Professional Service Firms: Take the Plunge

Choices. As consumers, we are constantly pummeled with choices of products whether at the grocery store where you can select from at least 10 brands of raisin bran cereal or at a car dealership where selecting one specific model from many is the challenge. If you’re a small business owner or the principal of a professional service firm yourself, your choice is often between doing something internally or selecting a professional service firm to help you.

Whatever your immediate need, it’s important to consider what will make your business successful over the long haul. If bringing in new customers, more customers, or increasing average sales per customer are key to your success, a marketing agency can be invaluable — even if it feels like jumping off a cliff the first time.

While you may think you can’t afford to hire a firm, remember that it’s smart to make a long-term investment in marketing your organization. Hiring a team of marketing experts can be more cost effective than hiring one employee to handle your needs. That individual may have marketing savvy, but one person cannot offer the range and depth of experience a professional team brings to strategize, plan, develop and research metrics, or build relationships with the media.

If you’re thinking it may be time to take the plunge, here are some tips to help you find the right firm.

Tips to help you take the plunge

First, be sure you know what your business goals are and have them as clearly defined as possible. Second, determine that the agency you select has a solid understanding of your goals, business model and current methods of attracting new customers or clients.

To help you find the best agency match, ask yourself the following:

• What is your message? What service or product are you trying to sell and why should your audience care?
• Who is your target audience? (There may be more than one – have you identified them?)
• Do you want a loyal, longtime customer (donor, advocate, follower) or are you building excitement for a short term goal?
• Do you want to advertise? Promote your business via a social media marketing campaign? Or do you want to gain media attention from a story on your message or product?
• All of the above?

If you can provide initial answers to each of the questions listed above then you’re in a good place to consider the expertise of a creative marketing services firm. And not only do you need to know your target audience but the firm you select should also have a solid knowledge and understanding to recommend the appropriate tools to connect them to your organization. Some firms specialize in niche markets and have a proven track record of research, creative strategies, and message development that will appeal to your customers.

Review each firm’s track record

I’ll bet when you hire an employee or an outside vendor you conduct research on that person or business. You likely look them up on Google, check them out on LinkedIn or call other colleagues in your industry to see if they have favorable references or endorsements. The same would go for researching any marketing services firm you may be considering.

Review several examples of their client success stories or work portfolio to see if they’ve done similar work for other organizations. That firm’s website should provide an indication of the breadth of the work they’ve completed for other Vermont businesses or professional service firms. As you proceed in the match process, you will want to talk to past – or current – clients to learn about their experience working with the firm. Ask if the objectives that that client was looking to achieve were met or – better yet – exceeded.

Selecting professional service firms

You want a firm that will collaborate with you, that will be your marketing partner. Does the firm seem to have a strong understanding of your business model? Do they see the unique value your organization brings to their audience, or is that something you will be refining together? If the answer is a resounding “yes,” then the firm you select is likely to be be the right fit for you and your team.

One last reality check is looking at how the firm market itself. Is its brand attractive, unified, creative, and do they strive to keep their website fresh and full of rich content? You want your agency’s first priority to be doing a great job for its clients, but you also want to see signs marketing team members can sell themselves effectively, too.