Hopefully, the relationship you form with your content marketing agency will be a long and fruitful one. Like any relationship, though, this one is going to take some work if you really want it to succeed over the long haul. In particular, it’s going to require some communication—and we recommend that you begin that communication on day one.
In fact, we recommend that you start it even before you put pen to paper and sign a contract. During your initial consultation with the content marketing firm, be engaged enough to ask questions; use the answers you’re given to evaluate how well the firm might meet your needs, and how comfortable you will ultimately feel working with these people.
What questions should you be asking? We’ve got 10 questions that we love hearing from our own potential clients—ones that we feel establish a good foundation of mutual understanding.
- How long have you been doing this? Content marketing hasn’t exactly been around forever, and you’re not going to find a 100-year-old agency, but you still want to get a feel for the experience level you’re working with.
- What does your clientele look like? What kinds of businesses or verticals does the firm typically work with? Is it a firm that specializes in healthcare marketing, or in marketing for real estate professionals?
- How do you continue learning? The best content marketing companies will be dedicated to ongoing self-improvement. Ask about their standards of training and professional enrichment.
- What about reporting? How often will you receive updates on your campaign’s progress—and in what format?
- Who is my contact person? Learn the names of all the people you’ll be working with directly; get a feel for who you should address questions to; learn something of the chain of command.
- What will a successful campaign look like? What are the company’s standards for a job well done—and do they match up with your own?
- What about technology? What platforms and tools does the company use? Some of this may be proprietary, but hopefully the firm can fill you in on some basics.
- What will my involvement be? Will the firm expect you to approve blog topics and content? Find out about the level of commitment and oversight you’ll have.
- How often will we talk? Will members of your content marketing team be available when you need them?
- When will we review the campaign? At what point will you have a chance to evaluate progress and make course-corrections, if needed?
This article was syndicated from Business 2 Community: 10 Questions to Ask Your Content Marketing Firm
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