We May Not Be Your Best-Fit Marketing Firm

We may not be the best marketing firm for you.

Not expecting that statement from a CEO who seeks to continue to service clients and grow her firm, were you?

Like all companies we seek to grow our revenue, but we won’t do it at the expense of taking on any/all clients or projects that may not be a right fit for them – or us. We keep that in mind each time we talk with a potential long-term or project-based client.

We’re not afraid to be honest in our feedback and provide straight talk when discussions are necessary. After all, we expect nothing less from experts in any industry. For example, do you want your doctor to tell you that your health is fine when in reality you have some critical issues you need to address? Would you be fine with the FAA sharing that the plane you are about to board is safe to fly when there have been recent challenges with it?

Chartwell’s core values are to connect brands to their audiences and help clients meet their business needs by providing concierge-level service that delivers highly strategic, compelling integrated communications.

What should you consider when choosing a marketing agency? Here are some thoughts:

• It’s About You.When you meet with an agency, are they spending more time listening to you rather than talking about themselves? Are they asking questions and gaining insight about your organization or talking about their services? Are they concerned about your outcomes or focused on marketing tactics?

Whether you are the CEO or the marketing director, your insight is critical, and you must be heard and your ideas/needs met with expert and critical feedback. While it’s always great to be validated by a marketing agency, it’s even more important to have a partner who spends time listening to you and providing honest, but kind, feedback.

• It’s About Results. No one invests in marketing initiatives without goals and outcomes tied to them. In my 25+ years in marketing, never once has a client wanted an updated website just to have a “prettier” representation of themselves. Instead, they may want an enhanced brand and improved SEO resulting in more revenue. 

Make sure your marketing partner is asking you about your business goals and outlining both a strategy and accompanying tactics to meet those needs.

• Culture Counts. As important as culture is within your organization, so too is the culture climate with your business partners. When working with a marketing partner, you want to feel comfortable in sharing, collaborating – and in totality, enjoying the relationship.

Never forget, you are the expert in your business. Your marketing partner is there to ensure they are providing crucial feedback, direction and implementation to enhance that expertise. Negative approaches or challenges to your position should never be accepted and you should expect a better-fit partnership.

• Yes, It’s About Budget (But Not the Way You Think). You have a marketing budget you need to adhere to as you invest in your marketing efforts. Your marketing partner needs to respect that. However, take into consideration not just the cost of a marketing firm’s outlined budget, but rather the items previously discussed including truly listening, addressing business needs, identifying outcomes and matching cultures. If those issues are not met, the cost – both in real dollars and in your time/energy – will be extremely more than you expect, need or want.

At the end of the day, any relationship should truly be seen as a partnership – only then, together, can you make a significant impact in your marketing efforts. At Chartwell Agency, we’d welcome the opportunity to partner with you.