- How long have you been in business? Do you have any experiences in my industry? Ask about their previous clients.
Some marketing agencies were born online while others tried to adjust their traditional service offerings to meet the new demands of ecommerce. Some marketing agencies focus on large clients, while others focus on small and medium-sized businesses. Some agencies really focus on sales and revenue growth while many others hide behind unclear brand engagement and awareness metrics.
And actually until now, not many fashion marketing agencies are available. It might be difficult to find an experienced one but you still need to ask who their previous clients were.
You might be amazed at the agency’s portfolio and the work they have done, but have they ever helped companies in your industry? Or do they have experience working in various sectors / industries and can adequately explain how they run marketing campaigns for you.
The best fashion marketing agency is a strategic partner. Their definition of marketing is expansive and inclusive, giving them the ability to think about and deal with your business problems beyond generating leads and changing customers.
Each shipment must relate to your company’s destination. Each action item must underline your vision.
You need someone who understands your target audience or is willing and able to learn it. Someone who has or will be committed to researching your industry and providing marketing strategies that stand the test of time.
- How do you manage client communication and collaboration?
As a client, you want the hours of your budgeted agency going into real work, not project management and administration, although you must anticipate that around 10% of your budget will be needed for project management.
Agencies who have implemented appropriate platforms and processes to manage client communication, collaboration, project management, reporting and time wastage are far less able to manage client relationships and business operations and spend more time completing work.
The level of sophistication shown by an agency in these fields is often an indication of their level of experience in dealing with clients with your size and requirements. Make sure that you understand and feel confident in the agency process to set a schedule, carry out work, gather feedback, measure results and optimize on-going.
- What is your price?
This is an important question that can end all other questions. Some of you might have a tight budget.
You know the fashion marketing agency will be an amazing spark plug for your strategy, but you don’t want to jeopardize your cash flow. That’s understandable!
As soon as the fashion marketing agency lists all the recommendations and strategies that they think will be applied to you, it is as easy as asking, “what do you think it will cost for that?”
Clarity or doubt in their answers will give you a peek behind the curtain as to what their customer service will be. Are they honest, transparent and open, or are they wordy and have something to hide?