Marketing is, according to most business experts, perhaps the most important area of your business. If you don't have time to do it effectively, then you might want to look around for a good marketing firm. The question is, how do you go about choosing one?
The answer is that it depends upon what you're looking to accomplish. If you have areas that are being handled (public relations, advertising-print, radio, etc) and are looking to fill some gaps such as direct mail, etc., then there are marketing consultants that just focus on that area. There are marketing specialists that also focus solely on areas such as email, search engine optimization and others.
Or, if you need a complete retooling and are looking for a marketing firm that can implement all the marketing methodologies, then I suggest you work with a "generalist". Generalists generally are more hands-off in terms of the actual creative work and use vendors that they have relationships with to get the work done. As with a lot of professions, it's difficult to find one that does everything well, but they're out there. If you find one, then I suggest that you investigate how effective they've been (references with numbers) as well as their experience and education.
I've found that generalists charge for their services in one of three ways--by the hour, fixed per month, and based on results. The most favorable for a company is pay based on results, but it may be a little challenging finding the right basis that both you and the consultant can agree upon.
I've found that the best relationship and the best results working with this type of marketing consultant is by working closely with them in a collaborative way, much as you would if you had a marketing director under you. You want to be involved in the decision-making and the creative process at all times.
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This post provided by Scott Campbell, President of Impact Marketing, Inc., an Atlanta marketing firm.
