Hiring a content marketing agency can help you grow your brand’s online presence and keep up with the competition. However, there are tons of agencies out there to choose from — and some are better than others.
So how can you find the right one for your unique business needs? Here’s what you need to know about hiring a content marketing agency:
Why Hire a Content Marketing Agency?
You may have limited resources, so why should you spend those on a content marketing agency? Here are some reasons why:
Focus on Other Areas of Business
As a new or small business owner, you inevitably have a lot on your plate. Clear some of these items by allowing a content marketing agency to focus on your marketing efforts. As a result, you can focus your energy on more important things like product development, sales, and client relations.
Save Money at the End of the Day
While you may think that hiring a content marketing agency will cost you money, you need to take a different approach. This is an initial investment upfront, but it can actually save you money in the long run. This is because agencies are able to do things more efficiently and effectively than you can on your own.
For example, instead of spending your valuable time on marketing, you can add more effort to sales.
Expand Your Online Presence
When handling content marketing on your own, you’re likely limited to the platforms and amount of content you’re able to produce.
When you use an agency, however, you’re able to expand your digital presence by utilizing new platforms and consistently developing new types of content.
Keep Up With the Competition
If you’re in a competitive field, hiring a content marketing agency can really help you keep up with the competition and better — set yourself apart. The odds are your competition is already killing the game by using an agency, so you can do the same thing by hiring one yourself!
Allow these experts to strategize and develop competitive content to knock the other players out of the water.
Stay Up to Date With Technology
As you’re probably aware, things online are always changing. If you’re not invested in this area, it can be hard to keep up with all the changes, trends, and innovations.
Instead of doing all of this yourself, allow a content marketing agency to do the hard work for you. Agencies are always ahead of the technological curve and are able to use these new innovations and advancements to your advantage.
Things to Consider Before Hiring a Content Marketing Agency
With all this in mind, you’re probably ready to go out there and hire a content marketing agency right away! While this level of enthusiasm is a good thing, you need to take a more leveled and organized approach.
Before you do anything, there are things you need to consider before beginning to look for a content marketing agency. These considerations can help you identify what you’re looking for and which agencies can meet your needs and expectations.
Consider What You’re Working With Now
First, do is a deep dive into your current marketing strategy. Consider everything you’re currently doing with the resources you have.
Consider the Gaps That Exist
Once you have a better idea of what you’re working with, you can start to identify gaps and areas needing improvement. From there, you can identify the best content marketing agencies to help you make these improvements and break you into new areas.
Consider Your Budget
In an ideal world, you’d be able to shell out top dollar for the best content marketing agency around. In the real world, however, you’re likely working with budgetary restraints. That being said, there are still great agencies out there that will be able to work with your budget.
Try to find a budget that makes sense for your business. Remember that hiring a content marketing agency is an upfront investment that will help you to grow your brand.
How to Find Potential Content Marketing Agencies
The next step is often the hardest: Where do you even begin to look for a content marketing agency? Perhaps the best thing to do is run a simple Google search. From there, explore the contenders’ websites and begin to gather information about what they offer.
Additionally, you could ask for referrals from fellow business owners to see if they have an agency they love working with.
Finally, you could check out some of your competitors to see who they’re working with.
8 Questions to Ask When Hiring a Content Marketing Agency
Once you have identified a few contenders, it’s really time to do your due diligence. You should never hire a content marketing agency without speaking with them in-depth about your business goals and the services they offer to help you achieve these goals.
That being said, it can be hard to go into these meetings without knowing exactly what questions to ask. We’ve done some of the hard work for you by compiling this list of questions to ask when hiring a content marketing agency:
- Do they offer free consultations? This is a good piece of information to have right off the bat about the agency.
- Do they have experience in your industry? Content needs can vary greatly across industries, so make sure that they are well-versed with what it means to work in your industry.
- Do they offer flexible services that meet your needs? Make sure that they are able to fill in all the gaps you previously identified. Also, make sure that you’re able to focus on certain areas as well as tweak your marketing strategy as you continue to grow.
- Do they have references that you can speak with to verify services and satisfaction? Posting online testimonials is great and all, but actually speaking to these companies one-on-one is the best way to verify that what you read online is really accurate.
- How will you communicate with your account manager? Make sure that you’re working with someone that’s responsive. Also, make sure that you have access to teams and other workers that are handling your content if needed.
- How do they track progress and provide results? Make sure that you’re able to see the progress that’s being made to ensure that your investment is worthwhile. For instance, do you receive weekly, monthly, or quarterly reports?
- Do they outsource certain aspects of their services or is it all done in-house? Make sure to get a full breakdown of what they handle specifically versus what they outsource.
- What do their services cost and how will you be charged? Make sure to get a clear cost estimate of different services as well as the payment terms and frequency.
With all this information in mind, you’re ready to make the best possible decision for your business.
Summary
Hiring a content marketing agency can be a convoluted and involved process — but the right amount of research and preparation can make it easier.
Experts like Greg Gillman can help you handle your content marketing needs from start to finish — effectively growing your business along the way. So reach out for a consultation today!
Sources:
Why Content Marketing Matters For Brands (And Yes, This Includes Yours) | Forbes
How to Set Yourself Apart From the Competition | Entrepreneur
