So you’ve been with your advertising agency (or maybe you work with a few agencies) for some time. Maybe it’s been a few years. Like any relationship of that length, both sides are comfortable. But comfortability can often bring complacency. To ensure they’re treating you right, and your visions, ideals and goals are aligned, ask the following questions of your agency.
How Do You Promote Growth?
This question is less about “promotions” and more about the growth. Does your agency encourage a learning environment? Do they foster education through seminars, keynotes, expos, trade shows, etc.? Chances are, as your relationship grows older, the people working on your account get younger. And those younger people need to be challenged intellectually.
What’s Your Culture Like?
If they can’t answer this question quickly and clearly, without falling back on the ho-hum adjectives such as “fun” and “fast-paced,” there is no culture. Or the culture has become toxic.
Who’s in Charge Here?
You probably covered this a long time ago. Hopefully. But things change. You obviously know the primary people working on your account day-to-day. But how do things work in the shop day-to-day? What’s the reporting structure like? How are tasks communicated and moved through the shop? Is there someone determining which projects take priority over others? With every account, there are keymasters and gatekeepers. Make sure you know who they are.
Who Is Your Ideal Client?
Am I who you want? Are you leveraging me to get the exact type of client you want? Maybe I can help. Determining an agency’s ideal client says a lot about who they are as a company and what their long-term vision is.
Is It Worth It?
So you say you’re going to do all these things and help grow my business. But how do I know? How will I know if it’s all working like you say it will? And what if it doesn’t? Then what? These can all be answered simply: We prove it. Mirror Matter sets realistic expectations from the start. And our recommendations are not based on gut reactions. They’re driven by information.
You Deserve To Know.
Now, you don’t have to flat out ask these questions verbatim. They’re merely meant to be food for thought. But you should be thinking about them. And thinking about them often. The more you question, the more you understand. The more you understand, the further you and your agency will go.
