What to look for when it comes to choosing an Inbound agency in London.
So you’ve been tasked to find an Inbound agency in London to help you develop, deploy and deliver an Inbound Marketing campaign. Your boss has asked you to “find the very best London has to offer”.
But what does the right agency look like?
Honestly speaking, there are a lot of amazing Inbound agencies out there, and many are HubSpot partners like ourselves – but to make the right decision, you need to determine if they are the right fit for you.
The truth is that there’s no perfect one-size-fits-all agency. You can’t just pick an agency based on price and performance and expect to get precisely what you want, no. To find the right agency, you have to think about things like cultural fit, skill set, experience and location. That’s the only way to find an agency that thinks as you do.
Of course, location is a key consideration when it comes to choosing the agency you want to work with, but since you’ve already decided on London, the best city in the wor--- actually, full disclosure: it’s second-best as I’m from Cape Town and nothing can compete with my beautiful city, so here’s what you should bear in mind:
1. Cultural fit
Something that I think is often overlooked when it comes to selecting an Inbound agency is cultural fit. Ultimately, you want to work with people like you, people who:
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Care about the things that you care about,
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Get on with your team,
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Can provide the support and insight that you want to receive
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And can work with you to achieve your goals.
Ideally, you’re looking for a partner in business, not just a supplier. You want an agency that can not only execute your ideas but also question them when they believe there’s a better angle to exploit. It’s all about finding an agency that can go above and beyond to deliver value to you, but also say "no, we should do this instead".
2. Skillset
You want to choose an agency in London that has the skills you need to achieve your marketing goals.
For example, if you’re looking to do some technical integrations with HubSpot – make sure you choose an agency that specialises in bespoke integrations.
Want to know more about what HubSpot offers? Check out our handy guide: HubSpot Enterprise Tools - Everything you need to know.
On the other hand, if you’re looking to redesign your website using Growth-Driven Design and need brand-new, lead-generating content, make sure you choose an agency that excels at website design, build and content marketing.
Another point to note is that it’s always good to work with an agency that has a diverse set of skills – perhaps they specialise in one area but can provide expertise in others. This means that rather than a pure focus on one element of your marketing activity, they can provide insight elsewhere.
3. Experience
This one is crucial. The agency you choose might have the right ideals, culture and skills, but have they walked the walk? Now when we talk about the experience we don’t mean years’ experience – we mean successful projects.
Check out their website for case studies or even reviews. Ask them if they’ve delivered projects similar to yours in the past. Take a look at some of the work they’ve done. Talk to members of the agency’s team to understand what they can bring to the table - even ask to speak to some of their customers - we've set up numerous calls between prospects and current customers before.
Essentially, make sure their experience matches your expectations. They may be able to deliver based on business fit and skills, but an agency that can show you the finished product will always be a winner.
4. Goals
Alignment between organisations is what helps to fuel success and growth. With this in mind you should be looking for agencies that want to help you grow – and in turn, grow themselves.
Things to consider are:
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Do they want to grow and achieve more?
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Do they always do their best, no matter what?
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Do they want to support your business and help it expand?
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Do they sit back during campaign meetings or are they actively involved?
Don’t settle for less than you deserve. As I said earlier, there are a lot of amazing Inbound agencies out there so make sure you take the time to speak to them all. There’s definitely an agency that will slot right into your business.
5. Existing/clients
Lastly, have a look at their client base. Do you see any similarities between the agency’s clients and your business?
The reason for this is because you want to choose an agency that is used to dealing with companies like yours, as they’ll have a better understanding of your business, how it operates and how they can help you achieve your goals.
For instance, if you run a B2B company – you wouldn’t want to work with an agency that only deals with B2C companies.
Choosing the right Inbound agency in London…
In conclusion, it’s all about choosing an agency that feels right, has the expertise, is willing to go the extra mile, wants to help you grow and can prove their success.
It may be that you have to kiss a few frogs to find your prince (or princess), but there are plenty of agencies out there in London that can help you to achieve your goals and grow your business!
P.S. If you're about to launch your first Inbound campaign with a new agency and want to make your job (and theirs) much easier, make sure you check out our free eBook: Making Integrated CRM decisions!
