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You know your business, inside and out, but when it comes to marketing and advertising, a little extra help from proven professionals can go a long way. With the right team at your side, you can increase brand awareness, reach new customers, and deepen your relationship with existing customers. You can also gain valuable insights into your business, products or services, and customer base. Now it\u2019s just a matter of finding the right marketing and advertising partner\u2026.\n<\/p>\n
\nFor better or worse, there are a plethora of marketing agencies in Cincinnati, Northern Kentucky, and the surrounding area. (And if you\u2019re in another part of the country or even the world, there\u2019s probably plenty of marketing agencies to choose from there too.) So, how can you make sure you\u2019re choosing the best partner for your business?\n<\/p>\n
\nInterviewing advertising and marketing agencies in Cincinnati (or wherever you happen to be) is half first date, half job interview. We recommend you ask these six questions when speaking with any agency. Compare their answers to your business needs and goals and see if it\u2019s a match made in heaven.\n<\/p>\n
\nThis question focuses on services that the marketing agency excels at. For example, some agencies may specialize in public relations but not technical services like on-site SEO (search engine optimization).\n<\/p>\n
\nSt. Gregory is a full-service agency, with expertise in both traditional and digital marketing. We\u2019ve intentionally invested in building out both sides of our business because we know that a holistic marketing strategy is paramount to success. And while there are certainly other advertising and marketing agencies in Cincinnati and Northern Kentucky that consider themselves to be full-service, many of them do not have the in-house personnel to do it all, which brings us to\u2026.\n<\/p>\n
\nIf a marketing agency claims to be an expert in an area but actually outsources all of the work, are they actually the experts? Will they be up-to-date on the tactic in question? Will they be able to make adjustments quickly or will they have to reach out to a third-party?\n<\/p>\n
\nAnother thing to consider when marketing agencies are using many vendors is cost. You may be paying a commission to the marketing agency but then sacrificing more advertising or creative dollars to the vendor (because obviously, those people have to get paid as well).\n<\/p>\n
\nAt St. Gregory, vendors are the exception not the rule. We\u2019re proud to say that by far, most of our client work is done in house. Just some of our in-house capabilities are:\n<\/p>\n
\nWe will occasionally tap a vendor for support if that\u2019s what\u2019s in the best interest of our client, but quality and cost are always top-of-mind in these situations. We\u2019ve tested many different vendors over the years to be sure that those we do occasionally use provide the right level of quality and cost efficiency.\n<\/p>\n
\nDo the marketing agencies you\u2019re speaking with have experience with your industry or companies that have similar products or services? If they do, does that present any kind of conflict? For example if you\u2019re a HVAC company talking to marketing agencies in Cincinnati and they already represent a direct competitor how will they serve both<\/em> companies\u2019 needs?\n<\/p>\n \nIf the marketing agency does not have experience in your industry or with companies with similar products or services, they may have experience with business who have faced similar challenges or who have similar needs.\n<\/p>\n \nWhen it comes to industry experience, St. Gregory has deep roots in:\n<\/p>\n \nHowever, we also work in the legal, medical, trade show\/event industries and many more.\n<\/p>\n What kind of fee structure does the marketing agency have? Is it a flat fee or a percentage of your budget? Does it vary based on service?\n<\/p>\n \nIt should be a huge<\/em> red flag if an agency won\u2019t transparently talk about their fee structure. However, just because a marketing agency has a low fee or commission doesn\u2019t mean they are the best fit for you. Something too cheap should also send up a red flag. For example, if all the other marketing agencies in Cincinnati are coming in between 15 and 20 percent but one agency is at 10 percent you need to ask more questions!\n<\/p>\n \nBe Goldilocks here\u2014look for something that isn\u2019t too high or too low but rather just<\/em> right.\n<\/p>\n \nSt. Gregory is happy to discuss our fee structure with perspective clients. Compared to other marketing agencies in Cincinnati, we charge a reasonable percentage based on our services, certifications, and years of expertise.\n<\/p>\n \nWith St. Gregory, there are no contracts and no hidden fees. When we provide a proposal, that is what you pay.\n<\/p>\n \nSome marketing agencies in Cincinnati (and everywhere else) have high turnover. Your account representative one day may be gone the next. If you\u2019re working with a large agency, you may deal with a salesperson and then get turned over to someone else (or multiple people) once you\u2019re onboarded. And you may never get to speak to the individuals that are actually pushing the buttons, so to speak.\n<\/p>\n \nKnow what you\u2019re getting into. Ask about your point of contact, and meet them before signing on, if possible. And if you\u2019re planning to be hands-on with your agency, which we recommend, ask about other specialists and if you\u2019ll be able to speak with them when it comes time to review strategy and results.\n<\/p>\n \nAt St. Gregory, we know that landing the client is only the first step<\/a>, and we do everything we can to provide a first-rate client experience. You\u2019ll have a dedicated account executive that you can contact as needed. In addition our media, digital marketing, public relations, and creative specialists love talking about their craft, so if you want to meet them, they\u2019d be delighted.\n<\/p>\n \nSo you\u2019ve signed up with a marketing agency in Cincinnati, you\u2019ve launched your first campaign, and \u2026 now what? How do you know if it was a success? What did you get for your advertising or marketing dollars?\n<\/p>\n \nAsk the marketing agencies you\u2019re talking to about what you can expect in terms of a report up front. What will they be measuring? Can that data be validated?\n<\/p>\n \nKey point: Sometimes the data you\u2019re given won\u2019t match Google Analytics, which you should definitely<\/em> be using, by the way. Here are some common reasons why those numbers might not sync up<\/a>.\n<\/p>\n \nAt St. Gregory, you will get a report. We love data, and we\u2019re proud of the advertising and marketing results we know we\u2019re going to produce. What that report will look like will depend on the tactics used. A broadcast media report will look very different than a Google display ads report.\n<\/p>\n \nWhile we do have standard report templates that we use for various tactics, we\u2019re happy to work with you to develop a custom report that provides the metrics you feel are most valuable. The goals of the campaign and the corresponding key performance indicator(s) (KPI) is something we always define with clients before a campaign launches.\n<\/p>\n \nThese are just six of the questions you\u2019ll want to ask when interviewing marketing agencies in Cincinnati (or anywhere else). Based on your specific goals and needs, there are more questions that you\u2019ll want to get answers to. Take some time to brainstorm on those before your initial call with the agency.\n<\/p>\n\nHow St. Gregory Answers
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\nQuestion 4: How do you make money? <\/p>\n
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<\/h3>\n\nQuestion 5: Who will be working on my account on a regular basis?
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<\/h3>\n\nQuestion 6: What does your reporting look like?
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