Choosing the right PR and marketing agency for you

You have decided you need external support, but what questions should you be asking agencies or freelancers that you are considering working with? Kat Mitchell shares her top tips.

There are so many PR and marketing agencies out there to choose from, and every one of those agencies will give you a different experience. An agency that is right for one business may not be right for yours, even if that other business is remarkably similar.

When working at in-house Communications Manager roles I worked with a wide range of copywriting, PR, marketing, and design agencies and freelancers. Some were a good fit, others were not. Over the years I got better at spotting those who I would get the best value from during the pitching process.

I have written a helpful guide to helping identify the best partner for you team and your brand.

Market experience

When working in a technical market, it is important to make sure and marketing support that you bring in have the necessary knowledge and experience to be effectively speaking to your audience.

This is especially important when appointing an agency or freelancer to help with your b2b PR or copywriting.

They need to be able to demonstrate at least 5 years of working in your market with similar businesses if you are to be able to be confident the output you receive is of the quality you need.

They need to understand market terms and vehicles, industry jargon, the history of the market you are operating in, and your competitive environment. They also need to commit to spending the time to get to know your brand and where it sits within this market.

This also needs to be the case for every person they intend on having work with you.

Who will actually be doing the work on your account?

Some agencies have a habit of sending in senior staff to pitch for your business, but then passing much of the day to day work to junior members of the team once they have you as a client.

You need to make it clear that the person you want to pitch for your business is the person doing the work and that you won’t accept substitutions.

What about services?

You need to think carefully about what you need from your marketing support.

Do you need someone who can take the whole marketing or PR function off your hands? Or are you looking for a writer to support a busy in-house team? Is social media important to you? Do you need help developing processes and crisis communications procedure?

Every agency and freelancer will have their specialisms.

Even those, such as myself, who offer a broad range of services will have more of a focus on specific areas based off their experience and personal preferences.

I am a big believer in integrated marketing campaigns with content at the core. If you want to focus your marketing efforts solely on display advertising or purchased leads, then I am probably not your girl.

Cost sensitivities

It is a fact of life that you often get what you pay for. However, more expensive doesn’t always mean better.

As a whole, large agencies tend to charge higher rates. Partially because then can as some will always appoint the big shiny agency, and partially because they have higher overheads. But this does not mean all smaller agencies or freelancers are guaranteed to be cheaper.

Have frank discussions about your budget up front. You do not want to waste time talking to an agency/freelancer to find that you are on completely different pages about cost.

If you have a restricted budget think hard about where you want to concentrate your efforts and make sure your goals are realistic.

If someone is offering to deliver far more than others and is promising you all kind of results that sound too good to be true, they probably are. Some have a bad habit of overpromising and underdelivering.

Personality compatibility

If an agency or freelancer sounds like they can deliver everything you need but you can’t stand the person you would be working with, then don’t go there.

It will be a miserable experience for all involved and there will be someone else out there who can do a good a job without the personality clash.

Brand compatibility

Anyone you appoint also needs to be compatible with your brand.

Agencies and freelancers will have their own style and corporate culture. If they use a lot of casual language and dress in a casual fashion whereas your brand is very formal, then consider if they would be a good fit. Would you want them representing your brand?

Metrics and measurement

There are many different styles of measuring performance and many different tools that agencies use to report to clients.

Ask them about what they use and how they report. It can save you a lot of time if the agencies you use report to you in a fashion that you can lift and add to your own reports.

Boring legal stuff

When appointing an agency, it can be easy to concentrate on the quality of the work and completely ignore the practical side.

Ask how they invoice and bill clients. If you are not a VAT registered business, ask if they charge VAT? What steps have they taken to protect themselves and clients against IR35? What insurance do they hold?

Choosing a writer

I have also written a handy list of questions that you should ask when choosing someone to write copy for you here.

I’m always happy for people to pick my brain so get in touch today if you want any more advice on how to pick the right agency for you.