How to Choose an Inbound Marketing Company

An Inbound Marketing Company is?NOT Just Any Old Ad Agency

All advertising agencies are NOT created equal. ?Looking for an Inbound Marketing Company can feel like shopping for a car. Most look the same, cost about the same, and the selling points are just about the same thing. ?But, as you know with car shopping, not all products are created equal and sometimes you end up with a lemon ? a mistake that can haunt you for years.

So, how do you choose an Inbound Marketing company? Obviously you need to do your homework, checking work history and clients; but, there is much more.

Just because an agency has been successful with other companies, does not necessarily mean they are compatible with you!

Look into the Inbound Marketing company’s strategic thoughts, values, leadership and marketing emphasis.

Here are a few things to keep in mind before contacting any inbound marketing firm.

Do they offer the services that matter most to me?

All agencies should offer (at minimum) these four services:

traffic generation
premium content generation
lead-nurturing
analytics

In some cases agencies will offer all four. If they do, you must evaluate their tactics and how they will help achieve your goals.

Are they tailored to you? Any Inbound Marketing company can dust off an old proposal and reuse it. The best companies don?t solve problems until a strategic plan has been outlined. ?Beware the company that ?knows? your answers before they?ve even heard your needs.

Do they really believe in this Inbound Marketing stuff? Some agencies may say they believe in Inbound, but do they really? See if they practice what they preach on their own website, or if they subscribe to and understand either Hubspot, Salesforce or Marketo.

?What?s their specialty? ?Many Inbound Marketing firms are not generalist, they are specialist. Meaning they are focused on one component of Inbound. ?For example, they may have extensive experience with SEO, (Search Engine?Optimization)? allowing them to drive massive amounts of traffic to your website.

?Can they leverage your team? ?Just because you hire an agency, doesn?t mean your team should not be part of the process. Your agency should be focused on training your team, harnessing their expertise and filling in the natural marketing gaps that occur in every company.

?Who in their agency will do the work? Sometimes when you hire an agency, they may not be the ones doing the work. Outsourcing is a reality today and some of your work may even be happening on another continent. ?While this may save you in the pocketbook, you are traveling down a slippery slope.

?What are they measuring? The Inbound Marketing Company that measures everything succeeds faster. ?Why is that? Because they know what is working and what is not. Your agency must have benchmarks for your goals, and be able to show the process they are using to achieve them.

In the end, you need an Inbound Marketing Company that is best equipped to reach your strategic goals and collaborate well with your internal team. Just because choosing an agency is a big decision, doesn?t mean the process should be stressful or rigid.

If you are considering an Inbound Marketing Company, drop us a line for a short consulting session. ?It?s free and we can help kick your selection process off by giving you a list of things you should be asking every one you talk to.