22nd May 2015

Marketing Firm Calgary

Are you looking for a marketing firm Calgary loves?

Being a small to medium business starting up your own company, or even standing on the brink of bigger things, can be huge task in knowing what the next step is. Inevitably as your company grows, so does your need for succinct, localized and credible marketing. You need to search for a marketing firm Calgary trusts that is successful, but also approachable. Considering yourself a marketing novice or being overwhelmed by the sheer volume of sexy and attractive online adverts out there, is not a way to make the best judgment. Working with a marketing agency is a big commitment in Calgary, or otherwise, and should be a long term arrangement, so how do you chose the right marketing firm from the start?

The first to remember is:

“Your Judgement is only as Good as Your Information”

Emma Street

Above all, you have to remember that in your search to find the perfect marketing firm Calgary loves, and that you will love, you need to gather information. You need to know who they are and what they produce and most importantly – whether you like them, and what they produce. They will create the ‘face’ of your company, so make sure they can build the face you want.

How can I find the best marketing firm in Calgary?

The one way everybody finds everything these days is … by Googling it. A simple Google search will bring up pages and pages of marketing companies – almost going on for infinity – that must mean they are the best, right? No, wrong. Marketing isn’t just about ranking number one in a search. Too many generic factors influence the placement of a company in Google, things that are not really relevant to the industry.

For instance, does it matter how many pages of content a marketing firm has on their web page? Or how many words there are on each page? Are these really great indicators of their ability to translate a company in to a brand or create a kickin’ company image that keeps on building? No, but it will get them to be #1 on Google.

Another drawback of assuming that the company at the top of the page is the one marketing firm Calgary loves, is that it is more likely that the #1 company is a huge corporate company with many different offices and satellites over the world and they only deal in massive revenue accounts. Their average budget is likely to be the gross national debt of a small country and not affordable by a sole trader or small business. You can take their name, but it may just be a wasted inquiry. Save yourself time by doing your homework.

What information do I need to choose the right marketing firm? 

The key is to determine which advertising agency and which skill set suits your requirements best. A thorough research of the Calgary marketing agency and its works is imperative. The following are a few features to keep in mind during the research and how you are going to investigate them, which when done properly are bound to vastly improve the overall success of your business.

Relevance and compatibility: Initial filtration can be eased up using the 4 Ps:

  • PURPOSE– What do you need the agency for? Be very specific about your digital media marketing requirements i.e. search engine optimization marketing, social media marketing, mobile marketing, website design, print design or any other requirements.
  • PORTFOLIO– Hire a digital marketing agency with relevant experience, and go through their cases studies and past client profiles. Every online marketing agency will have a portfolio of past clients and most of the post images and videos on their website. Take the time to view the work they produce for their clients, not just read about them as a company. Also confirm with them you are looking at work done by that marketing agency for the client. Some larger agencies only deal with one aspect of a campaign for a large corporation, so if they say they do work for ‘Ultra-Mega-Big Corporation’, and they show you general pictures of the whole range, ask which ones they actually produced in that office. You might be very surprised.
  • PEOPLE— The importance of compatibility with the team you are starting to work with cannot be emphasised enough. You will have to work closely with the team. You need to like them and have a professional respect for them. It is guaranteed they will come up with ideas you will not like, but you must be able to trust them enough let them try. You should be looking into a long term relationship make sure it is an amiable one!
  • PRICE— Everyone has a budget and this needs to be considered during the selection process. However, this does not necessarily mean that choosing the cheapest agency is the right decision. In almost every case, it is worth investing those extra dollars for quality results, because quality results bring quality cusotmers. Don’t sacrifice the quality of service just because of the price!

Specific abilities

They might be really good at selling apparel, but can they bring students to join your institute? It is very important to see if they have a good understanding of your business, brand personality and target audience to create a campaign that fits in with your specific requirements. Another factor is if they can work on the scale your campaign requires them to. Check on their logistics and past works to see if they do.

Authenticity

Beware of false claims and promises. Many claim extraordinary ROI and results, some even deliver! It is very important to filter out the fake ones. There are many ways to buy inflated results. Get assurance that the traffic and fans will be genuine and not fake ids or bots – and they will be able to explain how they get their organic traffic and what their plan is for your company.

Customised reporting

Any prospective agency should also be able to provide regular performance indicators and in-depth reporting on their activities to show you exactly what you’re getting for your money. Many businesses don’t have lavish amounts to spend on digital marketing so it’s highly important they see an indication of a return on their investment. Usually most agencies which develop their own tools have an edge over other agencies.

The tie-breakers

Once you are through with the primary sorting, down to a handful of agencies excelling in your field of interest along with having all the required logistics, look out for the specific X factors that differentiate them from the others. These can be creativity, the likes no one can provide or more importantly, it can be expert analytical skills which can show you what’s working and what’s not and accordingly tweak your strategies. If there’s something which is better than a brilliant strategy and effective creativity, it is then both combined with mind numbing analytics. Look out for agencies who can offer you that extra bonus!

Take the time you need to make a comfortable relationship with the marketing firm Calgary needs, but more to the point, make it the marketing firm YOU need, trust and love. The right marketing company is out there for you!

Resources:

http://www.marketingsherpa.com/article/case-study/contest-submissions-increase-moving-from-facebook

http://adage.com/article/digital/content-marketing-firm-keywee-9-million-investment/297741/

http://arcreactions.com/companies-now-need-smales-funnel/