Despite my frustrations with BDA’s, the majority get the big pieces right. They offer support, a bird’s eye perspective and competitive data and recommendations.
But recently, I encountered the other type of agency. It’s still a gut feeling, but I feel I’m being taking for a ride.
Maybe I’m taking it the wrong way, but here’s a few odd things:
- – Told me that website copy/content had NO effect on SEO rankings and not to worry about it. To end the conversation, the Account Manager said, “Many of our top ranking sites have no content at all.” This post seems to disagree with that.
- – They insist that a fax number should be a required field in an email sign up form. However, they didn’t include fields for physical address or cell number. Hmmmm. To clarify, in my world, due to legal issues, physical address is a REQUIRED field.
- – Let’s just say I’ve seen display buys perform significantly better than the SEM campaign they’re currently running.
- – They offered to build me customized Google Analytics reports. Naturally, I asked for a few. I’m still waiting. Based on the initial email response, I have a feeling I’ll be waiting indefinitely.
- – I asked what they thought about other analytics software and how they compared to Google Analytics. The reply? We don’t utilize other analytics software.
- – They’re building a microsite. The main navigation is below the fold.
It’s things like the above that put a bad taste in my mouth for all agencies. One bad apple ruins the whole bunch.
My take, having been at several agencies, including Fallon, Leo Burnett, and DRAFT-FCB is that it’s not the agency, but the people. Ultimately it’s the people who will make, break, wow, impress, or fail you. The agency itself certainly plays a role in that, because they assign the people to your account.
If you want to really see the type of agency your dealing with ask them to let you interview their staff so that you can assemble your own team (made up of their assets). If they decline it’s because they don’t have the talent depth. If they say ok, you know you’ve got a partner.
I don’t disagree that the people can make or break your experience, but at the end of the day, the agency hired those people. If that’s the type of people the higher ups in the agency are hiring and keeping, then that’s not a type of agency I want to partner with.