Work With a San Diego Ad Agency That Knows Your Business

You’ve decided to take your business to the next level by hiring a professional ad agency, and your next task is to choose the right agency for you and your business needs. There are a lot of San Diego ad agencies out there to choose from, but don’t worry. You can find the best one by considering the important factors in determining which agency will work best for you.

At InnoVision, we have years of experience catering to clients. We also know how important it is for business owners and ad professionals to form a great relationship. How will you choose a marketing group that meets all of your unique needs? We’ve narrowed it down to just a few steps for you below:

1. Start Local

Anyone who has worked with an ad agency before knows that communication is key. That’s why you should look for an agency with an office in your area. Advertising firms come in all sizes—from tiny startups to multinational conglomerates. There are pros and cons, of course, to each size firm. Smaller firms may have a more personal touch while larger firms may have the staff size and bandwidth to take on larger-scale projects. In either case, you’ll want to choose a local partner.

Why go local? A local ad agency knows your market. You’ll want a web presence that speaks to your customer base, meaning that the keywords and references in your ad copy should be relevant to the people in your area. If you plan to sell your product locally, you’ll save time and money by hiring ad professionals who already know your market.

In a city like San Diego, you’ll probably want to seek out an ad agency that can address the Spanish-speaking community. In a place like Burlington Vermont, a multilingual agency might be a lesser priority.

A local agency will also know the competition. This is crucial when it comes to setting yourself apart. Knowledge of the demographics, the area, and similar businesses are all things that a local marketing agency can bring to the table.

There’s an additional benefit to working locally. An ad agency in your area will have preexisting relationships with vendors and contacts that they can leverage. Whether you’re teaming up with a complimentary business on social media or networking your way to a spot on the local news, an agency with local know-how will make your life easier.

2. Look for Similar Businesses

The best way to determine whether an agency can successfully sell a product like yours is that they’ve already successfully sold a product like yours. You should look through your prospective ad agency’s portfolio, as their previous work can tell you a lot.

There are a few telling things you can keep an eye out for as you look through an agency’s website. First, look at what they’ve created for different types of companies and products. You’re looking to see whether each company’s marketing materials look unique and tailored to the business they are promoting. In general, you wouldn’t want an ad agency to create marketing materials for a biotech company that looks exactly the same as the campaign they made for a local distillery. In other words, you’ll want to make sure that your prospective ad agency doesn’t sell a one-size-fits-all product.

Secondly, look at what the agency has done for other people in your industry. You’re not necessarily looking for a one-to-one comparison. If you want to sell engagement rings, you could look for a jewelry store in the company’s portfolio to see if you like the marketing materials they created for that shop.

Don’t forget to look at the big picture. That means you should also look for businesses that cater to your same demographics. Look, too, at businesses of a similar size that you could guess have a similar budget to yours. The idea is to get a sneak preview of how this ad agency might handle your business.

Ask yourself whether the materials look clean, inviting, and professional. Is the photography eye-catching? You could even dive deep into some of the websites in the agency’s portfolio. Are they user-friendly? All of this should give you a strong idea of whether your business and the agency you’re investigating will be a good fit.

3. Decide What’s Most Important

There are a few questions you should ask yourself before you meet with any ad professionals:

• Is direct experience in my field important to me?
• Do they have any projects in their portfolio that excite me?
• Do I want a team that thinks outside of the box? Or do I want a team that provides traditional solutions?
• How much input do I want to have? Would I prefer it if they took over the creative vision?
• Does it matter to me whether they have in-house experts in web design, graphic design, copywriting, and so forth? Or, am I okay with the agency outsourcing certain portions of my project?

If you’ve answered those questions and you’re satisfied with a company’s portfolio, it might be time to meet with the ad team.

There are also useful questions you can ask once you’ve set a meeting with your potential marketing group. Ask them:

• How successful have they been in marketing businesses like mine?
• What sort of reporting do they provide on the results of their work?
• How do they handle things if something goes wrong?
• Will the people you’re meeting with be the same people who work on your campaign?

If you’re prepared, you can make good use of your time and make your decision easier. Ask yourself if you’d look forward to meetings with this team. Did you feel heard? Did they answer your questions clearly? These are all important factors when beginning a relationship with a marketing team.

At InnoVision, we’re experts in creating partnerships with local businesses. If you’re in the San Diego area and you’d like to see our work or meet with us, you can find us online or contact us at any time.