6 Reasons Zoe Marketing Agency May Be a Bad Fit for Your Business

Are you happy with your marketing agency? Do you want to be? In at least one industry, 22% of businesses reported being “very happy” with their agency, while 78% saw “room for improvement.”

Marketing is a big investment, and it helps to know if it’s a good or bad fit for you from the start. While there’s no guarantee, you should at least know some key factors going in.

That’s our philosophy at Zoe Marketing & Communications. We’ve spent 35+ years helping companies around metro Detroit and Chicagoland reach their marketing goals. But we’re not for everyone. And we believe you should know if we’re not a great match up front.

In this blog, we’ll cover 6 key reasons Zoe could be a bad fit for you, including:

• You don’t have the time to understand how marketing works
• You’re looking for a la carte services or to “place an order”
• You don’t have a marketing budget
• You have a large corporation or startup business
• You’re unable to commit to at least six months
• You don’t feel content is important long-term

You’ll walk away with a clear understanding of whether Zoe might work for you. And, bonus: you’ll get a solid list of considerations to “shop around” with other agencies.

1. You don’t have the time to understand how marketing works

Some businesses have dabbled in marketing, others have some experience, and others still have no experience. In any case, working with an agency is a collaboration that takes two.

It all starts with understanding how your marketing works. What are your goals? Who are you trying to reach? From there, it’s about:

• Determining the best tactics for the job
• Have a realistic sense of how long these tactics will take
• Making informed adjustments over time

At Zoe, we strive to educate businesses every step of the way. Without this foundational understanding, there’s a risk of getting frustrated and feeling like something “isn’t working.” That’s exactly where you don’t want to be when investing in marketing.

If you want to “set and forget” your marketing, Zoe won’t be a good fit for you.

2. You’re looking for a la carte services or to ‘place an order’

It’s common to have a sense of what you want your marketing services to look like. Maybe you want SEM or PPC. Or you might have your sights set on SEO, blogging or social media ads.

And one of those things may perform really well for you. But the reality is, it’s hard to know for sure without testing. And the odds are good “just one” won’t get the job done.

A holistic mix of tactics tailored to your goals is at the heart of Zoe’s philosophy. That’s why our marketing plans offer a blend of services.

Zoe isn’t a match if you want to place an “a la carte”-style order for only one or two services.

3. You don’t have a marketing budget

So often, marketing budgets are stretched thin or, worse, on the chopping block, especially when times get tight. And marketing is especially important in tough times.

That said, having a marketing budget at all is essential. More specifically, one that’s consistent. Ideally, your marketing budget grows over time as your business grows. But the key is it’s never cut out. Effective marketing is foundational — not a faucet that’s turned on or off. Otherwise, it doesn’t get results.

That’s why Zoe’s pricing plans have monthly minimums to ensure those results. We won’t meet your needs if these minimum spends don’t complement your budget.

4. You have a large corporation or startup business

Marketing needs can vary by company size. In particular:

• Bigger corporate businesses have extensive reach and need a robust, rigorous variety of tactics.
• On the other end of the spectrum, startups tend to need substantial brand development and can have more flux to their budgets.

At Zoe, we want to make sure we can meet your needs. Our experience and success run deepest with established small- to mid-sized companies, especially in localized regions.

We’re likely not for you if you’re a large national corporation or startup.

5. You’re unable to commit to at least six months

The desire to see results fast can be strong, but quality marketing takes time. It helps to break down the process. Some factors at play:

• Onboarding and setting up campaigns take several weeks
• It often takes take months for campaigns to build traction
• Brand awareness takes time (i.e., people are seeing your message in multiple places)
• Optimizing campaigns to reach your audience requires testing, adjusting and more time
• Tracking data and performance over longer periods gives more insight into what’s effective

It also ties back to the idea that marketing is fundamental. It’s less effective when flipped “on” or “off” for short periods. The best-performing campaigns start at six months and grow from there.

Zoe isn’t going to be the right fit if a half-year commitment isn’t realistic for you.

6. You don’t feel content is important long-term

Whether it’s blogs, sponsored articles or web pages and emails, content is a key marketing piece. Content drives engagement, fosters brand authority and creates meaningful connections with your audience.

At Zoe, we have extensive roots in content. And we believe content is essential to long-term business growth. Of our three marketing plans, two include content marketing options.

It’s important to note that content might not be right for every business. In these cases, our agency might be a match for the short term but likely won’t meet your needs in the future.

Next steps to finding a marketing strategy that works for you

Finding the right marketing agency can feel overwhelming. And the worry over choosing the wrong one is real. This is especially true if you’re new to using an agency or if an agency didn’t align with you in the past.

Now that you’ve learned 6 reasons Zoe Marketing & Communications might not work for you, it’s time to keep learning and get closer to a decision.

Think we may work well together? Talk to us. Zoe’s marketing experts can help you determine whether we’re the right path to meet your goals.

Not so sure? Learn more about full-funnel marketing to understand what you’ll need to grow your business. And get another helpful reality check by learning the disadvantages of using marketing agencies.