Duct Tape Marketing

Follow these Do’s and Don’ts to find the best one for your company.
 
There are more than 20 thousand ad agencies in the United States according to Manta, a business information company.  Some states have a few dozen, some have a few hundred, while California has more than 2,000.  

Finding the right ad agency for your company can feel like searching for a needle in that proverbial haystack.  But choosing the wrong agency wastes time, effort, and money.  It can lead you to believe it’s better to put up with the agency you have than search for a new one.

According to Guy Richards, Chief Branding Officer at Abiah, LLC in southern New Jersey, “It might take you up to 12 weeks to identify a list of prospective agencies and begin the evaluation process, but this time is well spent.  Advertising is an investment that should generate a significant return for your business.  It’s not a decision to be made lightly.”

If you’ve decided it’s time to find a new agency, or your company is ready to hire your first one, then here are Richards’ Do’s and Don’ts to help you pick the right agency from the start.

Do have a budget
Marketing and advertising takes money  — not necessarily a budget the size of Coke®’s, but it does take money.  Have an amount you’re willing to invest and be honest with the agencies you’re considering.  One rule of thumb you can use to create a budget is to set aside a percentage of estimated gross revenue.

Don’t think bigger is better
Big agencies have big overhead.  Small agencies can often give you more care and attention than the big agencies.  They also often have more enthusiasm and flexibility.  Marketing guru Seth Godin in Small is the New Big, says “small” means big ideas get executed quickly, with care, and with outstanding service.

Do have clear objectives
Everyone wants to make more money but that’s not a clear enough objective that an agency can help you accomplish.  Do you want to create more awareness of your business to increase traffic? Do you want to increase sales for a specific product, service, or line of business? Do you want to move from a reactionary kind of strategy to a more formalized and consistent effort? A good agency can recommend an overall strategy but only you can determine what your objectives are.

Don’t be distracted by bells and whistles
An agency may excel at creating funny print ads or commercials.  They may be entertaining; that’s not advertising’s goal.  Advertising should drive sales, increase awareness, enhance reputation, or accomplish other specific objectives.  Look for an agency whose work delivers results and accomplishes client goals.

Do plan to consider your agency a partner
The best agencies spend time getting to know the organization and its products or services.  You must be willing to share information and answer lots of questions.  Only then can marketing strategies and programs be created to help you achieve your goals.

Choosing the right ad agency is an important decision.  It’s time consuming and can be frustrating.  But identifying the right agency – one that fits with your company, is committed to your success, and has the talent to help you achieve your goals – will reap tremendous rewards for your organization.

Abiah, LLC is a brand strategy and full-service marketing firm whose solutions make a bottom-line difference for their clients.  Visit http://www.abiah.com/brand_test/index.php to take the brand test and see what’s holding back your brand.  Join the conversation about brands and marketing at www.brandreturn.com.

Copyright © 2007 by Abiah.    If you share this, print it out, or reproduce it in any way, please retain this copyright statement.