How to choose a content marketing agency

If you want to scale your content production, improve your ranking, and make your content marketing more effective, hiring a B2B content marketing agency is a great move. 

Rich, engaging, and search engine optimized content helps attract your dream clients. But not all content agencies are up to the challenge. How do you make sure you’re choosing the right agency for your business, customers, and goals? 

What are the green flags of an agency you can trust? And, crucially, what are the red flags to watch out for?

Here’s how to choose a content marketing agency. 

When to hire a content marketing agency

There’s no bad time to start working with a content marketing agency. Content can be a powerful sales strategy for start-ups and established organizations alike — it’s all about what you’re looking to achieve and the roadblocks you’re facing today.

The pain points a B2B content marketing agency can help you solve include:

• You need a consistent volume of high-quality content

• You want to delegate the whole process (content strategy, keyword research, content optimization and on-page SEO, back-end CMS management, content repurposing, and reporting) to save you from micromanaging writers

• You don’t have the resources in-house to produce or manage your content needs

• You need a content strategy for every stage of your client’s buying journey

• You want a scalable, flexible, and cost-effective solution that can grow and change with your business.

Sound familiar? Then let’s keep going to look at how to choose a content marketing agency that fits your needs.

How to hire a marketing agency

When it comes to finding and choosing a B2B content marketing agency, you won’t be short of options.

There’s no need to rush the research process. The right agency might stay with you for years and can help take your content marketing from strength to strength. So, take your time now to find the right fit, and keep an eye out for the red flags we’ll outline below.

First up, what do you want from a B2B content agency?

The right B2B content marketing agency will help create a strategy that achieves your business goals. But only you can define what those goals are. 

Before you start speaking to any content marketing agencies, try to be clear on:

• What do you want content marketing to do for your business? Improve conversions, build your online presence, build your brand, etc.

• What content marketing metrics matter most to you? Site traffic, leads, conversion rate, etc.

• How much can you invest in content right now? A rough ball-park figure is best at this stage to help you keep an open mind to different quotes.

• How involved do you want to be in the process? Do you want to delegate the whole end-to-end workflow to a content agency, or do you need particular support in one area of production?

You might also think about the types of content that would make the most sense for you and your audience. Consider what you already know about your sales funnel and then layer on different content formats, such as blog posts, whitepapers, ebooks, case studies, and newsletters, as a conversation starter. But don’t worry if this is all new to you. Your content marketing agency will help guide the way.

Research potential content marketing agencies

There are several ways to discover a B2B content marketing agency: you can head straight to a search engine or social media platform, or ask for a referral from within your network.

Once you’ve got their details, take some time to look at:

The agency’s website

How do they present themselves? What’s their positioning and personality? Do they specialize in a certain type of content? And how well does all this align with you and your business?

Their content and online presence

There’s no faster way to get a feeling for an agency than by reading their content. Is it helpful? Is it engaging? Is it clear who it’s for? 

The industries they have experience in

This isn’t a hard-and-fast rule, but generally speaking, it’s wise to engage a content marketing agency that’s written for your sector and your type of clients before. This means they’ll have empathy for your customers’ pain points.

Client testimonials, case studies, and reviews

What do other customers say about their service? Try to read both the success stories on the agency’s website as well as reviews on third-party platforms like TrustPilot. 

Key questions to ask agencies

Now it’s time to take your research and put it to the test. It’s time to talk to some potential content marketing agencies. Almost every content marketing agency will offer a free introductory call. If they don’t, then that’s a red flag.

In terms of how many you should speak to, that’s up to you. Ultimately, you want to give yourself options so you can compare the discussions you have with different agencies. 

Even though these intro calls are free, you’ll still want to make full use of the time you’ve got and really get under the skin of the agency’s approach and previous success. Here’s a list of questions you’ll likely want to ask — but add your own, too!

• What is your approach to content strategy development?

• Can you show us examples of past work with previous clients?

• How do you measure content performance and success?

• What is your process for content creation?

• Who will we work with/who will be our main point of contact?

• How will we communicate/collaborate with your team?

• How do you work with writers?

• Do you offer a trial?

• What do you think you could help us achieve in the next 6 months?
  

How to make your selection

Going through what you’ve learned about each agency so far, it’s time to narrow down your final selection. They say that “when you know, you know”, and you might get a good gut feel for one agency more than the rest. 

The reason behind this gut-feeling could come down to: 

Which agency aligns best with your goals

Was there one agency that just seemed to get what your business was about and what you’re looking to achieve? Have they helped other, similar companies with similar goals before? 

How well they listened and the questions they asked

Which agency asked the most thoughtful questions about your business, your product, your audience, etc.? You’ll want to work with an empathetic and commercially-minded B2B content marketing agency. You’ll want them to understand and buy into your business model and truly believe in your mission and vision. That’s the sort of interest you just can’t fake.

How flexible, scalable, and adaptable they seem

You don’t want to get stuck in a one-size-fits-all content production model or fixed into a pricing structure that doesn’t suit your needs. 

The culture fit for your business and team

This isn’t often spoken about, but… do you like them? Did you enjoy the conversation? Can you imagine them working with and for your business in the long term? Don’t discount how you feel about an agency.

B2B content marketing agency green flags to look for

Bringing everything we’ve touched on together, here’s a list of the qualities and attributes of a reliable, effective content partner to help you choose a content marketing agency:

✅ A persuasive, engaging, and up-to-date online presence

If their content resonates with you, they should be able to create content that resonates with your audience.

✅ Proven track record (ideally with clients in your sector)

This illustrates the effectiveness of their work and their ability to empathize with your needs.

✅ Collaborative, flexible, and easy to work with

The quality of the working relationship is almost as important as the quality of the results!

✅ A comprehensive service that meets your needs

You want to know that they can clear your roadblocks and support your goals with a range of service offerings.

✅ Clear pricing that doesn’t leave you second-guessing

This helps you work out and continually measure the ROI.

✅ Provides a dedicated point of contact

There’s nothing worse than being handed around to different account managers or staff members on a loop. A dedicated point of contact makes for an easier, more efficient working relationship.

✅ Accountable for the success of their work

Last, but certainly not least, if an agency shows accountability for their work in the metrics they track and how they respond to feedback, then you’re onto a winner.

B2B content marketing agency red flags to watch for

And here are the signs that you should think twice about an agency: 

🚩 Guarantees quick or unrealistic results

Content marketing is a long game. But one great piece can attract visitors and convert sales for months or even years, making it a great investment as a long-term strategy.

🚩 Lack of transparency in pricing, contracts, and ways of working

Agencies should be able to provide you with a clear quote and proposed workflow based on your needs.

🚩 Poor communication

If you're already struggling to get a hold of an agency during the research stage, it's a sign of bad things to come.

🚩 Pushing one-size-fits-all solutions

Your business is unique. A B2B content agency should offer a solution that's unique and customizable — it should align with your goals.

🚩 No reporting process

Agencies should be eager to explain how they'll track the success of the content they create for you. They only succeed if you succeed, so they should be invested in tracking how well the strategy is working and if they need to adjust.

🚩 A massive writer pool

Lots of agencies promise access to hundreds or even thousands of writers. But it’s the quality and consistency that matter.

🚩 They don’t offer trials

You should be able to see what an agency has to offer before committing to a large project or signing a contract.

Why choose Scribly as your B2B content marketing agency

Scribly has been producing effective B2B content and helping clients drive sales since 2018. 

Our targeted approach is designed to drive organic business growth. We achieve this with a done-for-you content strategy, backed by comprehensive data and SEO know-how.

We’ve spent years building our small but mighty team of trusted writers, and we don’t leave anything to chance when it comes to getting your content written! The members of our core team are all experienced content writers and SEO strategists, too, so when we say we hold ourselves accountable to how well your content converts, we mean it.

There are lots of ways to get started, including our bespoke content audits, affordable content creation, and simple all-inclusive pricing plans.

Book a free introductory call today to learn more about our approach to B2B content marketing and how we can help you reach your goals.