Maintaining a good relationship with your marketing firm, ensures that your hotel or resort will have successful marketing campaigns and continue to reach new and existing guests. If your property is in need of a new agency or is looking to replace your current one, the following checklist should help you find the best fit for your needs.1. Determine the Scope of What You Need an Agency To Do
- By framing out the type of project that your property is embarking on, you can seek out an agency that tackles single projects or one that you can build an long-term relationship with to address ongoing projects and offer a wider set of skills.
- Once you have established the type of relationship you will have with the new agency, you can then perform agency specific searches to find the right company in which to partner. Some agency specific searches include Ad-hoc Search, Tactical Agency Search, and International Agency search. For more information on agency specific searches you can read the American Association of Advertising Agencies definition of each.
2. Determine the Criteria Needed for a New Agency
- This step is also defined by the length of the engagement your business is proposing. If you are entering into an ongoing relationship with an agency, it is necessary to have certain criteria to base your decision upon.
- Some examples of these qualifying criteria include: industry expertise, account management, creativity, and ability to adapt to change.
3. What Services Does the Agency Offer?
- The world of advertising is ever-changing, so partnering with an agency that is able to keep up with new trends is essential.
- Look for an agency that is up to date on the latest trends, and understands the modes of reaching customers through various means of digital advertising.
- Is the agency hospitality specific? All agencies aren't created equal. Finding an agency with heavy experience or even better, specializing in the hospitality space, will set you up for success as there won't be learning curves that other agencies with little to no experience in this space will face.
4. Does the Agency Match Your Company's' Vision?
- A project's success critically depends on matching approach and workflow, on both the agency's part as well as your business. This relationship will determine whether your marketing campaign will be a success.
- Both parties need to have the same vision in order to agree upon creative concepts, messaging, and deadlines.
5. Examine the Success of Previous Ad Campaigns.
- When selecting a new advertising agency, it is important to understand their track record on other ad campaigns.
- Ask to see examples of their previous projects, and the success rate of each, if available.
6. Is the Agency an Expert in Your Industry?
- The best way to begin a new partnership in advertising is to find an agency that has expertise in your industry and has worked with other companies that have similar goals as yours.
- During this step you can ask to see examples of their previous work in your industry and investigate their success rates.
7. Interview Your Agency Candidates.
- Just as you go through an interview process with potential employees, interviewing potential agencies allows you to have all your questions and concerns addressed up front. The AAAA calls this the Request for Information phase or ROI.
- Some points to address during the ROI phase include: age and history of the agency, locations, company size, and range of services. You can also inquire about their expertise in your industry and key accounts that they have signed in the last year.
8. Continue to Evaluate the Agency.
- Even after you have selected your new advertising agency, it is important to continue to evaluate the services that they are providing your business.
- Your agency should seek to maintain a healthy and communicative relationship with you, their client. They should be able to update you on agency performance versus your brand objectives, as well as keep you informed of how their pricing is most competitive. Just as you take care of your customers in the hospitality industry, your agency should take care of you. In other words, the marketing needs of your business are a priority and communication with you about your projects is essential.
If you are in the process of selecting a new advertising agency for upcoming projects, contact us today. We would be happy to answer all your questions and provide you with the best options to market your hotel or resort.
Maintaining a good relationship with your marketing firm, ensures that your hotel or resort will have successful marketing campaigns and continue to reach new and existing guests. If your property is in need of a new agency or is looking to replace your current one, the following checklist should help you find the best fit for your needs.1. Determine the Scope of What You Need an Agency To Do
- By framing out the type of project that your property is embarking on, you can seek out an agency that tackles single projects or one that you can build an long-term relationship with to address ongoing projects and offer a wider set of skills.
- Once you have established the type of relationship you will have with the new agency, you can then perform agency specific searches to find the right company in which to partner. Some agency specific searches include Ad-hoc Search, Tactical Agency Search, and International Agency search. For more information on agency specific searches you can read the American Association of Advertising Agencies definition of each.
2. Determine the Criteria Needed for a New Agency
- This step is also defined by the length of the engagement your business is proposing. If you are entering into an ongoing relationship with an agency, it is necessary to have certain criteria to base your decision upon.
- Some examples of these qualifying criteria include: industry expertise, account management, creativity, and ability to adapt to change.
3. What Services Does the Agency Offer?
- The world of advertising is ever-changing, so partnering with an agency that is able to keep up with new trends is essential.
- Look for an agency that is up to date on the latest trends, and understands the modes of reaching customers through various means of digital advertising.
- Is the agency hospitality specific? All agencies aren't created equal. Finding an agency with heavy experience or even better, specializing in the hospitality space, will set you up for success as there won't be learning curves that other agencies with little to no experience in this space will face.
4. Does the Agency Match Your Company's' Vision?
- A project's success critically depends on matching approach and workflow, on both the agency's part as well as your business. This relationship will determine whether your marketing campaign will be a success.
- Both parties need to have the same vision in order to agree upon creative concepts, messaging, and deadlines.
5. Examine the Success of Previous Ad Campaigns.
- When selecting a new advertising agency, it is important to understand their track record on other ad campaigns.
- Ask to see examples of their previous projects, and the success rate of each, if available.
6. Is the Agency an Expert in Your Industry?
- The best way to begin a new partnership in advertising is to find an agency that has expertise in your industry and has worked with other companies that have similar goals as yours.
- During this step you can ask to see examples of their previous work in your industry and investigate their success rates.
7. Interview Your Agency Candidates.
- Just as you go through an interview process with potential employees, interviewing potential agencies allows you to have all your questions and concerns addressed up front. The AAAA calls this the Request for Information phase or ROI.
- Some points to address during the ROI phase include: age and history of the agency, locations, company size, and range of services. You can also inquire about their expertise in your industry and key accounts that they have signed in the last year.
8. Continue to Evaluate the Agency.
- Even after you have selected your new advertising agency, it is important to continue to evaluate the services that they are providing your business.
- Your agency should seek to maintain a healthy and communicative relationship with you, their client. They should be able to update you on agency performance versus your brand objectives, as well as keep you informed of how their pricing is most competitive. Just as you take care of your customers in the hospitality industry, your agency should take care of you. In other words, the marketing needs of your business are a priority and communication with you about your projects is essential.
If you are in the process of selecting a new advertising agency for upcoming projects, contact us today. We would be happy to answer all your questions and provide you with the best options to market your hotel or resort.
