Should I Hire a Content Marketing Agency?
How much content does your website and social media presence need each day to stay relevant in the minds of today’s consumers?
Although you’ll see content experts say that a specific posting pattern is more important than a particular word count, startups and growth-minded businesses need as much as they can post each day to have a positive impact on their leads.
Do you have the infrastructure to write the posts, create the graphics, and focus on lead generation simultaneously?
Most brands and businesses don’t have the means to accomplish all of those tasks simultaneously. That’s why it makes sense to hire a professional content marketing agency.
Lead Generation Companies Cast a Broad Net
In the past, a content agency provided general text that could serve as a marketing tool. Everyone focused on what a website said instead of how it looked. [1]
Once brands and marketers saw that an attractive page filled with informative text and supplementary images could produce more conversions, the best practices for these services evolved. You could start seeing graphic design packages popping up as an extra option for businesses to select.
We now know that content in any form has value, whether it’s a transcript from a podcast you host to a video that shows your products or services. [2]
It’s not just a website that needs attention. Even where your content gets posted matters today! Your provider needs to be a social media consultant, a content marketing agency, and a lead generation company, all rolled into one package.
That’s why the best lead-gen efforts cast a broad net to influence potential customers across multiple categories. By providing expertise in each area, your brand can grow at whatever speed you prefer.
Unless you can provide all of those services internally, a content marketing agency partnership is an asset worth considering.
How to Choose the Best Content Marketing Agency
When you need help with your content, social media, and lead generation needs, it’s time to start thinking big. What is the overall goal you hope to accomplish with this investment?
Once you define the outcomes you want, here are the characteristics you should find in a premier content marketing agency.
1. Experienced Team Members
You wouldn’t hire a writer to design a logo. When you see who is working for a specific agency, you can browse sites like LinkedIn to see who is working there. Although you don’t typically see information about contractors or freelancers (or employees who don’t have a LinkedIn profile), it is an excellent starting point.
2. Industry Reputation
There should be some level of social proof that shows the quality of the lead generation services you’ll receive with an investment. Previous client reviews, testimonials, case studies, and more can help you see how the business operates.
It’s important to remember that no one is perfect. A bad review doesn’t mean you should avoid that content marketing agency. What you’re looking for are patterns of conduct. Is there one complaint that keeps getting mentioned? If so, that’s something you’ll want to research before signing a contract.
3. Similar Values
What are the core values of your brand and business? How does that perspective reflect your company’s culture? If you start working with a lead generation company at odds with who you are, it’ll be more challenging to find common ground.
You deserve to be working with people who value similar things and operate in the same way. If the phrasing or words you see don’t align with who you are, it might be beneficial to find a content marketing agency that fits better.
4. Website Design
If a marketing agency promotes content generation while having dozens of typos and errors across their site, does that make you want to do business with them? It shouldn’t, but some companies take the plunge anyway because the hiring price is within their budget.
When you encounter low-quality content, graphics, social media management, and other marketing efforts, you aren’t going to be the exception to the rule. That agency will provide you with the same services they offer everyone else! That’s why you need to find someone who shows you how they work instead of telling you what they can do.
5. Realistic Promises
Your website isn’t going to achieve a No. 1 ranking on every keyword after 72 hours. If you use social media marketing and management for lead generation purposes, one post won’t flood your sales pages with thousands in revenue. You deserve to work for an agency that sets realistic promises, works toward meaningful goals, and follows your ethics.
Each project you initiate can grow when an appropriate and knowledgeable expert is at the helm. If you need help with content marketing, our team can handle the entire scope of your project for a fair, competitive price. With our packaged-based pricing spectrum, you’ll find a practical, streamlined growth approach is waiting.
How could we serve you today?
