What To Ask Before Choosing a Content Marketing Agency

When running a company, it can feel overwhelming to juggle everything from social media management, email marketing campaigns, SEO, blogging, client management and everything else that such a position demands. That’s why 73 percent of major organizations hire someone to manage their content marketing strategy.

But not every content marketing agency or PR agency is created equal.  

On your quest to find that perfect match — one that will boost your domain authority, increase organic traffic and help with SEO, SEM and content creation — it’s important that you ask the right questions before hiring an agency.   

1. What’s Your Experience with Our Company’s Industry? Many agencies tend to have a niche, so be mindful of how well they understand what makes compelling content. If they have access to thought leaders and what tactics they’ll use to leverage your content strategy against your competitors and the overall industry.  

2. What’s Your Organizational Structure? Given that you’ve spent quality time ensuring your internal team is organized properly, it’s important to make sure any outside agency that you introduce into the mix is equally as conscious. They won’t be onsite, which makes it’s even more important to set expectations around who to communicate with, how often and where to reach them.  

3. What Tools Do You Use To Plan Content Strategy? The agency should reply to this question with a variety of web analytics, social media analytics, SEO analytics, marketing automation, blogging, and CMS tools that will give you the best insight into how to plan for effective campaigns.  Some of those tools may include:  

●       Moz – ranking, SEO campaigns, keyword research

●       SEMRush – track keywords across both paid and organic channels

●       SpyFu – “spy” on the keywords competitors use

●       Google Analytics – tracking organic traffic, along with other marketing channels, and Search Console queries

●       Hubspot – marketing automation platform  

4. How Will Performance Metrics Be Reported To Us? It’s important to find out how they measure the success of their efforts, how they report on your goals and how often you should expect to see them. Will they be sending you a complicated PowerPoint full of charts and graphs? Do they provide an interactive Google Data Studio dashboard? Can you expect an Excel spreadsheet with raw data? It’s critical that you find out how this vital information will be reported — and how often — to ensure that it aligns with your business strategy and calendar.  

5. How Will You Make Me Money? At the end of the day, it’s all about return on investment (ROI), and you want to find an agency that will give you the best bang for your buck. You essentially want to find out what separates their business from the rest, and what they can give you in return for your investment. Make sure they have a mission, and the ability to describe a competitive edge, as this can help reveal a level of long-term thoughtfulness for why they do what they do.

When looking for help with your company’s communications, it’s critical that you ask the important questions to ensure that the agency you select aligns with your business strategy and values. By addressing the points above, you can gain a better understanding of which agency can provide for all of your needs — and help you with your bottom line.