A simple guide to choosing your next marketing partner.

Posted on 08/06/2020 by the Promote This Team.

Choosing the right marketing partner can be the difference between success for your business and wasting time/money with no real results. This can be a daunting task for business owners who don’t know what to look for in a partner and end up feeling like they haven’t got the return they were after. 

You have probably done this before, and will have to do it again at some point. The tough thing is that you can’t afford to get it wrong this time. Nobody has the time or money to waste on a partner who is just not the right fit for your business. 

Don’t worry though, we’re about to tell you 7 things you should look for in your next marketing partner.

Someone who would be willing to Advocate for your brand.

Your probably thinking well it’s their job to advocate for my brand, and that’s true. By choosing a marketing partner who really believes in what you do, they will be able to stand your brand out from your competitors. Ask yourself this question, if you weren’t their client would they still advocate for your brand? That means finding a partner who really values for brand and is vested in its success. Who thinks you are the best at what you do and would recommend you to their friends and family, because that’s a partner who believes in your brand and will drive the best results for its success. 

Someone who challenges you, not order takers

Marketing is their profession and chances are if your looking at them to be your marketing partner then they’re good at what they do. Trust them. Remember they are the experts and you’ve hired them because you can’t do it yourself. Don’t go in there and tell them exactly what to do, you should be leveraging their experience and expertise, finding out what they think will drive the best results for the business. If your marketing partner doesn’t challenge you and just does exactly what you want, chances are there not as smart as they’re saying they are and their not going to give you the ROI you’re after. Find someone who challenges you on your ideas and provides you with valuable ideas of their own in order to find the best strategy for the business. 

Someone who understands your goals 

A great marketing partner is someone who understands what your goals are beyond just your marketing goals. They should ask you in your first meeting what the goals are for your business as a whole, and then what your goals are within this marketing technique. To truly understand your goals they should have an intimate knowledge of your business and what drives you as the backbone of the business. If they understand your goals then everything they do should be working towards the big picture goals for your business. 

Someone who really knows how to strategise

Ask your potential marketing partner what their strategy is for achieving your goals. If their answer is the activities (facebook ads, PPC campaign, referral network etc) then they don’t know how to strategize. The strategy should come first, then the activities to put the strategy into action. One of the biggest mistakes that results in businesses not getting the ROI their after is the is the lack of strategy in their marketing. Without a strategy, you are throwing away your resources with no real game plan. Find a partner who values strategy, who discusses that with you before the actions. 

Someone who is creative and a risk taker 

Get what you’re paying for. A marketing partner should either come up with ideas you hadn’t even thought of or confirm the ones that you had in mind but weren’t too sure of how to execute on. These days everybody is marketing their business, you don’t want to blend in with everyone else. You want a marketing partner who will shake the market with their innovative ideas and who isn’t afraid to take risks. I know, risks are scary, but the saying no risk no reward is true. If you do what everyone else is doing, you’ll get what everyone else is getting, but if you do something no one else is doing you’ll attract the attention of your market and you become a disruptor.

Someone who treats your wallet like their own

No business wants to be throwing money left right and centre and the truth is you don’t need to. Find a marketing partner who treats your wallet like their own, and doesn’t waste your money on things that won’t generate a ROI. You want to be able to see value and results in everything you pay for. This again goes back to you not needing the best looking campaign in the world but rather one that generates results. Find a marketing partner who shares the same monetary values as you do and wants to get the best result at the best price.

Someone who has a genuine want for your success

Nobody wants to be just another file on their marketing partners desk, but the sad reality is a lot of businesses are and that’s what you want to avoid. The best marketing partner is someone who has a genuine want for your success. That person will be interested in how your business is going below the surface, they’ll never be too busy for your questions or worries and they will celebrate successes with you no matter how small.