they work based on who they are. No, I am not asking you do to a background check on each and every one. Go out, have a dinner or hit the local bar. Don’t forget that these people hold the future of your business so you should get to know them better.
Following these steps will most likely get you a good advertising agency to work with. Contacting one locally can be better for small businesses. This way, you can personally contact the advertising team if you have any questions along the way.
If you are looking for a proven Sarasota advertising agency, contact CRE8EGY today. Just tell us what you need and how you want it done and we’ll whip up an advertising plan that will suit your business.