Finding the right B2B marketing agency for your business is no easy task. In this post, we’ll take a look at how to find the agency that meets your needs by looking at key factors you need to take into account and what questions you should ask a prospective agency.
The Key Factors for Selecting a B2B Marketing Agency
Here are 4 key factors to keep in mind while shortlisting top B2B marketing agencies:
- Capability – First and foremost, you need to determine what capabilities you’re looking for in an agency. Online advertising, offline advertising, brand strategy and design, and content marketing are just a few of the capabilities an agency may offer. Knowing which capabilities you require will help narrow your results and find an agency that suits your company’s needs. Another thing to consider is whether or not you need a B2B marketing agency to take the lead on a campaign or if you just need some support when it comes to executing your own campaign. Not all agencies can do both.
- Experience – Just because an agency has a well-developed reputation, it does not mean they will be a good fit for your company or have practical experience in your industry. For example, some agencies focus almost exclusively on the health care field, others on technology and so on. The right agency should have a track record of creating successful B2B marketing strategies in your line of business.
- Customized Strategies – Every business is going to have its own unique challenges, which means that in order to get the best results you need an agency that will tailor its strategy accordingly. They need to be able to take the time to learn everything there is to know about your business, its messaging, target audience, products and competitors.
- Skillset – In addition to experience and the willingness to learn, it’s important to ensure an agency has expertise with the solutions that you need to implement. While agencies may offer multiple services, most will specialize in certain key areas. This will come across in the agency’s blog, featured client projects, and home page. If one of your marketing goals is to increase organic traffic, then you need an agency that excels in SEO. If you need help converting those leads into customers, then you need an agency that specializes in conversion rate optimization.
Request for Proposal
A request for proposal (RFP) will likely be the first step in your methodology for choosing an agency. The size of an RFP can vary quite a bit depending on how big the campaign is and how much data is involved, but they should all include a number of key things. These include:
Company Background and Statement of Work
- The purpose of the RFP
- Assignment objectives and scope
- RFP dates and stages
- Your company contact information
Agency Background
- Contact information
- Agency size and how many years it’s been in business
- Agency competencies, prioritized in order of experience
- Names of the agency’s leadership team along with short bios
- References from clients
- The agency’s top 5 B2B clients based on project size
- The agency’s B2B marketing strategies and methodology
Proposal
- Budget
- Critical path
- Deliverables
- Performance metrics
What to Ask From a Prospective Agency
To determine whether the agency is a good fit for your company, ask submitting agencies to:
- Identify which factors are critical to the success of the partnership.
- Describe how its suggested strategies will help you meet your business objectives.
- Explain how they will incorporate your marketing, sales and management teams into their strategy.
- Show how these suggested strategies have worked in the past for similar clients.
- Detail their approach to client and project management.
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