Are you among the 70 percent of marketers who are actively investing in content marketing? Are you running out of time to do this yourself? Are you interested in hiring a content marketing agency to take some or all of the workload off of your back?
There are many benefits of hiring a marketing agency, but that doesn’t mean that now’s the right time to do so. Additionally, even if you’re ready to proceed, it’s best to take a step back to ensure that you’re going down the right path.
Here are five questions to answer on your search for a content marketing agency:
- What are your content marketing goals?
The best marketing strategies for 2021 won’t be the best for 2022 or beyond. So, you need to review your goals from the past and set new ones for the future. Without short and long-term goals, it’s easy to fall into the trap of spending money with no real idea of what you’re trying to accomplish.
Before you ever reach out to an agency, write down a handful of goals. They don’t have to be perfect, but they should align with what you want to accomplish in the year to come.
- What has worked for your company in the past? What hasn’t produced results?
Before you set a strategy for the future, you must understand what has and has not worked for your company in the past. This is critical to moving in the right direction in the days, weeks, and months to come.
Take as much time as necessary to understand your successes and failures. You won’t be disappointed with your decision to do so.
- What is your budget?
Don’t let a marketing agency tell you how much you should spend on their services. Instead, you need to make this decision based on what you can afford to spend. The last thing you want to do is agree to a monthly cost that doesn’t align with your marketing budget. This can force your company into a bad financial situation.
Your budget can and probably will change down the line, and as that happens you can revisit your budget. But upfront, you should have a firm idea of what you can afford to spend in the here and now.
- Do you plan on contributing anything internally?
Just because you hire a content marketing agency doesn’t mean that you have to do everything on your own. It’s okay to contribute internally. For instance, you may have a social media manager and lead writer who can supplement what your marketing agency is doing.
Loop these employees or contractors into the collaboration process. This way, everyone is on the same page as your agency gets up and running.
- Do you have the internal manpower to provide a marketing agency with everything they need on an ongoing basis?
This doesn’t necessarily mean that you have to provide actual services, such as content creation. However, you do need to have someone on your team who is willing and able to communicate effectively and efficiently with your agency. You also need someone who can provide information such as Google Analytics access and CMS access.
Take the time to consider who on your team could take on these types of tasks. If it’s you, that’s okay, but you don’t want to bite off more than you can chew.
Tip: ask the marketing agencies on your shortlist what type of input and assistance they need from you. This will give you a better idea of how many hours you can expect to spend on these types of tasks.
Final Thoughts
These are just a few of the many types of questions you want to answer on your search for a content marketing agency. And of course, as others come to light, you should address those as well.
The more questions you answer, the more prepared you’ll be when it finally comes time to hire a content marketing firm. It’s critical that you make an informed and confident decision, as this will put you in a position to form a meaningful relationship with your agency.