One of the constant complaints we get from prospective clients is that their last marketing agency “didn’t do anything.” And while almost all marketing agencies provide passive services such as hosting or updates, what they really meant was that they weren’t seeing this marketing working and would have to actively poke and pester their agency to get anything. Today, we’re going to look at what to look for in a proactive marketing agency so you can know you’re in good hands.
1. Your Marketing Agency has a Plan
The first step of any good marketing partnership is a marketing plan: a laying out of goals and the tangible marketing initiatives that will reach them. If your marketing plan is a big black box without an explanation of where your money and time are going, you’re in trouble. And your plan should be a living thing: able to change as your marketing needs change, putting more momentum behind successful initiatives while taking it away from marketing that lost it.
2. There is Active Content Creation
Passive marketing isn’t bad, but it’s a warning sign if it’s the only marketing your agency provides. Paired with a good website, your marketing needs to be proactively progressing towards more engagement, links, and content. Some examples of active content creation include:
- Social Media: One of the easiest ways to reach new people is on social media. Even a small number of posts per week helps you connect, build backlinks, and show people the lights are on.
- Email Marketing: Email marketing can do heavy lifting where social media and calls can’t. Not only bringing in people with email sequences, but keeping them interested with newsletters and other campaigns.
- Blogs: Blogs are a great tool for getting your website seen, both by search engines and the other two platforms on this list. Great blogs both stand on their own and get you seen on search engines and generative AI
These also have the advantage of showing you that your marketing team is always working for you—not just taking your money.
3. You Have Options to Monitor Success
You have to have the option to assess how your marketing is doing: either by yourself, with automated or curated marketing reporting, and/or with regular check-ins via email, calls, or video with your marketing team. Make sure your marketers are setting up Google Analytics on your website and hooking into all the marketing analytics that social media and advertising platforms offer, so you both can get a better understanding of what is and isn’t working.
If you’re tired of getting the cold shoulder from your current marketing agency, it’s time for a change. Here at Vision, we’re a proactive marketing agency that is a firm believer in customized marketing plans, client leads who communicate, and pairing you with content that works. Contact Vision today to start talking. Looking for more expert marketing advice? Check out the rest of our Vision blogs, our enVisioning Success podcast, and our downloadable Marketing Strategies Playbook.
