In today’s multi-channel marketing world, brands looking to speak and engage with their customers must adopt increasingly complex strategies that take into consideration everything from magazines to mobile to social media. The rise in e-commerce in Australia and around the world means that the days when brands partnered with a single advertising company to deliver a campaign, are gone.
Branding, email marketing, performance marketing, design, video advertising, and web analytics are all growing more important to reaching and engaging customers. In order to execute a successful marketing campaign, businesses need to call on the expertise of multiple partners to help them navigate this increasingly complex online space.
But when you’re a marketer faced with countless options, how do you choose the right partner to help you achieve your objectives? Not a choice to be taken lightly, the following questions can help you decide who you should and shouldn’t choose to work with.
What does success look like?
Before you even begin researching and comparing different players in the space, have a good think about your specific objectives. What do you want this partner to help you achieve and what would success look like for this relationship? While some companies may be focussed on raising their brand awareness amongst consumers, others will be focussed on achieving the greatest ROI.
These objectives aren’t necessarily fixed, and can change over time. Competing companies will throw some exciting and creative ideas your way, but don’t let language or fancy designs distract you from your original goals. Knowing exactly what you need from a partner will make it easier to ignore irrelevant details so you can make the most informed decision.
Are they experts in the field?
No single company is an expert in everything and beware of those who claim to be. Don’t be afraid to work with multiple partners but be smart about it. Each company you choose to work with should be an expert in their field so that they can collectively work together to deliver you the best results to achieve the objectives of your campaign.
Some of the bigger names out there may provide a wide range of services, but you should think about the players with the best research, resources and reputation in their particular focus area.
Who do they work with?
Next it’s important to find out what sort of companies they regularly work with. Do they typically work with top commerce players or are middle-range businesses their area of expertise? Too many businesses just rely on the website to tell them about other clients, but it’s important to ask the question upfront.
Ask for clear and measurable examples where the provider has delivered strong results, in particular for brands that face similar challenges to your own and who are at a similar stage or size. You want to work with someone who can set realistic and measurable goals and who has a proven track record.
Can they grow with you?
What you need from a tech partner today might be different from what you need in the next six, twelve or eighteen months. You may be Australian based, but aspire to have a global reach, and you need to consider whether your partners can scale with you as you grow.
What roadblocks will you face and how adaptable are they to your changing situation? For this reason you should also ask for details on lock in periods so you know what and for how long you are committing. Whether they have the resources and capacity to grow with you, is something best discovered sooner than later.
Are they a cultural fit?
Someone’s ability to fit within the culture of your company is an obvious consideration when hiring internally, but it’s also worth considering when taking on an external partner. You don’t need to be best mates, but working with a company that has a similar work ethic and culture to you can be very rewarding and make processes more efficient. The best results are achieved when your chosen tech partner operates as an extension of your team and can work comfortably with you.
Still not sure? Ask. If you don’t feel like you have enough information to make a confident choice, be upfront and tell the partner that you are considering their competitors. Ask them to explain exactly what sets them apart from the rest or even to complete A/B testing against the other company in a trial.
When making the tough calls on who to work with, always relate back to how they can help you to achieve your defined objectives in a way that makes your life easier rather than more challenging. Ensure they have the capacity to give you the attention you need, the flexibility to work with your existing processes, and the potential to grow with you as your business thrives.
Jeremy Crooks is the Managing Director of performance marketing technology company Criteo