Avoiding 4 Pitfalls: Questions to Ask When Selecting your Marketing Research + Content Agency

Before establishing, we worked around the world at leading global agencies; we know the new business spin. And we’re providing you a list of questions that will help you make informed decisions as you select the right marketing research agency or content development partner

All too often, clients come to us to be the “fixers” when they sought out a partner agency or solution that was faster or less expensive. In the long run, they didn’t fully understand what the marketing research or content agency was offering them or get to know the the team who would be servicing their business.

We believe in asking the right questions to really understand any given scenario. Thomas Watson states it best: “The ability to ask the right question is more than half the battle of finding the answer.”

What to Ask When Selecting an Agency Partner

What’s Included in the Proposal?

• Similar to buying a car, one needs to understand what is included in an Scope of Work (SOW). Does the estimate represent the base price or the more expensive model that includes additional features and functionality? What does the estimate really include?

• Is the proposal comprised of hourly rates? If so, remember a senior person at $250 an hour for 1 hour is more efficient than a junior person at $100 for 4 hours.

What’s the Assigned Team’s Expertise?

• All too often it is a borrowed expertise, meaning that it could be a former VP who had the experience with a particular piece of business—even though they have since moved on, the agency “owns” the work or case study. Or the case study may be that of another division or sister agency, whose team won’t be servicing your brand. When an agency references a certain expertise, who on their team actually holds that expertise, and are they servicing your brand?

• Often a junior employee joins a meeting to listen in, without actively contributing. Remember, this is billable time for the agency that you are paying for. Will your brand act as a “training ground” for any of the agency’s team members?

• What is the work you are seeking to complete? Does the approach for the engagement align with the rigor you need? And, does the agency have the expertise, or is it an ancillary service that falls outside of the agency’s wheelhouse?

• While an agency may have 90-100 employees, a select 4-8 employees are really involved and working on your brand from kick-off to completion. Do you really need to pay the overhead for all this talent on the bench?

• Who will service your account when one of the agency’s employees suddenly quits or is restructured out? What is their expertise?

Does the Agency Offer Diversity of Thinking?

• Does the agency have one company perspective, meaning that everyone looks to adhere to a certain mindset, model or process instead of identifying the right questions and the right frameworks to design the right solution? Or, are the same tools and templates leveraged to approach different problems?

Will Your Business Be a Priority?

• Depending on the size of the agency you work with, they may have anywhere from 20-30 active clients, meaning each strategist or account manager could oversee anywhere from 6-10 pieces of business—at one time. Do you want to be a big fish in a small pond or one in a sea of many? How will you know you are a priority?

• Is the agency’s model customer-centric and flexible enough to service your account by bringing in the right experts outside of their dedicated employees?

When Selecting a Marketing Research or Content Agency What Criteria Do You Use?

What is important to you? And how easy has it been for you to distinguish one agency’s offerings from another?

About Us 

We're a certified woman-owned small business. As an Atlanta-based market research and strategic communications agency, we're trusted by Fortune 1,000 companies, innovators, category disruptors, start-ups and nonprofits to custom design research studies, develop their brand stories, and create digital content.

Conducting marketing research and creating content is hard, it takes time and expertise. It's why The C.E.K. & Partners' team is here here to help.

What are you waiting for? Contact us today.