Oct 5, 2011
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Marketing is the science and also the art of selling products and services. By virtue of its favorable representation of products and services, it makes consumer, customers and general public aware of product. It let the potential buyers, general public and end users to be aware and familiar with the brands and their goods and services. Nowadays all businesses whether it’s a toy manufacturing company or a business consulting firm, have to sell either their products or knowledge.
Nobody can remain in business long enough without finding buyers or customers and this is an ongoing process carried on as long as the business remains. Therefore it is easier to understand that any business stands or falls apart on a singular factor known as marketing which in simpler terms can be referred to as the art of selling products.
In order to receive new clients and retain the attention and business of current clients, the current business trends impels any company or a website to go for an aggressive marketing approach. This approach entails certain methods; non-electronic as well as electronic. Non-electronic mode markets brands via newspaper, pamphlets, brochures, magazines, journals and books. It let know people, who are connected directly and indirectly connected with non – electronic media, about their supplies. It also includes banners and posters.
Advertising by means of electronic means of communication is most popular way to advertising. One can cover a wide range of audiences of all ages, color and gender by using this mean. Television viewers are in every home. If one is advertising on TV the brand would be introduced in almost every house. Advertising on internet is getting more popular with time. It is the most ample platform available till date, for advertising and sharing news and creating awareness. You can get your advertising reached to every corner of the world.
The greater advantage of Non – electronic media is in its reach of about every local. Marketing through print media is comparatively cheaper than through electronically. While, on the other hand, many organizations rely on marketing agencies for promoting their brands and services. Thanks to the Internet and its growing role in our lives, these agencies have come a long way in the past decade, and they’ve begun to hone in on and innovate in the realm of marketing.
These agencies have expert consultants and executives to make proper strategies to promote your brands, making them a great place to seek information on promotions and advertisements that will be successful. Organizations hiring the services are supposed to pay a certain amount to those agencies for the promotion of their brand name.
Picking the right marketing agency requires careful research and deliberation and here are some useful tips on selecting the suitable marketing agency for your business.
How And Where To Start?
Going for picking out the right and relevant marketing agency, can be bit tricky at first. But don’t panic there are tips and suggestions for you to settle down for the best.
Start by asking colleagues, searching the Internet and checking online catalogues, are some ways of finding potential marketing agencies to work with. Compile a list of 15–20 agencies that you would like to investigate further. Take a look at their websites to see who they are, what kind of work they have done for their customers and the type of customers they have.
If the agency is working with one of your competitors – eliminate them from the list. Drop the ones that you don’t feel right about or that focus on strategies that doesn’t fit your company. At the end of this exercise you should hopefully have found couple of marketing agencies left on your list that you could contact to presentation of your company and the kind of work you need help with.
Picking Out The Best Of The Best
Going by this shortlist of things can assist you in tracking the best marketing agency that can help you go where you want to with your business.
- How big is the agency? Bigger isn’t always better. If you are a small company ask if they have references from other small companies. If you can, contact one or two of the companies to ask how they’ve been treated. With a smaller marketing budget you could end up getting lost in the shuffle. However, a good thing with a large reputable agency is that they often have lots of experience in a variety of fields.
- Ask for an initial meeting with the agencies you have on your list, something most agencies offer for free, and get them to show you the work they’ve done for existing customers and also to explain what you need help with.
- If there will be others from your company that is going to work with the agency bring them along to the initial meeting and select the agency together.
- Does the agency listen to what you say? Do you get good feedback? Does their portfolio impress you? If it does, chances are that your customer will like it as well.
- Looking at the agencies on you list, which ones understand and respect your target group, the message you want to put across, the objectives you want to achieve and who is able to give you what you need within your budget?
- Ask about the costs and how the agency will charge you: fixed fee, ad hoc fee or a commission fee?
- How do they measure effectiveness? Make sure they keep tab on the marketing efforts so you know if your marketing money is working for you.
- After the initial meeting ask yourself if you liked them and would want to work with them!
The Final Selection: Narrowing The Difference Between Average And The Best
By now you should be able to narrow the field of candidates down to three. Ask these three to give you a pitch. Note that you may be charged for this work.
For a marketing agency to create a pitch for you, they will need:
- a clear and detail brief: what kind of marketing you want, goals, target audience etc
- your budget
At the presentation make sure you understand the concept and idea, don’t be afraid to ask questions. You are the customer; it’s your money and your customers. If you liked the pitch ideas and the people creating them ask if it they are the ones that will be working on your account. If you are planning a long-term relationship with an agency it is vital that you get along with and trust them.
As the last step, you need to inform each of the finalist agencies of your decision. Because the rejections are tougher, I recommend getting these out of the way first. Call each agency and let them know of your decision and, in a positive manner, the reasoning behind it. Follow up with an email thanking them for their participation in your process, praising their strengths, and again briefly stating your rationale for the final selection. Then, call the winning agency and give them the good news.