Your start-up is gaining traction, you’re running free with your ideas and have got your website looking exactly right. Now is the time to start selling. Whether you’re selling your goods or your skills, you need to get your marketing on point, but where do you start?

If you don’t know the answer to this then you may need to employ the know-how and expertise of a marketing agency to start drilling down into your customer profiles and figure out an effective and individual strategy for your business.

No two businesses are the same so choosing between multiple marketing agencies needs careful consideration and a lot of research. But what exactly should you be looking for when it comes to hiring a marketing team to do your business justice?

Know yourself

Before you embark on a quest for the perfect marketing fit, get your own goals and objectives inline. Are you looking to find your customer, grow your sales or hoping to explore some social media advertising opportunities? Perhaps it’s all of these or something completely different. While the professional marketer is good, they won’t be able to help you reach your goals unless you first have a clear idea of what they are.

Size isn’t always everything

Sure a larger agency might bring you more contacts, better access to their people and more resources to throw at a campaign, but the care and attention that a smaller agency can give can sometimes be missing.

Keep an open mind and go with your gut instinct on size. If you’re someone who prefers a more intimate relationship with your contractors, then choose an agency that makes you feel less like you’re in a long line of clients. If, however, you prefer a more remote way of working, go for the opposite.

MAC OS X Hard drive:Users:Cazziewee:Desktop:businesswoman-company-computer-7357.jpg
Image courtesy of Pexels

Ask around

Check out the credentials and testimonials on the agency’s website and then follow that up with real conversations with real customers. That way you’ll get a much more honest appraisal of the agency’s performance and be able to make a more informed decision. Read around business experts’ sites for an idea of what to look for.

Always take time to meet up with agency representatives and ask for examples of work that they’ve done that closely matches your own particular project.

Consider all offers

If you’re interviewing a number of agencies, state what you’re looking for but be vague about your budget. Get them to submit quotes first before you talk hard figures. If there’s an agency you prefer whose budget comes in too high, don’t be afraid to go back and negotiate. Most agencies would prefer to take on new clients than lose out to the competition.

Whatever your marketing needs, go with your gut instinct and keep an open mind. Set a trial period and check in at the end to make sure everything is going the way you both like. With the right marketing team in place, you’ll see your business growth soar and go from a start-up to something to take notice of.