Top 12 Things to Consider When Selecting a Content Marketing Agency for Your Business in London
As more and more prospects are now searching for products on the web, instead of visiting a brick and mortar store, it becomes imperative to have a solid digital presence, especially if you’re launching a new business. Potential customers today make their purchasing decisions primarily on what they read online about a business, and this is the reason why hiring a content marketing agency may be a wise investment of your valuable dollars.
For beginners, choosing the right content marketing firm can be an overwhelming decision, simply because of the sheer number of agencies operating today.
The selection process starts with a critical step: understanding your business needs. A clear understanding of your needs and requirements will help you narrow down the number of candidates, but even then, you are most likely to be left with an extensive list of content marketing companies.
So, how do you select the agency that is best suited for your business? In this post, we are going to address this question and help you demystify the key points below:
- Assess your business needs
- Consider your location
- Look at their experience
- Ask them to share their strategy including tools and techniques
- Find out the specific niches that the agency specializes in
- Consider their promotional techniques
- Analyze their case studies
- Consider their SEO performance
- Be aware of your main contacts
- Look for the pricing plans
- Look if transparency is important for the agency too
- Ask for a sample post
Here are the top 12 things every business should consider when hiring a content marketing agency in London:
1. Assess your business needs
Before you begin finding a content creation agency, it is vital to assess your business’ specific needs and requirements. You need to identify what you want to achieve through your content promotion efforts and what you expect from an agency. Your search shouldn’t be just about choosing the best content marketing agency in London, but to select the ‘right’ one.
There can be many reasons that you may need the services of an agency, but you should identify an area that needs the utmost attention. It could involve reaching a new market, pushing a new product, or planning for some accelerated growth. Or you might need help with SEO, blogging, social media, advertising, and much more. Once you have a clear vision and your specific requirements in mind, you can make the partnership to work.
Digital marketing agency Momentum Design Lab shares that their goal is to attract, delight, and maintain their clients’ customers:
According to agency, typical deliverables include Focus Groups, Buyer Personas & Use Case Development, Customer Journey Mapping, Strategy (Campaign, Brand Activation, Personalization, Influencer Marketing, Paid & Social Media, & Content), Concept Development, Brand Positioning, Brand Messaging, Copywriting, Asset Creation Content Creation, Visual Design Sprints, and so on. You can find out more about their latest projects on their website.
2. Location
Location is one of the most important factors to consider when selecting a content marketing agency. When it comes to content creation and marketing, you need someone who has a clear idea of your target audience.
If I’m based in London or targeting the London market, I will look for a marketing firm near me, preferably in London. Obviously, most of the things can be done over phone or email, but an actual meeting is sometimes necessary. Otherwise, things become complicated, which might not prove beneficial for your business.
3. Look at their experience
Research and look into the experience of the agencies that you are considering. Consider their content marketing strategy and ask for samples of content and campaigns for various clients.
The best firms have an even mix of folks from diverse backgrounds, supported by talented graphic designers and marketers. Ask for details about the experience of each member and what they will bring to the table.
The Charles puts forward their individuality and commitment to their clients as an agency. They believe that great work is born out of inspiration, trust, and collaboration. Therefore, their experimented team are blending creativity with continuous improvement.
4. Tools and Techniques
No agency is going to be entirely transparent about the tools and techniques they use, but a good agency will be willing to share their content marketing strategy and the methods they will use to market your products or services.
Carefully analyze the strategy and research whether the tools and techniques that they use are relevant to your business.
5. Core niche
Every content marketing firm specializes in specific niches and services. You need to focus on top content marketing agencies in your specific niche. For instance, if you are in healthcare, you will need an agency that specializes in the healthcare industry to work within London.
It is important to consider past work and how long they have been providing those services. This is probably the most important factor to look for in a content marketing agency.
6. Consider their promotional techniques
Content creation is only half the battle; the other half is promoting your content. Ask about their content promotion strategies and how they can help you spread the word about your business.
If you are already good at promotion, you will need to focus on generating quality content that encourages engagement and social sharing.
7. Case studies
Case studies and success stories can address many pressing questions. It is one thing to create a fancy blog with lots of pretty pictures, but it is entirely a different thing to create one that drives results.
Ask the agency about their new customers and how many are satisfied with their services, and to what extent. If a content marketing company doesn’t have concrete data about the success of their work, it is better to consider someone else.
Digital marketing agencies such as Impression, Bookmark and Croud share their success stories as well as the client testimonials on their websites to give their potential clients a better idea of their work.
8. Consider their SEO performance
You don’t need to take an agency’s word on how well their content performs on search engines. All you need to do is plug some keywords and phrases and see how they rank on SERPs.
Search is a highly important factor for businesses, so if an agency simply churns out words without driving enough traffic, it might not be the right fit for you.
9. Communication
The agency of your choice should be one that keeps its customers in the loop. Ask if you will be kept in direct contact with the employee that will be working on your project.
It is also wise to inquire about the firm’s policy for communicating with customers during a campaign.
10. Pricing
Price is always going to be a crucial factor to consider when selecting a content marketing firm for your business. In addition to the price, look for the pricing plans and payment system that the agency offers.
Some content marketing agencies are willing to commit to a one-year project; others will accept monthly or quarterly payments. Moreover, there are also other agencies offering different packages for your projects.
Once you specify your needs, you only need to choose a plan that works best for you.
11. Transparency
If a content marketing company isn’t transparent in its work and communication, it is a sign of concern. Successful and credible agencies have the courage to show you results and what they have achieved through their work.
They will inform you about their research process, how they plan and produce their content, and how they monitor their results.
12. Ask for a sample post
You need to ensure that whichever agency you choose is the right one for your business. Asking for a sample post tailored to your needs is the perfect way to gauge a content marketing agency of your choice.
Most of the firms will be willing to offer free content marketing tips and a sample post. If an agency doesn’t oblige, you should be wary of them.
Once you find an agency that lives up to these standards, you can be confident that your content will drive more traffic and social shares.
Though there can be time and resources for adjustments and improvements, choosing the right content marketing agency in London will save you a lot of time, money, and headache.
If you are looking for the best content marketing agency to work with, here you can find a list of prominent digital agencies of London.
