How Not To Get Burned Hiring the Wrong Marketing AgencyA Guide to Avoiding the Wrong Marketing Agency: Avoiding the Pitfalls
Finding the most suitable B2B marketing agency for your business can be an overwhelming task. The industry is extremely competitive, and finding the right advertising and digital marketing agency can be a daunting process. A large number of websites, profiles, and content are available, so how do you decide which one is right for you? Searching for an agency can quickly spiral out of control when you factor in how long it takes to schedule a phone call or meeting.
As B2B Digital Marketers, how can you protect yourself from hiring an ineffective marketing agency? Efforts are being made to prevent these mistakes. What are the steps and solutions taken to address them?
In this episode, John Bertino will discuss methods to avoid being burned in the process of hiring the wrong marketing agency.
John’s professional background stems from a decade in the agency space where he consulted with clients on SEO and inbound marketing campaigns. During that time, John watched salespeople and marketing agencies fight to one-up each other and impress prospective clients with industry jargon, flashy proposals, and agency bluster. They didn’t have the clients’ best interests at heart.
John knew there had to be a better way. Enter TAG: the world’s first marketing consultancy with a 100% focus on providing brands unbiased advice and vetted agency recommendations.
These days, John consults with brands on all areas of marketing with a primary concentration in SEO, content marketing, and digital PR. He also teaches at Drexel University, the University of San Diego and mentors entrepreneurs through the non-profit SCORE. In his free time, John loves to organize large community events through his group the SoCal Marketing Club, one of the west coast’s largest digital marketing clubs.
Podcast Timestamps/Outline
1:20 – Introduction
2:15 – About John Bertino
3:35 – Match making brands in different agencies
4:30 – Unskilled and unaware
5:05 – Things to see in agencies seeking to solve their problems
13:37 – Culture/Fit piece
16:23 – Being coachable
19:13 – Origin story of the organization
23:01- Expectations and typical timeline to find the right marketing agency
25:28 – Appetite for organizations
31:17 – Preventing an organization for waiting too late
33:16 – Humility is the key to the whole process
34:10 – Connect with John Bertino
Memorable Quotes
“When we don’t understand something, we can’t evaluate it very well.”
“Agencies have the natural tendency to recommend that you solve your marketing challenges with what it is that they do best.”
“All marketing channels have their merits, their pros, and cons.”
“Objectivity is part of our secret sauce.”
“You date before the long-term commitment.”
“The companies who are getting it right are the ones who are going to thrive in the long run.”
“The culture and fabric and personality of an agency often flows or stems directly from the owner.”
“A fish rots from the head down.”
“One of the things that I value is when a client says back to me, I trust you.”
“Allow yourself to be coachable.”
“The agency, for this to work, they need to be really bought in”
“Planning ahead is the key.”
Episode Links and Resources
John’s email: [email protected]
John’s website: https://www.theagencyguide.com/
Digital activity ROI assessment: https://b2bdm.com/digital-activity-roi/
More episodes related to not getting burned hiring the wrong marketing agency: https://b2bdm.com/growth-marketing
