What to look for when choosing an advertising company

When you choose an advertising company, you need to be sure that they are going to do their absolute best to market your business effectively so you see a dramatic return on your investment. Choosing the right advertising company, though, can be problematic; how do you know that they won’t stick your account on a back burner while they attend to more prestigious customers? Or whether they have the resources to actually do what they say they will? There are a few questions that you can ask an advertising company to make sure that they are the right one for you.

Firstly, ask them how many clients they already have and how big are their accounts. In an ideal world you want to be one of several lead accounts. This shows that they have the reputation to attract clients and that they will give your account the attention it deserves.

An advertising company should be able to describe your brand; if it cannot it means that they have not done their homework and you should consider taking your business elsewhere. The person or people dealing with your business should be enthusiastic about what you do as well as being knowledgeable about it. They should be aware of your overall message, your ethos and where you want to be. Listen and look for indicators that show that they are proactive and independent thinkers so they can market you in a novel way.

The next question can be a bit double-edged. You need to discover whether the advertising company you are considering is well-versed in the minutiae of your industry. On the one hand you want it to be, but on the other be careful: if they only deal with your field they may not be very innovative, or even worse, they could recycle some old ideas.

Ask if you can meet with their art directors and copywriters. These are the actual people in the advertising company who will have the most effect on your advertising and marketing drive, so it is useful to see how they interact with you, and interesting to see how confident their boss seems to be in their abilities when you are introduced.

Another way of making an advertising company reveal its creative abilities and successful strategies is to ask them to give an example of previous work in detail. You want to know how they moved from the client’s first direction to the final result; where their ideas came from, how they were tested and how it all came back to fulfilling the client’s expectations. This should enable you to see the advertising company’s process and give you an insight on how amenable they are to cooperate with you.

Before you sign up to a particular advertising company, examine how they expect to get paid. Some will bill you by the hour, while others will charge a flat fee per project. If you have enough potential, you may even be able to offer incentives and negotiate a deal whereby the advertising company gets a percentage of your sales. Consider what the best way forward is for you and your business before you commit yourself.