There are over 120,000 marketing agencies in the US today.
While this sounds like great news for business owners because they can choose from such a large pool, recent studies have shown that half of agency-client relationships do not last over 2 years.
The shift in agency-client relationships since the 1980s is dramatic, given that the average tenure back then was 7.2 years.
Many business owners say it’s hard to find agencies that fit their specific needs. Besides the lost fees to expensive retainers, picking the wrong marketing agency can lead to lost opportunities and be an enormous waste of time.
So where to find a marketing agency that will meet your needs?
While you could always do a quick Google search or check groups on LinkedIn (especially LinkedIn groups like Social Media Today and Search Engine Land), the truth is not every “good” agency is a good fit for every client.
In this guide, we will explain what to look for to find a marketing agency that fits your needs and how to find the best marketing company for your business by defining your brand’s goals and needs.
We will also list some of the most popular ways to find an agency.
Once you are done, be sure to check out the Agency Reviews platform dedicated to reviewing marketing agencies, ensuring that feedback comes from actual users who have engaged with the agencies.
3 Ways to Understand Your Business Needs
Before learning how to find an advertising agency, business owners must first understand why they need one and what they want to achieve.
In this section we will explain how to:
- Define your scope of work
- Define your budget (+budget examples!)
- Define your brief
1. Define Your Scope of Work and Goals
Imagine the scope of work as a framework for your relationship with the advertising agency. Defining the scope is the first step to finding the right marketing agency as every agency has its specialties and you need to know what you are looking for before you start your hunt.
Even if a digital marketing agency offers 360 services, setting the scope of work that needs to be done is still vital as it helps you make sure you are aligned with other key stakeholders in your company.
For example, if your goal is to improve your organization’s ranking on search engines, you might want to look for an agency that specializes in content marketing and has a strong SEO offering.
Or, if you want to attract more visitors to your website, you might also want to find a marketing agency that offers web and UX design services.
2. Define Your Budget (+ Small Business Budget Examples)
Once your needs and goals are set, you should also define your budget. Providing a marketing agency with a planned budget helps them understand better what you need from them and what they can provide.
To help you define your budget, here are some numbers on average small business budget spending in the US:
- Small and medium-sized businesses spend $17,000 annually on hiring marketing agencies.
- Every month, SMBs spend $900-$20,000 on marketing services, depending on the agency’s expertise and the services they provide.
- A significant portion of this budget is spent on digital marketing strategies, including social media advertising and online promotions.
- Depending on the scope of work, social media marketing services for small businesses vary from $1000 to $20,000 per month.
- As for SEO services, companies typically pay between $1,500 to $5,000 per month, depending on the SOW.
- For PPC advertising, organizations pay between $350 to $5,000 per month on average.
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3. Define Your Brief
A marketing brief is a document that outlines vital information for a marketing agency. A brief helps marketing agencies effectively create and execute a campaign. It also serves as a base for the client-agency relationship and ensures everyone is on the same page about the goals, strategies, and expectations.
Now that you have defined your business needs and goals, you should write them down. This document will serve as a brief you will send to marketing agencies you are considering hiring.
Components of a Marketing Brief
If you never wrote a brief before, don’t worry. We created a list that will help you understand what information every brief needs to include.
Company information: Include details about your business, including the industry, services, competitors, and unique selling propositions.
Campaign goals: As mentioned above, clear goals will help the agency understand your needs better. Some of the goals you can include are increasing brand awareness, boosting sales, improving user experience, etc.
Target audience: As a business owner, you need to know and include a description of your intended audience, including their behaviors, demographics, education, and other information that will help the agency tailor a successful campaign.
Budget: Include an outline of your budget in the brief. Available financial resources can help the agency determine the scope of its activities.
Key deadlines: Include a timeline and key dates for different phases of the campaign. Try to plan as much as possible ahead.
Key messages: What core messages do you want the agency to communicate? This is very important for setting the general tone of any marketing campaign.
Preferred channels: Include preferred channels in your brief. Think about social media, email, PPC, and other channels that you want a marketing agency to use.
Creative guidelines: If you can, include any specific requirements about your branding, such as logos, colors, fonts, etc.
How to Evaluate a Marketing Agency’s Experience and Expertise
What makes a good marketing agency good?
There might not be a simple answer to this question, so we created a list of questions you should ask yourself and the agencies you shortlisted before you make the decision:
- Do they understand your core values and goals?
- Are they proactive?
- Are they transparent in their communication? How important are reports to them and how detailed are they when it comes to reporting?
- Have they handled similar projects in the past? How did it go?
- Are they using KPIs to track their performance?
- How flexible are they? How do they respond to changes in plans?
- Are they ethical in their marketing practices?
- What are their retention rates? Are they focused on their client’s satisfaction?
A good marketing agency will understand your goals and values. They will base their marketing strategies on data, expertise, and integrity while focusing on client satisfaction. They will respond fast to your inquiries and make sure their reporting is transparent and based on KPIs. A good marketing agency will have high retention rates and good reviews.
Search For the Best Marketing Agency
Now that you have your scope of work, goals, and brief set, it’s time to find a marketing agency that is perfect for you. You might feel overwhelmed by looking at hundreds of different agencies you know nothing about, but here are a few ways to help you create a shortlist.
Google Search
Googling marketing agencies is probably the most common and logical way to start your search. If you prefer working with agencies in your city, search for something like “marketing agency in [your location]” and check the results. Business owners sometimes prefer working with local marketing agencies because they understand the local market and audience better.
Personal Recommendations
The firsthand experiences are always one of the most valuable sources of information. That said, ask your business partners or even check what your competitors are doing and what their experiences are with marketing agencies. Remember that word of mouth is one of the most reliable ways to check the quality of someone’s services.
Agency Directories
With their extensive listings and comparison tools, agency directories are popular among business owners looking for a marketing agency. Here is a list of useful agency directories you can use:
- Overview: A dedicated platform for reviewing and ranking marketing agencies, emphasizing verified client feedback.
- Benefits: Offers comprehensive agency profiles with detailed information about services, case studies, and user reviews, making it easier for businesses to find trusted partners.
- Cost: Free to use for businesses seeking agencies.
- Overview: A directory for B2B service providers, Clutch features detailed client reviews, case studies, and agency profiles.
- Benefits: Offers verified reviews and in-depth information about agencies, helping businesses assess credibility and past performance.
- Cost: Free to list, agencies must provide client references.
- Overview: Focuses on creative and digital agencies, including marketing, branding, and design services.
- Benefits: Provides agency profiles with client feedback and showcases portfolios, ideal for businesses seeking creative expertise.
- Cost: Free to list, premium features available.
- Overview: Lists agencies that have achieved Google Partner certification, highlighting those excelling in Google Ads and related services.
- Benefits: Provides credibility as it features agencies recognized by Google for their expertise.
- Cost: Free to apply for the Google Partner program.
Conclusion
It’s not easy to find a good marketing agency but it’s also not impossible. The first step is being clear about your marketing objectives and needs. Make sure you are aligned with your business partners before you start looking for a digital marketing agency.
And to answer your question: “Where to find a marketing agency,” one of the best ways to do it is to use other people’s experiences and recommendations. Whether you are using recommendations from your business partners or reading reviews online, other people’s experiences are one of the most reliable sources for decision-making.
With Agency Reviews, you can be sure you are in the right place to find the best marketing agency. With over 45,000 agencies on the platform, you can read unbiased reviews about agencies that focus on advertising, design, branding, SEO, web development, PR, and more. Visit our platform to discover the best marketing agencies and take your marketing efforts to the next level.
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