do not partner with an agency if they do any of the following

I've been having lots of convos lately with business owners interviewing multiple agencies, but it seems like half the calls are spent educating them on what to look out for in a reputable agency to begin with, so I figured I'd help some of you out:

no onboarding

If they promise to start posting immediately, run away. There needs to be an onboarding period where they learn your brand, create a strategy, and plan content. This is arguably the most important part, because it's the beginning of a (hopefully) long partnership.

How are they supposed to accurately connect with your audience if they don't really know who the messaging is coming from? What strategies and respective KPIS are being put in place to ensure you're hitting your goals?

empty promises

If they promise you quantifyable results, they're lying. Read that again. If I had a dollar for every time I've gotten asked 'so what are the numbers you promise to hit for me?' I'd be sitting my booty in the backyard of my villa overlooking the Cote D'Azur right about now.

No one can promise a number of followers, engagement, or conversions–because of the number of variables that go into achieving those results. How do they know they can get you there without learning your brand and running their own reports?

completely hands-off

'You won't have to be involved at all, don't worry!' Lol. No. You should definitely be involved, especially if it's your brand. Strategy and content approvals should run by you, and you should know what's going on in regards to your marketing.

If you notice, we use the word 'partnership' when referring to the relationship we have with our clients, because that's exactly what it is. It simply isn't fruitful without input from both sides, although we (obviously) do the majority of the work.

zero boundaries

This one's my favorite, and I can speak from experience. (I once was Little Miss Yes To Everything And Anyone Always, and long story short, that didn't go well)

Having someone that's available 24/7 without boundaries sounds nice until you realize they're not responsible enough to take their (and your) work seriously. If they are serious about their business hours, enforce the scope of work, and are clear with expectations, you know your business is in good hands and you're getting quality work.

want to chat some more?

Don't shoot the messenger! I don't mean to sound like a harda$$, but these are things I've seen (and my clients have experienced) time and time again.

If you're looking for an agency but are unsure of how to pick one, pick our brains first! (see what I did there?)