5 Tips for Hiring an Ad Agency

So you’ve been advertising for a while and you know one thing is for certain… advertising can be tough!  Why do you think the majority of large companies work with ad agencies?

So what are some tips for hiring an ad agency, and how do you know what is the Best Ad Agency for you?

There are many advantages to hiring ad agencies and there are many ad agencies in Arizona and Nationwide to choose from.  If you currently are focused on TV and Radio Advertising, you may be inclined to hire a company that considers itself a Radio Ad Agency or a TV Ad Agency; or if you’re focused on social or digital, you may think hiring a Digital Ad Agency or a Social Media company is the way to go. Many soon find that it is challenging to diversify and be inclined to put “all your eggs in one basket.”  This is why many are turning to hiring a Full-Service Advertising Agency. 

Full-Service Ad Agencies

Full-Service Ad Agencies can really help you find the answer to your core goal which you may have even found yourself Googling, “Help Me Improve My Marketing,” or “How to Improve My Advertising.”  With a full-service ad agency, you’ll be able to have unbiased media consultations and learn about the Benefits of Advertising on TV vs the Benefits of Advertising on Radio and on a more macro level the benefits of Traditional, Digital, and Social Media.

The potential downside of a Full-Service Ad Agency is they may not have the same level of niche expertise as a company focused specifically on one area. For example, a specialized Social Media Boutique may give you the latest Foursquare update faster……but you’re going to be able to access a lot more advertising opportunities and diversify with a Full-Service Ad Agency. 

Tips for Hiring an Ad Agency

Here are a couple of our tips on hiring an ad agency:

1. Decide if you want a Full-Service or a Specialized Boutique agency.

2. Compare how your company’s advertising focus aligns with the Ad Agency.

3. Appreciate the research and pretty PowerPoint presentations and the nice lunches but really listen to the strategy and execution and think to yourself, “How will this help me sell my products?”

4. Make sure the agency wants to truly be a marketing partner helping you sell your product and not use your company as a way to win an advertising award, often times the ad that wins the trophy isn’t selling anyone’s products except the Ad Agencies.

5. Make sure you understand the strategy and if you’re not sure, don’t sign an annual contract but sample a couple of buys until you get comfortable with your Ad Agency.

Colling Media is a full-service advertising agency specializing in branding and direct response advertising for small businesses to Fortune 500 Companies.