How To Choose an Advertising Agency

One of the most difficult decisions a growing business can make is choosing an advertising agency. In choosing an agency, you're choosing a business partner, and a wrong choice can be expensive. Nay, disastrous!

A right choice, on the other hand, could propel you to leadership in your business arena. To guide you through this process, we have created a simple, common-sense procedure, including some practical tips to help you choose the "best" agency for your needs and your budget.

The Relationship

Agency people often speak of the client-agency relationship as a "marriage". The relationship, like marriage calls for:

• Communication between partners
• Complementary goals
• No unpleasant surprises
• A concern about needs, wishes and mutual business success

A successful marriage calls for commitment. Without this, success is unlikely. This means when you do find your potential "partner" you should be prepared to negotiate a mutually beneficial client-agency contract.

A Note of Caution
If you have an advertising manager, be certain he or she is directly involved in all steps of the agency selection process. Agencies work best with those who can make decisions and influence the future. If you don't have an advertising manager, designate someone to work day to day with the agency, and give them the authority to make decisions.

1. Getting Started. To find the right advertising agency for your company you need to start with two important pieces of information:
   • The size of your advertising budget.
   • The candidate agencies in your geographical region.
2. Where Do You Look? The Yellow Pages of the phone book is helpful for starters. It will provide a local listing, and perhaps some of the agencies listed will even have websites. Another source for agency candidate names is a professional directory, such as the US 1 Business Directory. Once you have a fairly comprehensive list, you begin narrowing down the candidates. All this can be done without leaving your office or running up your phone bill.

   The Internet will also provide a list of candidates, if you create a geographic specific search. For example, search "Advertising Agencies Fort Myers".

3. Be a Big Fish in a Small Pond. Remember, the size of your budget is a key selection factor. Your account must represent an important piece of business to an agency in order for you to get the attention you need to make the partnership successful. For example, if your business (advertising budget) is large enough to be ranked fourth in a shop, phone calls will be returned promptly. If your business is ranked 400th in a large shop, it's like calling a cat. They take a message and get back to you later! Use this simple "size" approach to narrow your list to four or six agency candidates.

   Don't be too concerned with finding an agency who works in your field. You can bring that specific experience to the table.

   "Creativity will come from fresh viewpoints, not stale ones. Agencies working in your field, if they are available at all, may give you advertising that looks and sounds like all the other work being done in the field."
   ---Diane Backes

   Narrow the list as much as you can, then keep the initial agency contact as brief as possible. The objective is to get them to mail you their information package and pitch. With each call, pay attention to how quickly they respond. Look the package they send you over closely. Their information will demonstrate their skills at presenting themselves. The package will also provide you with insights that help narrow the candidate list even further.

4. The Grand Tour. The next step is a round of mutual visits and discussions. Tell the agencies what you're looking for, and learn from them their philosophies, their work ethics, and how they would like to be paid.

   The candidates you consider to be serious contenders should be asked to present the account team that will be doing the day to day work. These are the people who represent an agency's abilities. Get to know them and how long they have been with the agency. A group of short-timers may signal personnel changes -- and lots of re-training in your future.

   During these "client-agency" meetings, look carefully at the work they have done and find out what it cost to produce this work. These meetings and the discussions of advertising should narrow the list, hopefully to two candidates.

5. Credentials. The client agency partnership or "marriage" should result in a relaxed team-oriented effort with clear goals and objectives. The agency and the client alike should speak their opinions freely, and work toward common goals.

   Credentials and certificates on the wall are nice, but the bottom line is still people and the chemistry of people working together. The team that will work on your account and the chemistry of that team is critical. After a few meetings with the candidate agency, you can begin to see how they work, and how you can work with them.

6. Now, pick up the phone and speak to some of each agency's clients for a broader picture. This will be very enlightening, and probably weigh heavily in determining your final choice.

This is not the whole story. It is, however, a process that, if followed, will enhance your ability to make the right choice. Be certain the agency you select gets the same commitment from you as you expect from them. Finally, after they have come on board and learned your business, plan regular performance review meetings to be certain all partners continue to share the same objectives.