What to Look for in a Quality Marketing Partner
Your marketing efforts are a critical component of your business’s success, and choosing the wrong marketing partner can lead to wasted time, money, and resources. From your first meeting with a potential partner, there are several factors you can identify to make sure they’re capable of delivering tangible results instead of empty promises. Below, we’ll explore what questions to ask prospective partners to help you make an informed decision toward your growth goals.
Do They Provide Transparent Monthly Reporting?
Accepting a marketing partnership is a great first step to building your business, but you’ll only know if it’s working if there’s clear data to back it up. Your marketing partner should be able to tell you exactly what your return on investment is at regular intervals. Monthly reporting should be able to answer the following questions:
- How many new patients converted as a result of each marketing tactic or channel?
- What is the average patient value and projected ROI for each marketing campaign?
- What is the cost per appointment for each dental marketing tactic and channel?
An effective marketing partner will have ample tools to provide comprehensive reporting between data dashboards, Google Analytics, and call and online tracking software. They should also readily share this information with you along with future performance projections. Not only will you confirm your investment is paying off, your marketing partner will have extra accountability for your success and the ability to make strategic adjustments to meet your business goals.
Will You Receive a Dedicated Account Manager?
When you commit to a marketing partner, you want to work with more than just a faceless agency. You should have your person, a direct line of contact to get answers and clarification when you need it. A quality marketing partner will provide you with a dedicated account manager from day one that’s accountable for your success. You’ll have a single contact who ensures your needs are met and concerns are addressed right away within their organization. This way, you’ll avoid searching for the right person to call for each task, and instead can focus on achieving your goals with a trusted partner.
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Do They Offer Flexible Contract Terms?
Signing on with a marketing partner is a commitment, but it shouldn’t tie you in for the long haul before you know you’ll see results. Flexible contract terms allow you to make changes without wasting resources on partners who don’t contribute to your business growth.
You may be offered anywhere from a monthly to multi-year contract depending on the agency. Month-to-month or trial contracts give you the chance to see an agency at work, from their communication and reporting styles to their presentation of your values and goals. If the fit isn’t right, you’ll be thankful for the freedom to walk away and pursue other options to reach your growth objectives.
Are They Aligned on Core Values?
Your brand and business are represented through your values. It is important to ensure that the agency you choose reflects your unique values and culture accurately. When interviewing agencies, inquire into their core values and how they communicate with customers. Ensure that they understand what you need from them in terms of customer service, communication, and presentation. Mutual understanding and value alignment support a healthy relationship in the service of improving your business performance.
Do They Create 100% Original Content?
When you sign on with a marketing partner, your content should be 100% original and curated to your brand. Templated websites and reused copy have a negative impact on web traffic and SEO. They can also damage the credibility of your practice for online viewers. Quality marketing partners will provide dedicated copywriters and web developers that understand your voice and business goals. They’ll create original content that targets your demographics for a stronger web presence and brand voice.
Are They WCAG and ADA Compliant?
Your practice may go through years of training and invest in specialty equipment to design an office that can accommodate all kinds of special needs and disabilities. There’s no reason your online presence shouldn’t reach the same standards.
A quality marketing partner will be aware of and trained on the latest WCAG and ADA compliance guidelines to make your practice accessible at every step of a patient’s experience. This means that your website, web forms, and any other digital content is designed to make it easy for people with disabilities to access information. Your partner should always follow the latest coding conventions, have a thorough understanding of best practices when it comes to testing tools and processes, and always check their work against accessibility standards and guidelines. By following these practices, you can ensure that your digital content is accessible to all patients, regardless of their abilities.
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Do They Understand Your Marketing Goals and Vision?
There isn’t a one-size-fits-all approach to effective marketing. A marketing partnership should always be a two-way conversation. Your partner should understand your goals and vision for your business, so they can provide you with tailored advice and campaigns that will help you achieve them. If it’s your first experience working with a marketing partner, defining a clear vision may be difficult. Effective partners will ask the right questions to create measurable goals and establish a plan to make them a reality.
Do They Provide Comprehensive Strategy Development?
A comprehensive marketing strategy employs several channels to reach your goals. Quality marketing partners are able to fit these pieces together in tandem to deliver measurable growth. More than simply single solutions, they’ll synthesize online and offline SEO, website performance, social media, Google Ads, and more for a plan that drives results with the data to back it up. Ensure potential marketing partners have the tools and data to make the most of omni-channel approaches when designing your growth strategy.
Do They Use SEO Best Practices?
Search engine optimization is a dynamic process to drive traffic to your website. It requires regular attention and maintenance to ensure your web pages are properly indexed and ranked in search engine results. Quality marketing partners will have their finger on the pulse of relevant keywords, latest changes to algorithms, and strategies to outrank competitors. They’ll offer regular transparent reports and frequently iterate and audit existing content to consistently increase performance.
Grow Your Business with Results-Driven Marketing Partners
Effective, results-driven marketing partners will deliver on all of these fronts to increase traffic, conversion, and revenue for your practice. You won’t be left with simply the feeling that your investment is paying off – or the ill feeling it might not be! – but with clear data on your ROI and growth. For more insight into partnering with a marketing agency, take advantage of a free strategic development consultation with Transcendental’s CEO, Nicole Toudouze. You’ll get the tools and guidance you need to launch or refine your marketing vision for tangible results.
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