One of the things you may be thinking about when looking for the services of a marketing and communication marketing and communications agency is to know the size is to know the size and strength of the company. This is normal. When we look for a supplier, we not only want it to be capable, but also to have the size that allows it to meet the needs of our company. If it is also a large organization, we also want assurance. Assurance of what? The certainty that we have made the right choice, that we will receive what we have contracted (and more) and that the results will be optimal. But this is not always the case.
To be certain that we have made the right decision before the relationship between two companies in this sector begins is utopian. Let’s not forget that we are talking about the world of communication; in this field, we play with unpredictable factors:
- The media: as intermediaries and filters in the field of public relations, the criteria used by the press to inform the audiences that consume their information sometimes means that our messages are left out. They may ignore our point of view, evaluate it negatively and even tell us that their attention, in the format we would like, comes at a price. Call it branded content, for example. You can’t guarantee a number of media hits, nor should you work on success. If we talk about public relations, it is because the focus of the activity is on public relations.
- End audiences: we often seek to reinforce a position or generate a change in people with the messages we convey. In the case of social networkswe trust that disintermediation allows us to be more direct and authentic, except when we rely on third parties, such as influencers. But no one can guarantee that the reaction to our posts or our campaigns will be one and only one. Unexpected factors often intervene and alter the course of what is planned.
Still, we want certainty in our choice.
In search of security
We usually find it according to two criteria. The first is track record: whoever has done it before can do it again. Experience reduces uncertainty. The second is similarity: whoever works with someone who looks like me will be more likely to understand me and apply the same successful formulas with me. Moreover, if I choose someone who already has a consolidated position and things go wrong, no one will be able to tell me that I was wrong. A priori, it was a safe choice.
Often, therefore, we think about the security of our position and not the outcome. We want there to be no question of who we work with over what happens when we work with one agency or another.
In a sector like communication, experience is a degree because it gives us knowledge of the market and relationships. That is unquestionable. But just as important as this detail are the people we work with. Communication consultants, no matter what field of service they work in, must have skills that are often not only acquired through experience: empathy, curiosity, good manners… and creativity.
The key to a good agency
The ability to propose the development of an action in a way that has not been done before, or to propose to carry it out in the most reasonable and opportune way, always with sense according to a plan and objectives, should be fundamental to choose your agency. In a proposal we can intuit such creativity.
Price will probably also end up being decisive. We are all looking to stick to a budget and optimize the company’s expenses. This is only natural. But we’ll leave for another time to talk about the tenders that are called with the sole intention of squeezing the fee to the supplier that currently serves you.
If you ask me what is the definitive reason for choosing one agency over another, I would tell you that it is something that cannot be quantified. After exposing your needs, knowing the proposal and solving doubts, can you imagine working with that team, dialoguing with them, planning, discussing and celebrating? Then, that’s it.
Choosing the right agency should not be a simple question of size, turnover, ability to hold its own or the number of employees available. In fact, let’s be clear: no one has several idle consultants stuffed in a closet to provide immediate service. Making the right choice always involves a point of courage.
