Working with an Agency to Develop Your Marketing Plan
Partnering with a marketing agency can be highly beneficial for your business. We’re not just saying that because we are one!
A marketing agency wields skills that pertain to the finer details of communication, design, research, and analysis and possesses up-to-date knowledge on marketing technologies, best practices, and trends—all things that contribute to generating powerful appeal to the consumer masses. Plus, as an external entity, they carry the benefit of being able to view your business with a fresh perspective.
The catch is: you only benefit if you choose the right one to work with.
Watch Out for this Marketing Red Flag
If you’re on the search for the right marketing partner, here’s one red flag to keep an eye out for during your preliminary talks:
Be wary of any marketing agency that immediately offers a one year/comprehensive marketing plan following your introductory sales call.
Why is this a red flag? 🤔 Isn’t it a good thing that they can deliver results so fast?
Good Marketing Does Not Follow a “One-Size-Fits-All” Approach
While marketing does follow a general framework, there is no “one-size-fits-all” plan that guarantees successful marketing.
Every company’s marketing is at a different stage of maturity
A start-up or a small business will have marketing needs, priorities, and pain points that are unique from the ones of an established enterprise. A marketing agency that knows what they’re doing will prioritize this consideration and integrate it into the plan they develop for you.
Any marketing agency that tries to sell you a “one-size-fits-all” plan is selling you a template
A marketing agency that claims they have a plan for you right after your first sales call—sometimes they’ll use phrases like “marketing maturity model” or “our proven path to success”—is not taking the time to tailor that plan for you. They’re likely substituting templates for the real deal.
(Don’t get us wrong: templates are useful in providing a framework, but they can only get you so far)
Think of it like a doctor who treats every patient the same. Patient A has a migraine and Patient B has a brain tumour, and his solution is to give both painkillers.
What to Look For in a Dependable Marketing Plan
Good marketing takes time
A good marketing plan that targets your company’s unique needs takes time to build—and requires assessing your existing marketing metrics and KPIs. You can’t build a plan for success if you don’t know where the starting point is.
A good marketing plan accounts for variables
Marketing is not an exact science. Honestly, sometimes it can feel like throwing spaghetti at a wall to see if it sticks. The reality is that when consumer preferences, market trends, and platform algorithms are constantly changing, there is always a chance that any marketing effort, no matter how well-thought-out, will not deliver the anticipated outcome.
That’s why a good marketing plan will include:
- Research on your industry, target market, and competitors
- Tests to determine what content works and what doesn’t
- Checkpoints to re-assess and pivot strategy if necessary
If your landscape is constantly shifting, you have to be willing to shift and evolve with it.
Real Value Speaks for Itself
We all want immediate value from marketing, but like with all good things, good marketing takes time. Time to understand your company’s unique context, time to research, time to plan and execute. Time to revisit and correct if things are not going according to plan.
When your money and the future of your business is on the line, you want to be able to distinguish a marketing agency that provides genuine value and just instant gratification. Hopefully this blog post helps!
TLDR; There is no “one-size-fits-all” marketing plan for success. Any agency that tries to sell you one is selling snake oil.
Looking for a marketing plan that’s *not* a flimsy band-aid solution?
EVOLVE is committed to helping our clients achieve their goals through process- and results-driven marketing. Contact us to enquire about building a marketing plan.
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