Key Steps to Switching Inbound Marketing Agencies

Switching inbound marketing agencies can be nerve wracking.

Did you provide your new agency with everything they need to get started? Is your agreement inline with your marketing and business goals? Does your new agency even know what your goals are?

Those are all really good questions you might be asking yourself right before you make the switch. Every company wants to make the process similar and more cohesive.

Here are three steps we've discovered that will help streamline the process of switching inbound marketing agencies.

3 Steps to Switching Inbound Marketing Agencies

1. Collect All Your Assets

Upon leaving your current marketing agency you will need to collect all of your assets. You don’t want your new agency to start from scratch.

Not only do you want to collect any workable files, especially any design work that has been completed, but also any assets such as old brochures, recorded videos, pictures, case studies, customer testimonials, slideshows, whitepapers, software demos, trials, coupons and discounts, etc.

All of your assets can be repurposed and implemented into your new inbound marketing campaign.

2. Define Your Goals and Clearly Identify to Your New Agency Your Expectations

Is your agency spending enough time on strategic planning and campaign development?  Chances are if you’ve made it this far, they’re not.

If your marketing agency does not take the time during your goal setting session to help identify SMART goals, your agency cannot maximize the results of your campaign without a roadmap to develop key tools necessary to put your plan into action.

During the goal setting session, your agency should identify your available bandwidth. Are there people within your company that will create content? Who is your technical contact as well as central point of contact? After identifying your goals, your agency will also establish a good baseline for setting up those goals and benchmarks as well as setting expectations.

3. Signing an Agreement

A great inbound marketing agency will have dedicated time to a phone call, allowing both you and your agency to go through the agreement step-by-step and to ensure there are no surprises. It is important that your agreement be flexible, allowing you to make any changes (to include anything you need and to remove any elements that are unnecessary).

The purpose of the agreement is to set clear expectations in terms of responsibilities, roles and metrics for success. After signing the agreement there should be “no surprises.”

Your agreement should include a detailed outline of deliverables, a timeline for execution and the dollar amount (how much should you be paying each month), as well as who will be working on your account and who is responsible for providing various elements.

During the phone call, your agency should not breeze through the terms and conditions. A great marketing agency that’s interested in your needs and achieving your goals will use screen share, going line by line through the document ensuring that it includes inbound marketing tactics that will generate leads, meet your benchmarks and achieve your goals.

Still not sure if you should switch marketing agencies?

For more answers on whether you should keep your current marketing agency or switch to an inbound marketing agency, check out our newest Ebook.  You’ll find all of the answers that you’re looking for!