Trusting someone you just hired with an essential task for your business can be a very difficult decision for business owners to make. However, it is also extremely difficult to execute a marketing strategy internally without much expertise on how to bring in more clients. Picking the right agency to work alongside of you can transform your business and bring you some serious success.

Finding the right partnership for your business can be a challenge. As part of a team who has worked with many different business owners across a multitude of industries, I have learned that the three most important characteristics that make a good marketing team is; track record, communication, and transparency.

Let’s start with a marketing team’s track record. This can be checked and verified quite quickly by going online, visiting their website, and checking what real clients have said about them on their Google review page. A marketing team with a solid online presence is extremely important. If this is the team that is going to represent you online, or build your website, you will want to make sure that they can represent themselves well. Look through some of their case studies or website galleries to see the level of care they have provided their clients. This is also a great opportunity to see if they have worked with others in your industry.

At Addison Marketing Solutions, one of the complaints that we hear most often about our clients’ previous marketing team is a lack of communication. It is so common in this industry for companies to complete a task at bare minimum quality, and then either leave it for months, or simply stop answering. We see this constantly with website building and marketing campaigns. Find a team that actually puts in the time and effort that your business deserves. You should feel like you can reach out to your marketing team whenever you have a question. If you are looking for a partner, make sure it is someone who communicates.

Going into initial meetings with various agencies, don’t be shy to bring up any concerns or questions that you have. Professionals who know exactly what they are selling will answer these with no hesitation. Ask about their knowledge of your industry, or their knowledge of your target location or demographic. A team that is familiar with your business goals can help greatly if they are proven. If they have not worked with businesses in your industry, they must be open about that and willing to learn.

Something that we often hear about from clients speaking with other agencies is that they can guarantee a certain number of leads. This is simply not true. It is impossible to guarantee clients just like it is impossible to guarantee what may transpire in each given work day. This is an example of a marketing team selling you on what you want to hear, rather than what they will actually deliver. However, your desired clients will be attainable if you have a team that takes the time to learn about your business and executes marketing to a high level. They also must continue to adjust and adapt to changes in the industry to make sure you are always represented in the best way possible.

Make sure that you are working with someone who wants you to succeed. If you know that the team you choose truly cares and puts effort into your business, then you have made the right choice.