Choosing an Advertising Agency Begins With Understanding Your Needs
By Juan Nodarse, President of The Marketing Advantage
Choosing an advertising agency is one of the most important business decisions that you can make. Before we talk about how to choose an agency, let's first address the question of whether you should have an agency at all.
I happen to think that every company should have an agency. Whether you have a large company with a fully staffed and talented marketing department or a small entrepreneurial company struggling to get off the ground, the right agency can be a major benefit.
Traditionally, advertising agencies held the power; that is, all the talent resided at these agencies. These large, often bureaucratic entities positioned themselves as "full-service" in order to get all of your business. And they could do it since they controlled all of the talent.
Today, talent abounds and an agency is what you choose to make it. You can find traditional agencies or you can find specific experts who address your specific needs to act as your "agency." Either way, it all begins with a clear understanding of your strengths and weaknesses. Consider the following suggestions when hiring an agency:
Find an agency that suits your needs.
The first step is to determine exactly what you need. I've seen firms with great on-staff writers who hire a writer in order to create good-looking ads, and end up with an ad written by an agency writer who doesn't have a clue how to communicate with a specific target audience. Take stock. What do you do well? What do you not do so well? Then choose an agency that can help you overcome your weaknesses and complement your strengths.
Find the right-sized agency.
Hiring a large agency for a small client or a small agency for a large client makes no sense. As a small client in a large agency, you may get lost. On the other hand, a large client may overwhelm a small agency. An agency that comes close to your budgetary expectations, work style and size will more likely lead to a beneficial relationship.
Find an agency that understands your profession.
I've seen experienced marketing professionals who step into the new markets and fall flat on their faces. Yours is a unique profession, one in which experience and an understanding of the profession are crucial. Someone who clearly understands the uniqueness of your profession is crucial to marketing success.
Find an agency that is flexible.
I strongly suggest you find an agency that doesn't have a one-stop solution. In other words, they should show flexibility in their payment terms and work processes. Your company is unique – finding an agency that has the flexibility to support your specific needs is paramount.
To find an agency, begin by asking your other vendors serving your profession. You see them at conventions and trades shows. Ask them. Also ask the media companies serving your profession. Once you get a few names, take time to interview them. Many of these agencies offer a free consultation, which will give you a good idea of how well they understand your situation and how they like to work.
At this stage you have two choices. The more informal approach is to pick the agency you liked the best from the interviews and give them a small project. See how things work out. Then you can decide whether to hire them for a bigger project. The more formal approach is to send a request for proposal [RFP] to all the agencies you interview and hire the responding agency whose proposal best matches your needs.
Don't let the fear of hiring an agency get in the way of your growth. Make sure you understand your needs clearly and then set out to find the right "agency" for your specific situation.
Juan Nodarse is president of The Marketing Advantage, a leading chiropractic-only marketing consultancy. He has spent 18 years in chiropractic including 13 as a senior marketing officer at Palmer College of Chiropractic. He works with leading chiropractic vendors as well as small, start-up companies to help them create growth strategies. He can be contacted at j.nodarse@mchsi.com.
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