If you’ve been following this series of posts we’re creating to help companies know what to look for when choosing the right Content Marketing Agency to hire, then you know we’re on thing No. 3 to look for. And our third blog post topic focuses on the two specific things you need to ask potential agencies for: Case Studies and client references.

In the last post, we went over why you need an agency that practices what they preach. A quality content marketing agency that truly understands and practices good content marketing, for their brand and their clients, should be able to show you successful results of their content marketing efforts and provide contact information of their current (and satisfied) clients.

Case Studies

More often than not you’ll have to request case Studies from an agency. Like us, many agencies have numerous client case studies, but they don’t publish any of those case studies in full on their website. This is due to agreements most agencies make with their current clients, stating that they can’t publicly share their data, but they can share it privately.

If an agency doesn’t have any case studies, that’s a red flag. Case studies provide so many benefits to agencies. A client case study offers real-life examples of how valuable an agency’s content marketing services are and how their efforts helped their client reach their goals. Case studies establish credibility and evidence of their success through facts and figures. They tell a story—a narrative taking you through the beginning, middle and end of a client’s success story.

When you ask to see some of an agency’s case studies, ask for ones where they solved a company’s problem that relates to one you’re facing. Also, as you’re reviewing, specific things you should look for in their case studies are subject matter expertise as well as the quality and voice of the content.

Don’t be afraid of asking to see multiple case studies. Like many of their potential clients, you should want to physically see data showing they know what they’re doing rather than simply taking their word for it that their services work. Good agencies know providing case studies helps increase a potential client’s trust in their business and its services, and they should be doing all they can to earn your trust and your business.

Client References

After asking to see case studies, ask if they’re able to give you 2-3 clients who would be willing to spend a few minutes talking with you about their experience with the agency. It’s a good idea to get clients who are somewhat related to your vertical, but they don’t necessarily have to be.

Most agencies expect potential clients to make this request as further proof that they can achieve the results you want and fulfill the other promises they’ve made. They may already have a list of references ready to give you, and if they don’t, it shouldn’t take them long to send you a few.

Once you’re given the names and contact information, be sure to give the client references a call or at the least, exchange a few emails. Here are some questions to consider asking when you talk to them:

• How has your overall experience been?
• Has this agency delivered on their promises during the sales process?
• How’s the quality of the content they create for you?
• Are they good with communication and reporting? Why or why not?
• Do they listen to your wants? Needs? Goals?
• Are you treated like a client or a partner?
• Do they work like they’re a part of your internal marketing team?
• Is their thinking outside of the box?
• Do you believe they always have your best interests in mind?
• Would you recommend them to a colleague, family member or friend? Would you recommend them to me?

The content marketing agency you want to partner with should be able to fulfill both of these requests for you, and you should see nothing but solid, convincing data and hear nothing but good things from their references.

We’re only a third of the way through our blog post series of elements to look for in a compatible content marketing agency, so be sure to stay tuned for our next post.

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