How To Find a Partner Agency That Fits Your Business Needs

Every entrepreneur will tell you how valuable a business is to its owners. More precisely, they can tell you that building a business to the point of success and making sure it continues to grow is not an easy task. Therefore, increasing your business’s chances of succeeding and becoming an established brand is going to take a lot of hard work. The same amount of hard work it takes us to keep ourselves healthy and happy.

To reflect on this topic, I invite you to think of a time when you were not at your best. It might have been a nagging pain in the left leg that lasted for days, a horrible toothache that started when you tried to open a beer bottle with your teeth, a strange feeling of sadness and anxiety that kept you up for nights, or a simple cold that did not go away no matter what you tried. What did you do to get better? I’ll tell you what I did, and I am sure it was the exact same thing you did, too: I referred to a professional who found a way to help me get back on track.

This is exactly what happens with a business. The time to get professional help might be when the business hits a rough patch or simply needs help growing, which can happen at any time of the business’s life. Luckily, there are a large number of agencies that can help get your business on the right track, especially when it comes to the business’s online presence. Moreover, an agency can help you market your brand effectively by shaping how your brand is perceived with technology designed to help you build a loyal audience and enhance brand engagement.

At Storyblok, we partner with agencies that specialize in a wide variety of services that can help address all of your branding and online needs. You can find a list of our partner agencies here. However, we understand that with such a long list of agencies, it can be hard to choose the right one for your next project. Therefore, to help you with your choice, we present you with 5 simple steps to follow when selecting the right agency for your brand.

Step #1: Identify Your Pain Points

Identify where it hurts and address it. Who better than you to pinpoint the area that needs attention and define the specific project(s) to be executed. Whether it is building a new website, managing content across different platforms, pushing products to new markets, or improving your SEO, a well-defined project is the first step you need to take before choosing an agency. This will help the agency understand your expectations and develop the right approach to address them. Being on the same page with your agency of choice from the start is going to make a big difference.

Step #2: Outline Your Budget

Money isn’t everything, but it’s one of the most important aspects of a business. Therefore, before making your choice on an agency, determine how much you are willing and able to spend on your project. However, remember that it is equally important to choose an agency that meets the expectations you have set in the first step. A good rule of thumb is to consider how much it would cost to execute the project in-house in terms of talent, hours, developing technologies, etc. and hiring an agency that meets or exceeds that threshold.

Step #3: Study the Specializations of Agencies

Although most agencies are able to deliver multiple services, defining the specific project requirements will help you narrow the list. Often, agencies will choose to specialize in specific areas like web development, digital strategies, web apps, content services, etc. Storyblok’s [Search Engine](https://www.storyblok.com/partners/solution) can help you select specific competencies and locations when choosing your partner agency. We have created the engine by taking into consideration the fact that every business and its needs are different, as is each digital agency.

Step # 4: Research the Agency’s History

The best way to understand what it would be like to work with a particular agency is by going through client reviews, testimonials, and case studies. Asking the agency to provide proof and examples of their work is a great addition to your typical Google research for reviews.
Storyblok’s website is an excellent resource for your research, too. Our Case Studies are a great example of how our partner agencies have used Storyblok, in addition to other service firms, to help their clients achieve their digital goals.

Step #5: Dive-in and Get a Taste of It

Scheduling a meeting with your top choices is an excellent opportunity to get to know the team and set the right expectations for both you and the agency. It’s important to feel comfortable with the team and to have good communication from the beginning, as you will be working with them extensively in the future. Do not ignore red flags and address any issues that may arise before signing a contract.

Key Takeaways

Selecting the right agency for your upcoming project should be done with careful consideration. Once you sign a contract you are committed to the agency for the life of your project. Therefore, aim to find an agency that can add value to your brand by meeting your expectations and fitting into your budget.
Lastly, we invite you to explore Storyblok’s Partner Program and get in touch with our partner team to get a good understanding of our agency partnerships and see for yourself why choosing one of our certified partners will provide you with the support you need to realize your next project.