How to choose a tactical agency
We've worked together to develop an exciting position that will resonate with your audiences and create a through-line throughout all of your communications. Now how do you choose a healthcare marketing agency (or agencies) to bring it to life?
It's tough to know what to look for. Budgets, tactical experience, and subject matter expertise (especially in the biotech/healthcare space) are important factors. But diving a bit deeper into other, less tangible factors can make a real difference in whether you’ll be happy with your agency's thinking in the long run.
Here are a few questions to consider up front, so you can feel more confident in your decision and avoid spending the next year or longer wallowing in regret.
1. Does the team have a sense of humor? And do they get along?
If the team seems kind of rigid, your conversations with them aren't natural and fluid, or only one person seems to be talking, watch out. It probably means at least 3 things: they aren't confident in what they’re saying, they aren't going to communicate well with each other, and they're not going to be open to each other's ideas. You won't get the best work from them, or creative ways of thinking about your business.
2. Does the agency have a backbone?
Ask an intentionally dumb question, and see if the agency pushes back (in a friendly way). If they don't, they're afraid, and they'll just tell you what you want to hear. You won't get the type of thinking that will truly reach your audiences.
3. Is the agency's subject matter expertise expandable?
You're buying an agency's thinking, not their expertise. It seems a little counter-intuitive, but I'd rather work with someone who doesn't know a ton about mass spectrometry, but can learn it quickly and think about it in a new way, than work with someone who knows your specific tech or disease state, and that's all they've ever done.
4. How does the agency ensure that strategy is carried through, and that different types of communications will work with and reinforce each other?
Every agency will talk about multichannel (tactics working from a common position) or omnichannel (tactics that build on each other based on user actions). Look beyond the graphics and tech-speak, and ask for examples of how the team thinks through what matters at each stage of a customer's journey. If the agency shows examples but can't speak to the emotion and thought process behind them, then maybe move along.
An agency's working style can often be overlooked during the selection process. But if you can look beyond their marketing and can see how they really think and work together, it can make a big difference in your relationship and your brand's success.
