Making the right choice among Marketing Agencies

You’re thrown with an upcoming project from your boss to promote the latest products. You need to craft a marketing campaign, but you’re unsure how. In goes “ marketing agencies in Singapore ” on Google search, only left to be daunted by the large amount of choices available online. Who would you choose? Many of us tend to wonder…….how much help can a marketing agency actually contribute? Well, it does provide compelling results if you choose the right agency to do the job. Here’s how:

Choosing Marketing Agencies in Singapore

1. Identify your needs

Identify the purpose of your marketing campaign/product. Question yourself:

• Who are my target audiences? ……. Why them?
• What do I want them to know about us? (Brand history, product/service info etc)
• Why am I advertising this product/service?
• What is the impression I want to leave on the target audience?
• What do I need to achieve by the end of the campaign? (Targeted reach, engagement rates, sales growth etc)

It’s just like shopping for apparels, electronics, or anything else, where you already have a gauge of your preferences such as colour, functions, designs and so on. Understand your needs and wants before approaching any agencies to prevent a wild goose chase!

2. What do they offer?

Would you visit Uniqlo to look for prom dresses? Precisely. After understanding your needs, identify if the agencies can cater to them. There a few types of marketing agencies available in Singapore, ranging from full service marketing (basically outsourcing an entire marketing department), advertising (print media, commercials etc), PR (protects and enhance the company’s reputation), digital (advertising through online channels such as search engines, social media etc), and more. Once you are clear of your direction headed, you can approach the right places that offers exactly what you need.

3. Unleash the stalker in you

“99% success rate! We can guarantee a rewarding campaign for your business if you leave it in our good hands.”

Sounds too good to be true? Witness for yourself if they really have what it takes to deliver the results claimed. Make Google your best friend. Run through their websites, social media pages (Facebook, Instagram etc) to get a clear view of their existing portfolio. Look at the list of events/campaigns they’ve executed, read their online reviews, find out about their reputation in the industry. Some may proclaim to generate wonders, when in actual fact they are thrown with negative comments and experiences from victims who fell right into their trap. Get your stalker mode on, don’t be the next victim!

4. Request for a proposal/pitch

Do not limit yourself to just one choice! Keep your eyes open, shortlist at least 2 suitable agencies and request for a proposal from their end. Access their value of content and creativity, determine whose idea you are more inclined and convinced towards. Don’t forget to provide a clear brief of what you would like to see in the proposal so they would not steer in the wrong direction. Agencies are not mind readers, so do not expect them to provide a comprehensive proposal without a setting a proper angle for them to work on.

5. Cheap deals! Believe it, or not?

Well, it is usual to be constrained with low budgets, but try not to settle with the lowest quote straight away. You might be thinking you scored a goal for sealing a cheap deal, truth is there might be ‘optional’ costs which are actually vital to the campaign itself and its importance will only be brought up nearing the execution period, or worse, during/after. However, the most expensive quote does not mean it’s the best too! Choose an agency that is sincere about contributing to your business’ improvement, not strategizing on how to sweep your funds right into their accounts. An agency with moral conscience focuses on helping your business with value-for-money options after analyzing your needs, instead of proposing a whole list of choices that exceeds way out of your budget.

At the end of the day, choosing a marketing agency in Singapore is almost equivalent to picking out groceries at the supermarket. Pick out sour apples and you can bid goodbye to sweet ol’ apple crumble. Similarly, pick the wrong marketing agency for the job and off goes a successful campaign. Choose wisely!