We hate to be the bearers of bad news, but we've seen too many clients burned by bad agency experiences to stay silent.
In light of these all-too-common occurrences, we had to pen this blog. The point of this rant? Spare you some grief by sharing the warning signs we feel should send you sprinting in the opposite direction.
Skip these red flags and work with integrity. Schedule an intro with our team.
Red Flag: Performance Without Purpose
Ever been bombarded with reports brimming with analytics — colorful charts and sprawling graphs — yet find yourself clueless about what it all means for your business goals? Worse still, has the agency you've partnered with remained tight-lipped about future strategies for improvement? Performance metrics should be a roadmap, not a confusing maze.
Green Flag: Your agency shows numbers and metrics within context of your goals as well as future strategy tactics. It's easy to understand the story that your reporting is trying to tell and you feel informed about what's going on with your brand and business.
Red Flag: Unprepared Account Managers
Picture this: you're starting your routine weekly meeting, and — surprise! — your account manager is scrambling to catch up AS they are walking you through their status report. This isn't just unprofessional, it's a sign they haven’t taken the lead in your growth journey. You're paying for expertise, not a wing-it approach to strategy sessions.
Green Flag: A team that's not just prepared but also forward thinking and anticipating your future needs and potential strategy improvements. The point is to make sure you, as the client, always leave feeling confident in what's happening — even in the face of hiccups.
Red Flag: Jargon Overload
Are you drowning in marketing lingo, feeling like an outsider within your own marketing efforts? If your agency speaks in tongue-twisters and technicalities, leaving you more confused than enlightened, it's a red flag.
Green Flag: Clear communication is vital, and the agency you want is one that educates as well as advises. You should feel totally safe and at ease with asking questions and exploring your business' marketing with your agency team.
Red Flag: A Fixed Mindset
If your agency's idea of a good strategy is, "That's how we've always done it," you might have a problem. A growth mindset is essential; trends evolve, and so should your branding and marketing efforts. Lack of adaptability equals stale, inefficient support.
Green Flag: The team you want is insatiably curious but grounded in industry research so that they don't fly with any and every trend that pops up. It's all about intentional approaches and strategic actions here. When you've found that, you've got a winner.
Red Flag: The One-Size-Fits-All Approach
Bigger isn't always better. A large agency might seem like they have all the answers, but the real question is whether they can provide customized solutions that fit your specific needs. Personalization is key, especially for small businesses, startups, and nonprofits.
Green Flag: The team you want is nimble and flexible, able to pivot on a dime when the market changes or new opportunities arise. They're not afraid of failure because they know that it's just another step toward success.
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Red Flag: You Don't Own What They Created
Some agencies will create — and thus claim to own — your website, customer relationship manager (CRM), and other marketing technology for your brand and business. This means you could have a website and CRM that really isn't yours at all. No matter the fact that it's all your business, brand and content on it. It's crucial to ask about this upfront and then also double-check your partnership agreement to ensure that you're not going to be swindled out of what your business needs for the foundation of its online presence. If an agency claims to own your website, CRM or other marketing technology, it's time to find another partner who will give you what you need without taking away from what's needed to keep operations going and thriving.
Green Flag: An agency with integrity should be providing you with or directing you to the tools and technology that will help your business grow. This means that you should own all of these things — not just have access to them.
Screening Questions for Agencies
To help you avoid working with partnership pitfalls, here are some screening questions to use during your vetting process and initial conversations with your new potential partner.
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What is your agency’s mission?
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What are your core values?
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What kind of clients do you work with?
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What is your process for carving out strategy?
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What is your approach to marketing and how do you measure success?
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How do you work with clients to develop a strategy that will achieve their goals?
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Can you provide examples of successful campaigns that have achieved measurable results for similar companies in our industry?
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What was a big mistake you made with a client and how did you recover from it, if at all?
If you're good with how they respond to these, then it's time to get an agreement going so you can start rocking and rolling together. If they fumble or answer with inauthenticity, then it's a no go.
If you stumble upon any of these red flags while agency hunting (or even after you've started working with a marketing team), do not pass go, do not collect $200 — just run or enact your termination clause, and fast.
In your search for the perfect branding or marketing partner, keep these red flags in mind. Transparency, clear communication, adaptability, and a personalized approach are the biggest and brightest of the green flags for what a good agency looks like. Remember, the goal is to have a partnership that elevates your brand and drives your business forward.
