At Addison Clark, we understand that the decision to implement a cohesive marketing strategy for your business can be a daunting one. The amount of effort that marketing and advertising requires can pull business owners away from the tasks involved in running their business. Beyond recommending factors like budgeting, targeting, and messaging, your marketing partner should be fundamentally connected and in tune with the overall business strategy so you can focus on the day-to-day aspects. Below are two things you should do when considering a marketing partnership.

Define Your Business Needs and Goals

This might seem obvious, but we’re familiar with the over-promising that some marketing agencies will do in an attempt to win over businesses. And, oftentimes, this occurs without considering what the business needs and goals actually are. Your marketing partner shouldn’t pretend to know your business better than you do. You want a marketing agency that listens to you and asks the right questions to better understand your current challenges and future goals. Your business needs and goals should be clearly defined before even thinking about a potential marketing program. It is important to have these defined upfront. Without this, your marketing will just be a shot in the dark.

Ask the Hard Questions

Once the conversation has started between your business and a potential marketing agency, don’t be scared to ask the hard-hitting questions. As a business owner or representative, you are entitled to advocate for the things that matter most to your business. We suggest asking the following questions:

• How do you intend to measure success?
• What kind of return on ad spend can I expect?
• Is brand awareness or lead generation the ultimate goal?
• What’s the actual value of the services you provide?

If these questions are met with head-scratching or less-than-enthusiastic responses by a potential partner, it may be worth considering a change in partner.

At Addison Clark, we aren’t scared of the hard questions and we are eager to talk about how we can help meet your business’s needs. Call us today and let’s start the conversation!