by Liz Yee, Director of Marketing, Truth Tree
You did it!
You’ve determined that it’s time to outsource your digital marketing strategy, plus you’ve secured the buy-in and budget to work with a digital marketing firm. Congratulations!
Now it’s time to find the right agency to work with. It may feel daunting to know where to start, I know, I’ve been there. You’ll find many companies that offer digital marketing expertise, but how do you know if they are the right firm for your school’s specific needs and goals?
Don’t panic. We’ve got you covered with 18 questions you can use as you evaluate and interview marketing firms.
Don’t assume that every company can do the work you need. Take the time to identify your needs, do your research, and find the right support for your specific goals (and staffing) needs.
So here are 18 questions you should ask when interviewing a potential agency for your digital marketing needs.
- What specific services do you provide now and what services do you foresee providing in the future?
- How many schools have you worked with and what percentage of your clients are schools?
- How long is the onboarding process? If we started today, when would our campaigns launch?
- What information do you need from us and how much of the content will we need to create vs. you?
- Do you use our platforms or are the ads and reporting on your own platforms? Will we have direct access to see the ads and analytics?
- How will you get to know our school?
- How will you get to know our school and our marketing goals?
- Who will be working on our campaigns? How many people and who will be our primary point of contact?
- How do you define a successful digital marketing strategy?
- How much time per week or month do I need to dedicate to a potential partnership with your agency?
- How available will you have to be when we need to make an immediate pivot? What might be the turnaround time for that pivot?
- What’s included in each month with the contract?
- What metrics will you monitor and report back on?
- When will we see results? What will the results look like? What is your track record like for schools like ours?
- Why should we choose your firm?
- How much should we budget per month, on average, for our ads to be effective?
- Can I speak to 2-4 references including one that is similar to our school?
- How do you approach the ad-buy? Is it built into your fees or managed separately? And why?
Pro Tip: double-check that your expectations and the agency’s promises are realistic and in alignment.
Most schools don’t have the bandwidth to become digital marketing for schools experts and stay on top of digital trends so outsourcing your digital marketing is a great solution to extend the expertise of your staff and team. This will be an important partnership so do your homework!
If you are looking to partner with an agency, we’d be happy to talk. Email me at: liz@truthtreeconsulting.com
