How to Choose an Agency
Many agencies say the same things and promise the same results. How do you know which one is right for you?
Here are some things that nearly every agency says.
I’m sure you’ve heard them before. We say them too.
- We do brilliant, creative, idea driven work.
- It’s our creativity that sets us apart.
- We have an uber-unique process (ps. that we thought of ourselves) that makes our creative so awesome.
- We don’t just create advertising, we create experiences that engage.
- We are performance oriented and deliver results, we’re serious business people, not just designers.
- Our product is advertising, branding, graphic design, website design, promotions, and above all, increasing your revenues and brand awareness.
The following are some factors to take
into consideration when choosing an agency.
Creative risk factor /
Some agencies push the boundaries more to get you noticed. That implies risk. If your business requires that you ‘differentiate or die’ then go with an agency that can give that to you. If you have a more conservative approach, and don’t want to risk alienating your fringe demographics, go with an agency that is on the more conservative side. Both you and the agency will be happier in the long run if you have the same approach to risk. If you don’t want to push the boundaries at all, don’t use a creative agency. Have your nephew do it, it’s much cheaper.
The cost factor /
Cost is proportional to size and quality. A big agency that does amazing work will be (and should be in my opinion) amazingly expensive. They exist for big brands that want and can pay for the best. The medium sized agencies are a little less expensive and often do good work. Small agencies make up the value range. It takes the most care to choose a small agency. If you find the right one, you will get a much higher value than with a medium or large agency. Look at their work. There are small agencies, like ours, that offer a big agency product to small to medium business (toot toot), and are much less expensive.
The size factor /
The bigger the agency the more bureaucratic, and the longer the processes take. If you have a large bureaucratic business, go with a big agency, you will be able to relate. If you have a small to medium business, go with a small to medium agency. The reason is that if you’re a small business, you don’t want to wait 2 weeks for a change on a document. For argument sake, lets say, small agencies have less than 10, medium 10 to 20, large 20+ people.
The Trust factor /
You are trusting your agency with your business. Their performance can make or break your sales. You need people in you agency who you can trust. The smartest minds regularly get it wrong. And when things begin to go wrong, you need know that you will get that expert advice early on needed to make adjustments. Trust takes time. So go with who you know if they can produce, or begin a relationship with the most trustworthy person around who can produce.
The relevance factor /
You may find an agency that specializes in your sector. Their are pros and cons to that. The benefit is that they will have a body of research on your target market. The negative is that it’s easy for an agency to get in a rut when they are doing a lot of the same type of work, and you may end up looking like everyone else in that sector. It’s more important that you believe that an agency will be able to ‘get’ your business and be able to ‘speak’ to your customers. Most agencies are very good at this. It’s the core of what they do.
The X factor /
Creative is a mysterious product. The processes are predictable, but the actual creative, the idea, comes from the imagination, and it can’t be forced. It needs a proper incubation context involving synergy between the agency and client. This is based on personal and emotional connections between individuals. You need to have a good feeling toward the people at your agency, and there needs to be a business building energy that results from the interactions.
The luck factor /
Even large world-class agencies get it wrong. The smartest advertising minds sometimes fail to anticipate the reaction of customers. Consider that any agency, given your project, would come to a different solution than a competing agency, and some solutions would be much better than others. To minimize the risks associated with luck answer the following things.
Top 4 things to consider (in order)
- Are they the right size for you?
- Do you trust the people at your agency?
- Do you like their work?
- Do you share their approach to creative risk?
Bottom line: A good agency will do good work.
– Tim Kolke, Founding Partner, Kolke Creative