In today’s digital age, the prospect of collaborating with a marketing agency can be both exciting and daunting. With a multitude of options at your fingertips, how do you sift through the noise to identify the correct agency for you?
Finding the perfect healthcare marketing agency can seem like searching for a needle in a haystack, especially when faced with an overwhelming number of agencies all promising the moon and stars.
In this article, we’ll provide an informative overview of the marketing landscape. Our goal is to highlight key considerations and industry benchmarks to help you make informed decisions. Ultimately, the most suitable agency for your needs will align with your business’s current stage and the specific projects you have in mind.
It’s important to do your research because even if an agency looks impressive, it may not end up being the right team to realise your goals. And yes, we encourage you to hold us to these very standards!
We’ll delve into the essentials, highlight potential red flags, and equip you with the knowledge to determine if a particular agency aligns with your medical device marketing goals.
Essentials to know about an agency before teaming up
Choosing a marketing agency is no small feat for any enterprise. Before taking the plunge, it’s wise to arm yourself with insights about the agency’s facets.
We’ve summarised the top three essential insights you should have about an agency to ensure they align with your aspirations and can help you to achieve them.
Area of specialism
The marketing landscape is expansive and diverse, encompassing agencies with distinct areas of expertise. While some carve niches in specific marketing pursuits, others pride themselves on their industry-centric approach.
When it comes to medical devices and healthcare, selecting an agency that specialises in your industry can be beneficial. They’re already well-versed in the intricacies of the market and its specific regulations, saving you valuable time and effort. However, it’s worth noting that their expertise often comes at a higher cost which may not be suited to your budget.
Conversely, opting for a non-industry-specific agency may require more of your involvement as they may lack in-depth industry knowledge. However, if your projects don’t require healthcare expertise, this may be a more cost-effective route.
Moreover, it’s vital to check out the agency’s areas of specialisation in terms of marketing activities. Not all agencies are masters across the whole marketing spectrum. They might be experts in certain campaigns, such as social media, but they lack experience in the areas you’re looking to invest in.
It’s crucial to align your needs with their specialist strengths to achieve the success you’re after. Don’t take for granted that a marketing agency will inherently meet your needs. Engage them with a barrage of questions from the outset; the more you probe, the more confident you’ll be in partnering with the right agency.
If you want to learn more about how specialist agencies work, you can read our guide on why agencies vary so much in cost.
Capacity
When considering a partnership with a marketing agency, one of the foundational aspects to explore is their capacity. It’s essential to ensure that they have the bandwidth to manage your projects effectively and deliver quality results.
If an agency is operating near its capacity limits, there’s a risk of encountering delays or receiving work that might not be up to par. This could be due to tight timelines or perhaps a lack of sufficient specialists to handle specific tasks.
So, how can you gauge an agency’s capacity? While directly asking is an option, responses might naturally lean towards the positive. A more insightful approach is to delve into the structure of their team. Assess the size of their workforce and determine if they have distinct departments, each housing specialists with unique expertise.
This can provide a clearer picture of their capability to handle diverse projects and deliver top-notch results.
Looking for an agency that specialises in medical devices?
Onboarding process
When contemplating a partnership with a marketing agency, the onboarding process is a pivotal aspect that shouldn’t be overlooked. It’s the initial phase where mutual understanding is cultivated, and it sets the tone for the entire collaboration.
For industries like medical device marketing, this phase is even more critical. To craft effective marketing communication, an agency must have a profound understanding of your device. Moreover, they should be adept at handling intricate details, such as clinical referencing, ensuring that every piece of communication is both accurate and compelling.
So, what should you be looking for? You may want to go for agencies that have a well-defined onboarding process.
This process should encompass a deep dive into your branding, your specific preferences, and the clinical references associated with your device (if they are completing industry-specific work). It’s essential that you have a clear grasp of what they require from you and, in turn, the steps they’ll take to streamline the process on your behalf.
A structured onboarding process doesn’t just facilitate a smoother transition; it significantly reduces the inevitable learning curve associated with engaging a new agency. With such a process in place, both parties can hit the ground running, paving the way for immediate and impactful results.
Onboarding can be an exciting, but also nerve-wracking time if you don’t know what to expect. Why not look at our onboarding guide as an example of what a well-defined process looks like.
Pricing and budgeting
Seek an agency that’s open, honest, and transparent about its pricing structures. You can accomplish this by exploring their website and other online content they share. Another straightforward method to achieve financial transparency is by reaching out to them directly for clear and concise estimates.
The best agencies are dedicated to maximising the value of your budget rather than pushing you towards more expensive campaigns that might strain your financial resources.
It’s all about zeroing in on a collaborator who’s attuned to your needs to you can work shoulder to shoulder to get results, all within your budgetary bounds.
Marketing agency red flags to look out for
These are the factors that should immediately prompt you to re–evaluate whether they’re the right agency for you.
While many agencies provide expertise and genuine value, it’s essential to be aware that not all may live up to their promises. This section highlights the red flags you should keep a watchful eye on.
Recognising these warning signs could be the crucial difference between a successful partnership and an endeavour you’d prefer to put behind you.
Agencies that don’t say no
It can be enticing to stumble upon an agency that readily nods to every request. Yet, a truly authentic agency understands its own strengths and limitations.
If they never express concerns or hesitations, it might suggest a lack of transparency or expertise. Rather than setting realistic expectations for projects and goals, this can lead to potential disappointments further down the line.
Additionally, always saying “yes” might indicate that they’re outsourcing tasks. While outsourcing isn’t inherently problematic, a lack of openness about it can result in diminished control over your projects and a fostering distrust between the two of you.
Making promises they can’t keep
Agencies that make unwavering promises of achieving an exact quantified result blanketed across all businesses are ones to be wary of. We’re talking about the companies who send sales emails with an all-caps subject along the lines of ‘WE CAN GET YOU 150 LEADS IN 2 MONTHS!”.
While the notion of an agency possessing a secret formula to skyrocket subscribers or generate leads might seem appealing, it often proves to be too good to be true.
Marketing is a nuanced field. Given the distinctiveness of each audience and product, strategies should be tailored accordingly. There’s no one-size-fits-all approach that guarantees success across the board.
We’re not saying that you shouldn’t work with them, they might end up being the right agency for you, but you should do your research into them beforehand.
Weak self-promotion
It’s often said that actions speak louder than words, and this is especially true for marketing agencies. A clear warning sign of a bad agency is when they don’t effectively market themselves. If they showcase a bland social media presence or possess a website that’s challenging to navigate, it raises questions about the quality of their work and creativity.
An agency’s personal marketing efforts should serve as a testament to its capabilities. If they can’t excel in promoting their own brand, how can they be expected to do so for their clients?
Their own marketing should reflect the standards they uphold and the results they can achieve for their clientele.
Be confident in your choice
Hopefully, this article has given you a better understanding of what to look out for in marketing agencies and the things that you should probably avoid. We hope that you will use this as a guide to help find the right agency for you and your business.
To avoid being led astray, make sure you prioritise agencies with industry specialisation, transparent pricing, and strong self-marketing. It might also be in your best interest to avoid those making unrealistic promises. Your chosen agency should align with your goals and uphold their practices’ highest standards.