By Nina De Winter, Account Director at Creative Network & Writer for Well Travelled
Selecting a marketing agency to help market your hospitality business is a key part of being successful and ensuring you get people through the door – especially during quieter times. It’s important to market yourself even when you’re doing well, because once the hard times hit it’s often too late to start.
So, you need specialists to help guide you and challenge you with your website, your social media, your print adverts and your brochures. Picking a marketing agency that will work with you and really understand where you are, and where you want to be, is key.
Follow these pointers for how to select the right marketing agency for you.
Track record
Check who the agency have previously worked for, ask to see case studies and examples of their work. This will give you a feel for how creative they are and how good they might be at tackling marketing challenges.
Industry specialists
Find out what they know about hospitality and whether they have experience with clients in your industry. Although you don’t want to go with an agency that has a formulaic approach, specialist agencies will have a greater understanding of the nuances of the hospitality industry.
Personalities
Is there chemistry? This is actually very important. If you are going to work with an agency day in and day out, often on projects with challenging deadlines and tight budgets, you need to be able to get along. Meet with the agency before you appoint them and see them in their environment too. You’ll be able to judge whether the vibe in their offices will suit you and inspire your team on a daily basis.
Strategic approach
There are plenty of individuals and smaller agencies who focus on a niche area of marketing like SEO or social media. But there are also agencies that will look at marketing from that ‘helicopter’ point of view to see the bigger picture. This type of agency can integrate everything. Not only can they put together a social media plan for you, but they can also help you with your branding and your website. Look for agencies that have long-term marketing goals in mind as part of their approach. Working with a strategic or integrated agency will be much better value for your money over the long-term, and should produce better ROI.
Agency size
The size of an agency is important purely from a resource point of view. If you’re working with a smaller agency which has one or two people, things like illness, holidays, or other clients can have a negative impact on your account. With a larger agency, you can guarantee that there will always be resource available for you and projects will get delivered on time. This is crucial in the hospitality sector as timing and seasonality is everything.
Systems and processes
How does the agency manage accounts? Personally, I think systems and processes are crucial because they can massively affect the experience you have as a client. If you have an agency which has really good tools for scheduling projects, managing projections and controlling budgets, you will have far less projects that miss deadlines and incur extra costs.
Most importantly, seek an agency which is proactive, who will push you forwards and chase you rather than the other way around. Ask an agency how much contact you can expect to receive and what form that will take. A good agency will keep clients regularly up to date with face-to-face meetings, as well as online updates and phone calls.
About
Creative Network is a leading hospitality digital marketing agency in Cheltenham. They are a fully integrated digital agency specialising in hospitality and tourism. Clients include: Cheltenham Fashion Week, Wynne-Jones, Tregenna Castle, The Black Swan Hotel and Rick Stein.
Well Travelled is a leading hospitality advice website. It lets you marvel at marketing wonders, swim with strategies, and explore new diverse digital cultures. Get the latest industry insight and expert opinion, it’s the ultimate trip, into the digital world.