How to choose the right content marketing partner?
Marketing has been constantly evolving. The constant changes in of consumer behavior, the stiff competition in every space, and the growth of digital marketing channels mean that traditional way or marketing is less effective now. Finding a right marketing partner who understands this is critical to the growth of your business.
Hiring the right content marketing partner is essential for the success of your content marketing strategy. The right agency will take your products and services to customers, bring in long-term engagement, increase sales and eventually give you an edge over competitors.
However, finding the right content marketing partner can be overwhelming. You can’t move forward in finding a suitable agency for you unless you have clarity on the following questions:
- What do you want to achieve with content marketing?
- Do you want to increase brand visibility, drive traffic or generate leads?
- What is your budget allocation for content marketing?
- What stage of business are you in, and how do you want content marketing to help you?
If this helps you bring a better picture to your mind, then the next step is to weigh the pros and cons of engaging with a firm. The key thing here is it is you are going to spend money. But as the saying goes, anything of worth doesn’t come cheap. So, the agency you partner with must be worth the investment because a long-term partnership provides many benefits like cost efficiency and mutual growth of the business. Here are a few things to consider while selecting a content marketing partner for your organization…
Quality
The blogs and articles they produce; speak about the quality of content they promise. You can go through their marketing content and spend time on their website to figure out if this is what is suitable for you. Plus, it will be an ice-breaker if you have already read the materials. Testimonials and customer reviews on the potential agency’s website will vouch for how they provide unique services and how they can market your product and services.
And if you are someone who caters to multiple services themes, look for an agency willing to swing by your creative pursuits. This first step will ensure that you are looking for good quality content and someone who doesn’t restrict yourself to only one writing field.
Long-term relationship
A long-term partnership speaks about commitment, honest work, and on-time deliverables for an agency. Finding a content marketing agency with a portfolio of long-term successful engagements is a positive signal for you.
Domain Expertise
Whether it is the content strategy or the actual content itself, your marketing partner must have a decent understanding and experience in your core business domain. Without adequate knowledge of the domain you are in, your content partner will not be able to provide you good quality, original content.
Result oriented
An effective content market strategy requires time, patience and consistent effort. A big red flag in a content marketing agency is when they promise success overnight or within a month. If an agency overstates results, it indicates inadequate knowledge and potential risk of not meeting commitments.
The right agency will deliver results if they don’t boast about their success in high pitch and don’t rush you through your decision. Hire an agent who is confident and has a history of delivering results.
Pricing strategy
Pricing strategy has always been a heavily debated topic in any industry. When paying for good content, it is essential to remember to know the “why” behind the quotation. Make sure your partner is ready to offer services that are tailor-made to your need, even if it means you having to spend additional time upfront.
The pricing is decided based on the level of how in-depth the subject matter should be, content support you want, and whether it has to be B2B or B2C content. There isn’t a particular guideline to follow. However, you must do homework before zeroing down on a potential firm.
Why Neekan?
We believe in and practice Agile approach to content in the true spirit. We spend considerable time interacting and engaging with our customers and their key stakeholders before even getting started. This gives us a clear understanding of who our client is and what is it that they actually need.
Although there is a monetary component involved in all business engagements, we focus on delivering value and customer delight rather than being too fussy with the nitty gritty of the contract. We also understand that your business is in a constant flux and we are always prepared to accommodate changes as long as its value adding to your business.
We have been collaborating with customers across various domains spread across geographies, in arriving at a long term content strategy, and creating, distributing necessary content, thereby accelerating business growth. Let our words speak for themselves, have a look here at some of our sample work.
Excited to get started?! Contact us so we can help you through the right strategy and execution.