I recently went to a large well-known Swedish furniture shop to buy a sofa, and ended up leaving with a cheese grater and some light bulbs.

Standing in the car park, looking into the oversized carrier bag, I found myself thinking ‘how did this happen? How can I have been shopping for 5 hours and ended up with two impulse buys instead of what I actually needed?’

This got me thinking about the process organisations go through when they are looking for a B2B marketing and lead generation agency to help them meet their targets. Are these companies running the risk of not following ‘the arrows on the floor’ and ending up in the car park with stuff they didn’t need and no sign of the things they actually wanted?

To help you find the B2B marketing agency that’s right for you, here are a few things to consider…

Do they know your target market?

You may think that a marketing agency can use their core skills to target prospects in any industry, and to some extent you’re right. But, if you want to make sure you’re going to get the best results, then you need to work with an agency who knows the industry as well as you do… and can prove it. Find out what the agency knows about your prospects and what targeted marketing strategies they have produced for this group in the past. To really make sure you are both ‘on the same page’, get the agency to create a proposal document which outlines how they can help you meet your business objectives.

Are they multi-channel experts?

Every agency can send an email on your behalf, but if your prospects are more likely to engage via LinkedIn, then you need to know that the agency has experience (and proven results) of marketing in this social media environment. To get a real understanding of whether the agency is capable of multi-channel marketing, ask to see case studies of their previous work within your industry using multiple marketing channels such as direct mail, social media and content marketing.

ROI, ROI, ROI

Many B2B marketing agencies will talk about leads and lead generation, and those with social media experience will talk about gaining ‘followers’ etc. But, the vital thing to remember is that the most important factor is ROI. Make sure your goals are aligned with the agency in this respect, because if the agency can’t prove that their actions will generate ROI, then what’s the point? Social media followers and Likes won’t change your bottom line, at least not at face value. Only by generating high-quality and qualified leads, then nurturing them through the sales funnel to conversion to sale will you see an increase in revenue.

Do it right

So, when it comes to shopping for your B2B marketing agency, don’t end up with a bag of little candles and meatball sauce on your shirt. Make sure you actually get what you are looking for, which should ultimately be business growth and increased revenue. There is nothing worse than having to go back through the whole shopping experience again to get what you originally wanted or finding that what you bought doesn’t fit and now you’re stuck with it (like my TV cabinet).

 

If you’re looking for a B2B marketing agency and want to find out more, give us a call on 02392 314498 or email info@reallyb2b.com