How to Hire a Creative Agency

Your business is growing. And finally your marketing has become too much to handle alone. While it’s probably frustrating, we want to say congrats! That means your business is awesome and you’re ready for the next big phase of your success.

When looking to hire a creative agency, it's important to consider the expertise, capabilities, and the overall fit that the agency can bring to your projects. This guide will provide you with tips and considerations to help you find the right creative agency for you.

Identify Your Objectives

Before you start your search, it’s important to identify your objectives and outcomes for the project. Consider what your business needs to achieve and why you need to hire a creative agency. It’s helpful to have a brief that outlines all of your goals, so when you find a potential agency, you can have a focused discussion about how they can meet your needs.

Research Creative Agencies

Once you have identified your needs, it’s time to start researching creative agencies. Look for agencies that specialize in the type of work you need, and that have the skills and expertise necessary to help you reach your goals.

It’s also important to consider the cost of hiring the agency, their availability, and the timeline for your project. A lot of agencies may be out of your budget, especially if this is your first agency. Most of them have large overhead from staff, office space, and other expenses that come with running a business, and can only afford to take on big budget clients.

A good first step is to look at the client roster of the agency. If they work on a lot of major brands and have a portfolio of big celebrity filled campaigns, taking you on as a client may not be profitable for them. But this really depends on your marketing budget and the size of your business.

If your budget is smaller ($100K or below), it may be better to find a small local agency or one that has a portfolio of work filled with small to mid-size clients. They’re more likely to take you on and enjoy doing exciting creative work for a new brand that they can help grow. Because if they help you succeed, you could become their next star client and start paying them seven figures in revenue.

Ask for Proposals

Once you have identified a few potential agencies, ask them to provide you with a proposal. This proposal should outline the scope of work, the timeline, the cost, and any other important details related to the project. All based on your brief.

Often this is in the form of a pitch process. Agencies will often pitch you ideas based on your goals and share mockups of creative work or TV spots. This is their vision of how to bring your campaign to life. If your budget is big enough, most agencies will do this for free in order to win your business. And you will typically get them from a minimum of three agencies.

But again, this assumes your budget it big enough to justify the agency going out of pocket to win your business. If you’re a smaller client, you may simply have a few calls or meetings where the agency shares their existing work and explains how they think they can help your business. Either a pitch or this kind of meeting will help you evaluate the agencies and decide which one is the best fit for you.

Evaluate the Proposals

Once you have received the proposals, it’s time to evaluate them and make a decision. Consider the experience and expertise of the agency, the cost, the timeline, and the overall fit for your project.

Make a Decision

After evaluating the proposals, it’s time to make a decision.

Make sure to review the contracts and any other paperwork related to the project before signing.

The agency is going to make sure they are protected, all their potential fees are outlined, and exactly what they are giving you for the proposed budget. You should do the same so that you both have an understanding of what to expect when working together.

This may be a difficult conversation, but it’s valuable because it sets the tone for your working relationship from the beginning. And can alert both of you to any potential red flags.

If you’re looking for a creative agency for your small to mid-size business, reach out. Onassis has experience working with a variety of clients, from start ups to the world’s biggest brands around the Bay Area and California.