You’ve got objectives to hit and a business to grow. In order to hit your targets, you need to hire a marketing agency to help with strategy and to execute the tactical work.
Sounds easy enough, right?
It’s a hard fact of life that what sounds simple on paper is rarely so in reality. Hiring a marketing agency that gets results is no different. The truth is, it’s rather difficult to get right, as it requires a series of strong interpersonal relationships and shared ideals, which, as we all know, can be complicated and precarious at the best of times.
So how can you do it? Build a relationship with a marketing agency that not only feels right but makes commercial sense and gets you closer to your goals?
Imagine you’re in the process of choosing your agency. There are three key things you need to consider:
How open to communication is your chosen agency? Do they respond promptly to emails and calls, and where appropriate do they set and confirm acceptable deadlines for completed work? Having an open line of dialogue with your account manager or sales lead ensures your needs get heard and things get done. At Cognition, we have a dedicated team of senior marketing professionals who can help with any and all sales, marketing and HubSpot challenges.
Some agencies get precious about their ideas, which isn’t much use to you if you don’t like them or can’t see the value in paying for them. When hiring your agency, ensure that they can take constructive criticism and understand your point of view when you don’t see eye to eye about something – this is a critical part of your long-term relationship, and in reality comes down to…
Do you and your prospective marketing agency believe in the same things? If you were to write down the three most important values of your business – the core maxims that embody your offering and dedication to your customers – would they be similar? As strange as it may seem, compatible values might be the biggest key to your future success. If you both see the world the same way, you are likely to have similar ideas of how to shape and execute your plans, which means less time wasted and more speed in execution and learning.
We’re pretty open about our values and what we see as the bedrock of our success. As a team, we live by three simple principles:
We’re thinkers and strategists but we don’t waste longer than necessary on deliberation. We’re quick to experiment, to take risks (with your blessing) and to test assumptions that are often the barrier between very little traction and exponential success. We aim to add value as quickly as possible.
What this means externally (when working on your behalf to generate leads and win business):
What this means internally (when working between us to get projects up and running and deliver campaigns):
With our unmatched experience in psychology and our Scientific Board, we have detailed knowledge of how complexity impairs human judgement and often destroys our best intentions. We make it a priority to ensure that all of our client strategies are clear, actionable, easy to understand, easy to action and, finally, easy to evaluate and improve.
What this means externally (when working on your behalf to generate leads and win business):
What this means internally (when working between us to get projects up and running and deliver campaigns):
We’re fearless in the way we engage with our clients and we want you to be the same with us. Often the best results and the best relationships come from the hardest conversations. When both sides are prepared to have those conversations, and to come up with clear, tangible ways to move forward, successful long-term partnerships can develop and thrive.
What this means externally (when working on your behalf to generate leads and win business):
What this means internally (when working between us to get projects up and running and deliver campaigns):
What makes Cognition different from other marketing agencies is that we provide a degree of certainty in an industry notorious for guesswork – we simply don’t believe in marketing as a mysterious art.
We get to the root of why customers buy products and services and use this evidence to develop and execute a strategy focused on achieving our clients’ business objectives.
In fact, our clients tell us that we make the process of selecting an agency easy because our thorough, intelligent approach gives them confidence that they’re making the right decision. Take a look at our case studies to see what our clients are saying about us.
Are you ready to find an agency who truly understands your business and your goals? Download our 'How to Choose the Right Agency' guide today to get access to the ultimate checklist for sourcing and vetting your next marketing partners.