Leaning too heavily on freelancers will likely mobile no database lead to a large talent pool, and all of those relationships have to be managed individually. On top of that, coordinating workflows can be a big challenge with numerous siloed freelancers, which can create bottlenecks for your growth marketing efforts.
Freelancers may help you plug gaps in the early stages of your marketing. But as your business scales, it will probably be more efficient to use a growth marketing agency and allow them to source and manage any freelancers you might need.
Choosing a growth marketing agency
As growth marketing has grown in prominence, the number of agencies has skyrocketed. Given that most agencies offer similar services — and make similar claims — it can feel like rolling the dice when you hire one.
The reality is there are a few basic requirements that will help you filter out 90% of prospective partners. Any growth marketing agency worth hiring will have:
Proven expertise in growth marketing
Ask them: Do you have a proven track record of measurable success working with other brands? Can you showcase the quality work you’ve produced? What makes a great growth marketing strategy?
A large enough talent network
Ask them: Can your team scale as our brand grows? How do you handle excess demand? How responsive are you?
Industry-specific expertise
Ask them: How much experience do you have in our market? How well do you understand the challenges our buyers face? Can you show us evidence of previous success in our industry?
A set of values that match yours
Ask them: How do you define a successful client relationship? What are your priorities when working with a brand?
The best growth marketing agencies will have strong, authoritative answers to all of these questions. But that begs the question: Once you’ve hired a growth marketing agency, how do you ensure the collaboration runs smoothly?
3 Key Factors For a Positive Growth Marketing Agency Relationship
1. Efficient Onboarding
The first few weeks of working with an agency may be the most crucial. It’s during this period you establish the tone and cadence of communication, the baseline expectations of your engagement, and the level of involvement your team will have in the marketing process.
Invest more time and effort during these weeks to ensure your agency has a detailed understanding of your products or services and buyers. This could range from a simple platform walkthrough to a full factory visit.
Also, ensure the agency spends a lot of time early on getting to grips with your existing data and tech stack. Their efforts will be defined by the quality of data and their ability to leverage it. They might have to totally revamp your system; they might simply integrate or migrate it to a new CRM.
