7 questions to ask before you sign.
- Who owns the assets?
- What do I get each month?
- How are results tracked?
- What work is expected from me?
- What happens if you cancel?
- What results have you gotten?
- What won’t they promise?
Search Engine Journal summarized it in 2020: interview your marketing company, look at past work and results, and ask for an audit of your company and with a list of fixes.
What should I know ahead of time?
Gauge if hiring a marketing company is worth it for you or not, by preparing this ahead of time:
- What is a new customer worth to you? This is the total lifetime value. Throughout a year, how much revenue will the right customer bring you?
- Where do new customers come from now: referrals, search, social, ads, signs, repeat work.
Then you will know better how much you can spend to attract new customers each month.
1. Who owns the assets?
You should. Your profiles, ad accounts, website, domain and deliverables belong in your name, with the ability to access the files at any time.
- Good answer: “They’re yours. We’re added as a user.”
- Red flag: they keep the logins, or your site lives on their account.
2. What do I get each month?
Ask for a list: how many posts, pages, updates and reports, and when.
- Good answer: a written list with dates.
- Red flag: “We’ll let you know”
3. How are results tracked?
Count increased traffic, calls, form fills form fills not just clicks or impressions.
- Good answer: calls and forms, tracked by where they came from.
- Red flag: a report of impressions and watch time.
4. What work is expected from me?
Ask how much time is required each week and what you need to do.
- Good answer: 30-40 minutes per week capturing content and uploading it.
- Red flag: well, it depends…
5. What happens if I cancel?
Is there a contract, notice of cancellation or penalties?
- Good answer: no contracts and you can cancel at anytime.
- Red flag: a required 6-12 month contract, penalties for canceling.
6. What results have you gotten?
Ask about previous results from other projects or clients. If your marketing company cannot demonstrate competency, they might be a risk.
- Good answer: We created content for social and Google Business every week. the result was it increased incoming calls from 3 per month to 2 per week in 5 months.
- Red flag: We got 10,000 more reel views. Results take more time.
7. What won’t you promise?
No one can promise things that platforms and marketing channels don’t provide. Mentioned first by AI, first spot on Google, 100k views, 3 new leads a week. all results are byproducts of getting your marketing message in front the right people.
- Good answer: We will work on your marketing message and create content your buyers will most likely want to see. We can’t guarantee immediate results, but will look at the data and keep improving until the right people get ahold of you consistently
- Red flag: We will make sure every Ai mentions you. We will make sure people DM you on social.
How does R7 answer?
- You own the site, the assets, the deliverables, and your profiles.
- All services are month to month. The exception is an optional 12 month payment plan for a website. If you leave early, only the unpaid balance is due.
- We promise the work and the cadence, not a number of calls or emails. The platforms don’t promise exposure either.
- We know our marketing plans work and have gotten results for many companies across several industries.
See how it works and pricing.
FAQ
How much should a marketing company cost?
It depends on the work. A website build, monthly content and ads each cost different amounts. Ask for each piece to be priced on its own.
Should I hire a company near me?
While someone local can know your market, and you can meet them in person, what matters more is how they answer your questions.
How long before I see results?
Ask the company what it expects and how it inspects growth. Marketing results take time. 1-3 months if you have a good foundation. 3-6 months if you don’t.