Overall business strategy and content thought leadership
The agency you choose needs, above all, to understand your business goals and cater to your company. Content marketing can have many
objectives, but the strategy should be altered depending on what your goals are and how best to reach them, whether it’s through lead generation, link building, or any number of other services.
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Quality content on their site
Click over to the agency-in-question’s blog and ask yourself if you like what you see. As their target market, do their posts strike a chord with you and make you want to buy? Check out their ranking, their fans and followers, and their consistency. If all of these pieces appear and work well together, it shows that they walk the walk. If not, it might not be the right choice.
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Social media promotion strategy
Along the same lines, take a look at how the agency promotes themselves and their clients on social media. Having a
social media marketing plan is a vital piece of content strategy, and while it is only one piece, it’s an important one. Are their followers growing, and are their posts getting interaction and traffic? You can expect the same results for your business, should you decide to hire this agency.
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Past and current client success
If the agency has some case studies available for you to see, make sure you take them up on that. One of the best ways to decide whether they will be a good fit is to look at the work they’ve done for other clients that are similar to your business. Specifically, you should watch for subject matter expertise, quality of content, and voice.
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Their offers will work for your company
The agency might offer plenty of services, but if they don’t have the one you’re looking for, none of those other ones matter. You know what your company needs and the last thing you want to do is go with an agency that can’t provide it. However, if they don’t offer the exact service you want, don’t be immediately dissuaded. Try reaching out to them and asking if they could provide something additional.
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Deliverables and results
While it will be nice to pass off some or all of the content creation to a marketing agency, therefore freeing up your time, what you really want is results. Have they proven that their efforts have increased traffic and conversions, driven brand awareness, or improved search engine rankings? How soon will you see results for your company if you decide to hire them? Consider these questions and ask for examples from the agency.
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You get along with the agency
Perhaps the most important piece of hiring an agency is that you enjoy working with them. If you’re not seeing eye-to-eye or understanding each other on basic issues even before you hire them, chances are, things aren’t going to change. You want someone that will be a valued and trusted business partner now and in the future.
A content marketing agency can be a huge plus for your business. They can provide an outside perspective, bring a new piece to your company that you didn’t know you were missing, and take on some of your unending workload. That’s why it’s so important to find a compatible agency that can help you meet your goals. If you’re in the market for a great agency, make sure you check us out at
Stryde.com.]]>
Laurel is a member of the executive team at Stryde. She's been doing digital marketing for businesses for 10 years. Two years ago, she started set up her own ecommerce business selling baby gowns and knows the struggles of a small business owner. She loves talking about digital marketing, content, SEO, and conversion rate optimization.
