Looking for a digital marketing partner? Or any other business service provider, for that matter? If so, there are many important factors to consider in making your decision. For example, the services offered and price points are obviously important but there are many others to consider. For example, how well does the firm “fit-in” with your organization? This is based mainly on how well you expect your teams to work together.
One important factor that you many not have considered is size. Do you want to work wtih a large company or small? There are various pros and cons. Bigger companies may have more resources, more people and — in some cases — more experience… at least they pay this a lot of lip service. But smaller companies can also have advantages, especially for small to mid-sized organizations.
Response time. In many cases, smaller companies can respond and move more quickly. Do you have a question or suggestion about your marketing campaign? Do you want to make a small — or not so small — change to an existing program or start something new? At a small agency, you can call your account rep and make it happen! With fewer organizational layers, small agencies are more nimble and it takes them less time to start or update a campaign or a marketing effort. On the other hand, this could be a case where experience is helpful. You want a company than can move quickly, but you also want to work with people who know whether your suggestion is a good idea. If it is, they need to know how to make it happen and if it isn’t, you need to be able to rely on them for pushback.
Customization. You’re looking for digital marketing expertise, but in what area? Do you need search engine optimization or social media management? Or both? Make sure the company you’re working with can provide what you’re looking for. Larger companies may have more experience in a variety of services and options but they tend to package and manage services in more of a cookie-cutter, automated way. Smaller agencies tend to be able to design a marketing campaign custom-built for specific industries, clients and goals. They tend to address the specific needs of small to mid-size companies rather than using a one-size-fits-all approach.
Focus. You want to know your service provider is working for you. There are many ways that can play out. With a larger company, you might have several people working for you and often times, floating account reps who may not be familiar with your campaign, other than what they read in their CRM notes. With a smaller agency, you are likely to receive more personalized attention. Smaller companies tend to have fewer clients, so they can provide more personalized attention to you, and they tend to care more about the relationship.
Overhead. Bigger firms may have more resources, but sometimes that can get expensive and cumbersome. Smaller companies have fewer employees, fewer organizational layers, lower rent (or no rent) and therefore can operate with more cost-efficiency and speed.
Whether you work with a large agency, a smaller agency or something in between, it’s important to do your homework. Find an organization that works well with you and your needs. If you think AdEdge may be the right size firm to serve your digital marketing agency needs, give us a call. We’d love to set you up with a free consultation to see how we could work together. You can reach us at (203) 682-4585, schedule some time for a chat, or visit www.adedgemarketing.com.