To help drive growth for B2B companies of any size, the use of B2B marketing firms can play a pivotal role. Often times the owners or managers of the business are experts in their field but are not experts in marketing. In many cases, they are too busy doing their day jobs than trying to market effectively. So, the answer is to work with B2B marketing firms or partner to help build and articulate your strategy and, more importantly, execute on that strategy.
It is hard to know how to select the right marketing agency for you and. It will depend on a number of factors including, your goals including what marketing tactics you’d like to explore like B2B Content Marketing, and Social Media, what market you are in, how you find prospects and support customers as well as the stage your business is at. Below I have listed out a few points to consider when selecting B2B marketing firms:
How Well do They Understand Sales and the Sales Process?
It is important to work with a marketing agency that understands the value of sales, how how marketing can be integrated to drive sales and support the sales team. Understanding the value proposition from a sales perspective and ensuring it is included in the marketing messaging is important.
Have They Worked in Your Industry or Similar Industries Before?
Having experience from an industry perspective can make things easier as the marketing team will be familiar with the language, purchasing behaviour of prospects, keywords and value propositions that can support the marketing messaging and revenue generation efforts.
Are they More Traditional or Digital in Their Approach?
Examples of traditional marketing can include events, radio, print or billboards. Digital marketing usually includes social media, content marketing, SEO and website. Marketing agencies not only come in a variety of sizes, but they also have their own specialties. Depending on your marketing needs, be sure to select an agency that best suits them. In some cases, more than one marketing parter may be required. As an example, you could have a firm that provides digital marketing expertise, but not PR or government relations and so would need a second firm with a speciality in those areas.
What Tools do They Use to Support Their Activities?
Depending on what the strategy is, the tools needed to execute on the strategy will vary. For firms assisting in digital marketing activities, the use of marketing automation (HubSpot), a CRM (Pardot) and email marketing solutions (MailChimp) would be critical to success.
Do They Have Experience With Websites?
Websites today are a necessity for a B2B business because they act as your 24/7 sales representative. Combined with inbound lead generation and content marketing, websites can not only help sell, they can help close.
Do They Have Experience With Social Media and Content Marketing to Drive Inbound Leads?
The days of cold calling prospects is gone. Today you need to incorporate social media and content marketing to drive inbound leads. This should be a consideration in any sales and marketing strategy.
Are They More of a Strategy or Executional Shop?
Some firms are great at vision and strategy while others are better at executing a plan. Look for firms that match your needs the best. What size of business do they typically work with? Do they meet your budget? Firms that work with large multi-nationals may not be well suited to work with a startup and vice versa. Choose to work with a company that best fits your business from a culture, budget and work ethic standpoint.
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