You have a business, and you’re getting ready to launch a new product or service. But — even though you know you have a game-changing idea — you also know you need to invest in a creative marketing strategy to maximize the reach of your project.
Which creative development agency should you choose to bring it to life?
It can be a tough decision if you don’t have a few guard rails to guide your vendor vetting process, but — don’t worry — we’re here and happy to help you on your journey. To support your business, we’ve compiled our top five tips for choosing a local creative development company.
Keep reading to ensure you have the perfect partner!
Contents
1. Explore Their Past Work
Evaluating a potential creative agency is like interviewing someone for your internal teams. Just like a traditional interview, it’s important to look at a company’s previous experience — or, in other words, their resume.
Reach out and ask for a list of case studies, brief write-ups that detail how they’ve helped past clients achieve their desired outcomes. Plus, in reviewing their past work, you also get to see the company they keep.
2. Speak with Their Current Clients
While exploring past work is a great way to understand a creative development company’s industry experience, it is, by very nature, a detailed report of what they’ve produced in the past. And while that’s important to review, it’s equally important to have a core understanding of what they’re currently working on today.
As we all know, creative agencies can rise and fall in a day. And just because a potential partner is newer to the industry, it doesn’t mean they’re a bad choice. Inversely, just because a vendor is a longtime veteran, it doesn’t mean they’re the right choice.
So, be sure and request, as able, a variety of current client references explaining how your potential creative partner is performing here and now.
3. Assess Their Teams
A company is only as good as its people. So, don’t just settle for an understanding of a potential vendor’s experience and current clients.
Inquire about the specific team members you could be working with on the day-to-day. Check them out on LinkedIn — and see what they’ll bring to the table for your products and programs. Or flip the entire search process on its head. Search, for instance, for “web design near me,” see who appears in your LinkedIn or Google searches, and, if you like their solutions, take the next step and see where they work.
4. Look for Efficiencies
Does the creative development company you’re looking at self-describe as full-service? That could be a really good thing, meaning they can do it all in-house and save costs typically involved in outsourcing various parts of a program. But it could also be smoke and mirrors, meaning they don’t have any one particular specialty that differentiates them from the competition.
So, as you evaluate a potential partner, keep an open eye for how they will add value to your business, and don’t be afraid to ask point-blank if the chance arises.
5. Connect with Their Culture
But if you can’t, said company might not be the best fit for your business. Do they care about what you care about? Do they work the same hours as your business? If not, will they be available when you need them most? Are they creative and passionate about your initiatives? Be sure to have clear answers to each of these questions before moving forward.
Which Local Creative Development Company Should I Choose?
It’s a hard decision. But, if you let the five tips listed above guide your process, you will be one (or five!) steps closer to having the perfect creative development company for your product, service, and business.
To learn more about creative strategy planning, better business practice, and beyond, check back daily and visit our Business section.
Comments are closed.