Looking for the right marketing agency for your B2B company? Learn here how to distinguish between a nice agency and a suitable one.

1. Which criteria should Your B2B marketing agency meet?

Finding the right agency takes more than a glance at the website or a few fancy slides during the presentation. Pitches in which you have several agencies present ideas are particularly treacherous. This often only brings a lot of work and little insight on all sides. Because it is something completely different to shine in a spurt than to get better and better together on the basis of a sound foundation. But how do you find out if the basis is right? Here are 4 criteria you should consider in your search for the right agency:

2. Specialisation

The full-service B2B and B2C agency next door may have already created a great website for the bakery on the corner, but the complexity of modern B2B marketing requires more than good will and a nice graphic designer. It's your business and you can't afford any mistakes.

So turn to those service providers who specialise in the areas in which you are at home.

Sure: you will always be the expert in your technical field and the marketing agency you choose will never gain your expertise. However, it is beneficial to choose an agency that has a good understanding of your industry, customers and buyers. Then they will be able to advise you in the best possible way.

3. Consultation

Look for companies with the ability to question your tasks and goals. There are agencies that do what you want - and there are agencies that tell you what you want. You will find the former in abundance, often at cheap prices. The latter are harder to find and usually have higher prices. Which is because they think deeper into your matter and offer solutions that are often better than what you had actually briefed. Often clients are trapped in their own frame of reference and can benefit from different perspectives to make the work more efficient and effective. The key is to ask "why" and not just "how".

4. References

To get a good idea of how a B2B marketing consultancy works, look closely at the cases or case studies on their website. If you want to find out whether or not an agency has experience with similar companies, the case studies will almost always have the answer you are looking for.

5. Transparency

No two agencies will work in the same way. But the processes they use will have some similarities. Therefore, you should make sure that you understand the way the agency works with its clients. Roughly speaking, a process should be divided into the following phases:

  1. Understand: The agency should want to provide your company, your products, customers and competitors.
  2. Laying the foundations: Based on the understanding, the agency should be able to work out a complete communication concept that works in all media and lasts for years.
  3. Implement: Based on the communication concept, the agency has to launch B2B campaigns, set up, track and manage projects to achieve all objectives all the time.
  4. Optimise: Last but not least, it is about constantly questioning, testing, adjusting and optimising the measures taken in order to maximise impact and ROI.

6. Conclusion: Take yourself time, a long-term partner to find

Agencies are many, agencies that fit you are not. Take your time to choose and look for a partner who really understands you - and whom you really understand. This is the only way to make a pair of shoes that will last.

Stefan Weder

Together with my team, I structure innovation and communication-relevant knowledge for B2B companies and use it to develop target group-focused business models and productions. In doing so, we enter new territory every day. We share what we discover and experience there in our blog - and are curious what you tell us.

b2b