Work With the Best: Vetting Marketing Consulting Firms in California

Whether you’re a small business owner or part of a larger organization, choosing the best marketing consulting firms in California takes some legwork. With hundreds of firms to choose from, you will have to put some time into finding the right one.

The good news is you can take a few steps to narrow down your options and work with the best. When you choose a creative and passionate firm, you’ll feel confident in your choice. You’ll connect with a team of experts committed to making magic happen for your business.

Let’s jump into seven tips for the vetting process.

Be Curious: Look Inside Your Business

1. Identify Your Business Goals

Vetting an outside marketing firm starts with getting clear on your own business goals. Do you want to drive more sales? Do you want to win new customers for a special product? Do you want to increase your social media presence with brilliant videos?

With clearly defined business goals, you can align expectations. By starting with the end in mind, you set the coordinates for success. This may be one simple project or it may evolve into a long-term relationship.

2. Define Budget, Time, and Scope

In managing projects, there are three elements to keep in mind: time, budget, and scope. At this point, it may seem like you’re doing all the work, but hang in there. It will pay off.

Define the scope of your project. What makes sense for your business? Are you looking for a set number of customers to walk in the door of a brick-and-mortar location? Are you seeking to boost your reputation as an industry authority? Are you looking to increase shares for your posts?

Now you are in a good position to ask for proposals. This is called an RFP, or request for proposals.

You can invite different marketing consulting firms to submit their proposals, and asking for proposals makes it easier to do a side-by-side comparison. You’ll be able to compare bids from a diverse group of California marketing consulting firms.

Be Vigilant: Verify Experience and Reputation

3. Dive Deeper Into Their Experience

The great thing about comparing proposals is that you’ll learn a lot about the companies. Identify the top three to five vendors that stand out of the crowd. Then, to be efficient, narrow it down to no more than three as quickly as possible.

Look at each firm’s clients. At InnoVision, you can browse our clients right from our website, including Palomar Health, Valley View Casino & Hotel, and Acura to get a sense of the scope of our work.

Check references of the top vendors. Take a pulse from previous clients to learn about their real-world experiences. Consider the results and think about what similar wins could mean for your business.

4. Listen To Your Intuition

Check in with your gut experience so far. Have the interactions with the marketing firms demonstrated their culture as creative and passionate? Are you feeling confident any are the best firm to hire?

Explore how you are feeling when you interact with the company. Are you smiling when you get an email? Do you feel happy when you get a phone call? Are you looking forward to meeting in person? Do you feel your questions are answered and your priorities respected? When you talk to peers, are you enthusiastically sharing stories of positive experiences? Do you like the agency’s creativity, passion, and go-for-it attitude?

Listen to your intuition. Are you trusting that these are experienced creatives with impeccable work ethics?

Here at InnoVision, we believe in being anti-agency because we believe in extraordinary service—and exceeding our potential. Our single goal is to give our clients the ultimate level of value.

Be Real: Examine Communication, Culture, and Values

5. Speak With Your Project Team

At this point, you may have narrowed down your search to one contender. If so, meet with the project leader and team members. Get a sense of their communication style, strengths, and skills. Clear communication skills are key to success.

What is your impression about working with the team leader and project team? While the agency may sound perfect, your success depends on communication with these individuals. If you have any hesitations, talk it through with the principal of the marketing agency.

Find out if an individual or team is more experienced in your area of expertise. If you don’t feel thrilled, expand your search. Talk to other teams in the agency and don’t stop until you find what you are looking for.

6. Manage Expectations

Expectations are a funny thing. They need to be spelled out, defined, and agreed on. Even when you think everyone understands, be precise and dive into the nitty-gritty.

Define the consulting process that works for everyone involved. Agree on how often you’ll meet, such as a weekly meeting during the initial trial period. Agree on the process for approvals.

Decide in advance who needs to see what and who has signing authority. These kinds of things may seem mundane, but once you get started on a project, you’ll enjoy working together more easily when you have clear agreements and an understanding of the process.

7. Look for Values

Take your search further. Go beyond the obvious and look at culture, work products, communication styles, and local knowledge. These are vitally important, but there’s something that will make all the difference. Values.

What values resonate as you interview marketing consulting firms in California? Naturally, you’re looking for talent, expertise, and on-point marketing insights to win a competitive edge. At the same time, you’re seeking a positive experience that is rooted in human values.

As you are vetting, let values guide you. Look for people who show their values. Find people who have that unique balance between professional skill and down-to-earth humanity.

Choose the Best Marketing Consulting Firm in California

The team at InnoVision is here to help you. Let’s talk about making magic happen for your business.