5 aspects of a good advertising agency

Choosing the right advertising agency is one of the most crucial decisions a company can make. After all, what is at stake is nothing less than brand reputation, investment in advertising, and the company’s results. It is, therefore, a risky bet; all the more reason not to make the decision blindly.
To achieve a good fit between client and agency, it is necessary that the advertiser can take all the time they need to investigate the different options and that both parties communicate fluidly throughout the process. If you want to know what 5 aspects a good advertising agency should have according to Forbes… don’t miss this article!
5 Key Characteristics of a Good Advertising Agency
1) Understand the client’s needs and budget
A good Advertising Agency. You should understand the customer’s needs perfectly, but that doesn’t mean you can guess them. It is a reciprocal relationship, and communication is very important.
Therefore, the first step is for the client to be trained in terms of the different tools of Digital Marketing (websites, Display Advertising, SEO & SEM, social networks, graphic design…) and be able to explain them to the agency. In turn, many agencies can collaborate in this work of customer training through webinars and specialized courses.
It is necessary to make it clear from the outset that there are no universal solutions, but that the situation of each sector or even each customer is unique. For example, some businesses will be interested in having a large presence on social networks, and others will prefer to focus on SEM. And always, always, always, the tools that are chosen will have to be linked to the Marketing Plan and to the global objectives of the brand.
Another issue on which there can be no room for misunderstanding is, of course, the budget. The client must be clear about their limits, but these must be wide enough so that the agency can work with guarantees. It should be borne in mind that “pay per click” solutions allow you to adapt to many different sizes of companies and budgets, but we will always have personnel and operations costs.
2) It is completely transparent
Many times, when a client has had a bad experience with an agency, we can see that basic information is missing from the agency’s website. Unfortunately, there is no shortage of cheating and deception in our sector, such as agencies that outsource staff abroad at low prices or buy followers on social networks.
An advertising agency’s website should clearly show the address you are at, the profiles of the people who work there, and a list of clients, at a minimum. They should also be willing to share references and success stories openly, always respecting the confidentiality needs of their clients.
This transparency should not only be shown on the website, but also throughout the entire hiring and work process. The client should be able to ask for the information they need and answer all their questions about their campaigns. The agency has to be willing to give all the data the client needs and be didactic when explaining their work. And in the same way, the client should always be impeccably honest with the agency. In short, there has to be an open dialogue where neither party hides information and both collaborate to achieve success.
3) You can demonstrate your experience and credibility
In the world of online marketing, reputation is everything. That’s why a good advertising agency has to be able to demonstrate that it puts into practice what it preaches and that it has the credibility necessary to generate trust in its clients.
The first step to generating this trust is the website, as it will give us an idea of the degree of sophistication they can achieve for their clients. It has to be well organized, with all the information clearly available and searchable, and an attractive design. If it is well-positioned, we’ll be able to see that their team handles SEO correctly. And the same applies to their social media presence.
Secondly, we must consider their online reputation, that is, the opinions of users outside the agency itself. A couple of simple searches on Google and social networks will help us find testimonials from other people who have worked with them (beware!: unfortunately, fake testimonials also happen).
And last but not least, the client can ask for references from other clients that the agency has worked with. It is always very interesting to ask for some references from clients with whom things have not gone so well, to see how the problems have been approached. If the agency is willing to talk about it openly, it is an excellent sign. And in the same way, the client should be willing to explain their previous relationship with other advertising agencies and the reason why they decided to do without their services.
One more trick: according to experts, it is better to ask for references by phone or in person than by email. The reason is that, while emails can be a simple “copy and paste”, a conversation makes people feel more natural, and you end up getting a lot more information.
4) Can understand the customer’s sector
Expertise in a specific industry is always a plus, but sometimes agencies use a cut-and-paste approach, applying the same solutions to all clients. And this doesn’t usually work too well. Therefore, before starting to work, the client should ask for specific success stories in their sector and see if a working method has been applied according to the circumstances of each brand.
If an advertising agency is new to an industry, that doesn’t mean it should be written off. Sometimes, it can be very positive to have a new look at what we are doing. In that case, you have to ask about the agency’s methodology when approaching a new sector. And in the same way that the agency must collaborate when it comes to training the client on digital marketing, the client must also be open to solving the agency’s doubts about their sector.
5) It takes into account the technical side of the relationship
So far, we’ve talked about advertising agencies and clients, as it’s the traditional division of the industry. But there is a third actor that we cannot forget, and that is that of technology managers.
To bring a digital marketing strategy to fruition, you need advanced knowledge of a wide variety of technologies, from web design and architecture to data science. In many cases, agencies work with external technology providers, and they need to be able to vouch for them to the client.
Both the client and the agency have to be aware that we are working in a sector subject to continuous changes in technology. While the more technical aspects, such as programming, are going to be left to experts, marketers need to be able to understand the current technology landscape and always be willing to learn new things. On the client’s side, it is a good idea to investigate this issue and see if the agency is up to date or if it continues to use outdated tools due to a lack of resources to innovate.
Bonus: the happiness test
If an advertising agency successfully passes the five aspects we have discussed, it will surely be made up of competent experts. For customers, this list can be used to screen and keep a few candidates.
But in the end, in the final decision, there is an issue that is not so easy to objectify: the chemistry and feeling between advertiser and agency. That’s why, if you’re looking for the advertising agency of your dreams, we recommend that your last step is the happiness test. What does your gut tell you? Do you feel comfortable interacting with the team? Do you think they really are Happy in their work?
The Happiness in the company is a topic that is gaining more and more strength in the business world, and rightly so. People have emotions, and as much as we want to, we can’t leave them at the door when we go to work. Companies that are aware of this take more care of the well-being of their workers, and the result is a united team that collaborates fluidly and that, in the end, achieves better results for customers. Therefore, everyone benefits. And when clients and agencies can share this culture of happiness, the result is the beginning of a beautiful friendship.