6 Questions to Ask Yourself Before Instructing a Design, Marketing or Advertising Agency.

One of the biggest issues that affects the relationship between a design agency and their clients is lack of communication. Many businesses come away from a design project without the result they were hoping for, out of pocket and with a low opinion of the marketing industry. This is an industry that charges on an hourly rate and constant amends and meetings often lead to higher costs.

This needn’t be the case. By considering what you want to achieve through your campaign and clearly communicating this to your agency, you will come away with a result you are proud of, feeling that the money paid out was well spent. Sauce Marketing have come up with 6 questions to ask yourself before briefing a design agency, ensuring that your project starts off on the right foot and avoiding unexpected costs. 

1. What are you promoting and what do you want to achieve with this promotion?

This may sound like a very straightforward question. However you would be surprised the amount of companies who know that they want something in terms of marketing but do not know what specific products / services they want to focus on. It is important to know what you want to achieve from a campaign. Are you looking to drive inbound enquiries by phone? Increase open rates of e-blasts? Optimise your website? By having this clear in your mind, you will be in a stronger position to explain your requirements to your agency and they in turn will be in a stronger position to advise you on how to help you achieve your objectives. 

2. Who is your target market and why?

No matter how large or small the project, it is always important to consider who you are aiming to reach with your marketing activity. Do some research. No one knows your business better than you and the more information you can give your agency, the more effective your budget will become. It is easy (not to mention costly) to throw a lot of mud at the wall and hope that some sticks. Surely your money would be much better spent in a specific, organised and targeted manner? The more research you undertake, the easier it will be to effectively target your ideal client.

3. What are the key selling points of your product? Do you have any competitive advantages?

You will know from experience what impresses people when it comes to your product / service. For example, you might offer your product at the cheapest price, you might be renowned for quick response rates, or your customer service might be famously impeccable. Whatever your selling point, the more your agency knows, the easier it will be for them to advise on what strategies will help to develop your business. Your agency will never know as much about your industry as you do; the more you tell them, the more effective your campaign will be. 

4. What is your budget?

The more transparent you are when it comes to budget, the less likely it is that you will be disappointed with the end result. A good agency will give you a range of price options and will be honest about what you can achieve within your budget. If it seems too good to be true it usually is and you will be sacrificing quality service for volume and empty promises. If your budget is small you need to focus on targeting specific markets and measuring response. You can then learn what works for you at what price and where to focus your budget in the future. 

5. Who are your competitors?

It is useful to tell your agency who your competitors are, what they do in terms of marketing and promotion, and where you see your business in comparison. If an agency knows what impresses you within your own industry, and where other businesses in your industry fall down, it will assist them in understanding what you expect from them and ultimately in improving your overall marketing strategy.

6. What campaigns have you used in the past? What worked / didn’t work?

Show your agency examples of what you have produced in the past, what the thinking behind it was, and how effective you feel it was. If there were aspects of your previous campaign that you felt were particularly effective or ineffective, let your agency know. This will ensure that no mistakes are repeated and that anything successful is improved and developed.

Developing a successful relationship with a marketing, communications, advertising or design agency depends greatly on working together and opening clear channels of communication. The more information you can give them up front, the more productive their time working on your project will be.

For more information on Sauce and the services we offer, visit www.saucemarketing.co.uk email Amelia@saucemarketing.co.uk or call 0151 2316258