There are many roles that a professional marketing company plays in your business. Some roles include building a cohesive and effective brand and attracting more customers to your business, thereby increasing your sales and returns on investment. There are many available agencies in the market. Some with the capability to provide the services they claim to offer, and others with no skills and expertise to help grow your business.
Choosing the right agency may be a difficult and confusing task. This is because if you are engaging them for the first time, you may not have the experience to differentiate between the ones that are genuine and experienced, and the ones just starting out. The competition is high, and there is a need for you to consider certain traits and be able to decide on which company will effect positive change for your business.
Reasons to Work with a Content Agency
Hiring a content agency is more than seeking a high level of content. Here are some reasons to work with an agency rather than handling content yourself;
- Cost-effective
A full-time content writer, video producer, and marketing event planner will cost more than outsourcing. Working with an agency means paying only for the content your brand needs. - Cope with high-demand projects
A content marketing agency has the resources to help you cope with extra work. Sometimes you will need to quickly increase your content for a new campaign or to beef up your overall strategy. - Broad content system
Having an in-house team limits your strategy to their skills. An agency has a number of different people with various skills, meaning you will have content produced by experts in a range of fields. - Stay on top of marketing trends
Ensure that your potential content agency has been in the industry for some time and has handled client-side content marketing projects.
Things to Look for When Searching for a Content Marketing Agency
You will find many content agencies, but not all of them will benefit your business. Here are some things to look for in a content marketing agency to ensure you choose the right one;
- Well-written content
A trusted agency will know how to tell its story interestingly. The firm must clearly outline its services and process and provide helpful case studies and content to help you evaluate them. Excellent writing is a must-have since it reflects what they will do for you.
- Clear strategy
Mastering the art of content creation takes time. You must understand the buyer’s journey and the client’s goals. A reputable content marketing agency will help you know who to talk to, when to talk to them, and what to talk about. They will also assist you in understanding the content process, which starts from an idea to publishing and distribution.
- Audience-first approach
A vital thing to remember is that buyers control the process. This means that the content on the top of the sales funnel should be helpful, not promotional. The content should attract and build trust with the reader. An audience-first approach means you must understand what your customers want during every step of the buyer’s journey. A content marketing agency has done this for years and will know how to guide you.
- Ability to serve your future needs
Content marketing is not only about what you need now. It would help if you considered your future content needs. Ensure that the company helping you with blogs can also write scripts for your videos next year. Think about your brand’s current and future priorities. Ensure you do not need to hire a different content agency once your brand grows.
- Focus on your business goals
The intent is the best way to distinguish a reputable company from one that will disappoint you. Do they only focus on creating excellent content, or do they work to align the content with your brand’s marketing goals? The firm’s content should also change as your brand grows.
6. Strategic mindset
Content marketing agencies offer more than just the creation of videos and blog posts. A reputable firm should help you build SMART goals that achieve measurable results. Any piece of content without a strategy will diminish the impact of the content, meaning you will lose money. You must work with an agency that will create a research and data foundation funnelled through creativity, skill, and foresight.
7. Actionable buyer personas
Always ask for samples from your potential content agency. The actionability of their buyer persona is an indicator of how far they will go to understand their customers. The samples will tell you whether the agency will build a positive customer experience to be felt through your content. An excellent strategy draws upon qualitative and quantitative customer and market research.
8. Content repurposing
Repurposing content does not mean recycling old blog posts to save on your budget. It is an excellent way to emphasise your message and deliver a holistic customer experience. However, you need a creative and skilled team to repurpose your content and benefit from a multi-channel strategy. You can reformat content by turning your blog posts into infographics, ebooks, or podcasts etc. Look for an agency that can creatively repurpose your content.
9. On-going assessment
You must have measures in place to measure your content’s success. You need more than a report on metrics. A reputable agency will evaluate how well your content strategy is performing and create a process to refine the plan if required. Your agency can use different tracking methods and respond to missed benchmarks.
10. Tech mastery
Technology is an evolving field, and your content agency must stay updated. Remember that you want more than vanity metrics and flashy campaigns. You want a firm that understands your needs, works with the latest technology to achieve what you wish, and predicts the future. Look for an agency that understands how fast technology is evolving.
11. Excellent content services
Some content agencies offer other services like web design and social media management. Take a look at our client portfolio to see the websites that we’ve built for our clients, with all content created by us! Ensure you evaluate your potential firm’s offers to decide what is best for your company. However, do not ignore a company because they offer a service you do not like. Talk to one of their representatives to get honest answers and look for testimonials to back it up. If the company cannot offer the specific services you want, move to the next one on your list.
The Bottom Line
The right content marketing partner is more than the skill level and experience. They must align with your goals and think of the future. Hire a long-term partner who will add value and support your vision. Once you identify an agency to work with, ensure you look at the relationship potential. You must feel comfortable and free to communicate what you think.
So, where do you start looking for the perfect content marketing partner? One thing to remember is that no content marketing agency will get a star in all these qualities. However, the right approach will lead you to the right agency. Research comprehensively, narrow your list to about five agencies, start the conversation, and talk to the stakeholders like mutual partners.
