are 7 reasons to fire your content marketing agency

Your content marketing agency was hired in good faith.

It was your hope that they would soon produce amazing content for your business or clients.

This content will help to build brand awareness, generate more traffic and get more leads.

Your hope began to fade as you saw little or no change in awareness, traffic, search engine rankings or conversions over the months.

What’s the answer? What gives?

Do not panic. It’s not so quick.

It may be the right time to say goodbye. You might need to take a moment to reflect and then make a decision before you jump. Although content is more time-consuming than traditional marketing methods, it is also more sustainable.

These are the things you need to consider and weigh.

What is the best time to hire a content marketing agency?

1. Results are not being seen in the timeframe expected

Except for exceptional circumstances or rare cases, content marketing will not and cannot work in one week. It will not work in a month, or even a few months.

It will take several months or even a whole year to see the full ROI of content.

However, you should see the needle start to move sooner than that. In a few months, you should begin to see gains – not just incremental but nonetheless significant gains. You might want to ask questions if you don’t see any movement in any metric after six months.

Your content marketing agency should also have clear expectations about the results.

It is important to have established goals and set KPIs ( key Performance Indicators) to measure them. Then, strategize about tracking them. These should have provided you with an overview of when and how to expect ROI.

If none of the above occurred, it’s a reason to question the content agency with which you are working.

Marketing for the sake is not marketing. It is possible and desirable to expect a return on investment. Your agency should be responsible for that.

2. Your content is a constant source of error for the agency

Everyone makes mistakes. It doesn’t matter if you make mistakes again.

Let’s say, for example, that your content marketing agency creates content to promote your brand but makes a few mistakes (like linking to low-authority pages, or worse, competitors).

This could happen in the first few months of your marriage. This is something that can quickly be corrected and pointed out so it doesn’t happen again.

Your agency is making mistakes in your content even after correcting them, it’s a reason to get rid of them.

It is their job to remove all the responsibility from you. It’s their job:

• Your brand voice is important.
• Make sure you link correctly to your blogs
• Correct grammar and spelling are important.
• Use keywords appropriately.
• Produce content that you are proud of.

They may not be the right agency if they don’t pay attention to details.

3. You are dissatisfied overall with content quality

Organic search rankings are influenced by content quality. This means that you should pay attention to the quality of the content you get from the agency responsible for writing it.

Bad content can have a negative impact on brand visibility and reputation. Poor content will not rank well in search results, if any, and therefore won’t drive traffic from Google. (Click-through rates fall off the cliff above page two in a Google search.

A visitor who reads bad content is more likely to:

• Bounce.
• You will be put in the mental “do NOT trust” folder.

Goodbye, ROI.

If your content isn’t up to par, you probably have one of these problems. Bad content is:

• Poorly organized with little headings and lengthy paragraphs.
• Unfocused, irrelevant or rambling
• It is full of spelling and grammar errors.
• Loaded with factual inconsistencies and errors.
• Brand-centered (instead user-centered).
• Inadvertent search intent.
• Poorly optimized, with little or no keyword placement .
• They are not set up to lead them to their next action (using CTAs).
• External links missing to authority sites or internal links to the relevant pages on-site

You should fire your content marketing agency if you notice any of these markers frequently. They should be able to do better.

4. Content marketing agencies are not communicating well

A content marketing agency that does not communicate well will not produce great results.

Communication on your end is key to achieving your goals. It will also help you set expectations, clarify your goals, communicate with them, and understand the various stages and processes.

Without clear communication

• It is possible to feel unsure of where you are headed with content.
• It is possible that you are unsure of what is happening or when it will happen.
• It is easy to feel isolated when you are actually part of a team.

Communication red flags to be aware of include:

• No response to messages or emails, or waiting for days to get a reply.
• Asking questions and getting no or insufficient answers.
• You don’t know when you’ll be able to connect with the agency next for a review of your strategy, progress, and results.
• Their lack of transparency leads to confusion.

5. The deadlines are constantly missed by the agency

Respecting deadlines doesn’t mean publishing content on the right time or adhering to a schedule.

These are all important elements in consistent content. This is crucial to the overall success of a Content Strategy. But let’s not forget one aspect.

Respecting and taking responsibility is part of meeting deadlines. It shows respect and responsibility if you and your agency set deadlines ahead (e.g. when and how often your blog will be updated).

• Your time is respected by the agency.
• They will respect your brand.
• They are respectful of the strategy and follow it.
• They take care of your content from conception to publication.

An agency that keeps missing deadlines or offers excuses is a reason to end your relationship.

This leads us to the next point.

6. You are not treated like a partner by the agency

You need to be able to work with your content agency in order for you see the highest ROI. The entire operation will stall if each gear is not working in harmony.

Communication is one part of it, but acting as collaborators and partners at every stage of the game is another.

Take, for example:

• Do you feel that the agency you work for treats your concerns with respect?
• Are they listening well?
• Are they able to keep you informed at all times?

They don’t allow you to control the show. They are the content experts and not you. Your content marketing agency should keep you informed and involved in all aspects of the process.

You are accountable to them, and they are accountable to you. Trust is essential. You might consider changing your working relationship if you don’t feel the teamwork.

7. They may be using misleading or spammy techniques to quickly get results.

Cheating is the best way to achieve super-fast results.

Spammy tactics are still very common in content marketing today. But, they can be a trap. These are not stable gains.

They will vanish just as fast because Google is extremely finely tuned and can detect most forms of spam both through automated systems and manual action.

This could lead to a penalty on your site. It could be anything from a ranking demotion or complete removal from Google search.

You should be concerned that your content marketing agency might be using spammy methods to rank your site quickly in search. This may work temporarily, but it will eventually lead to the death of your site’s visibility.

You should dump anyone who is playing with fire and hire an ethical content agency to help you build your site’s rankings for sustainability and longevity.

What to remember Before firing content marketing agency

The job of a content marketing agency is to manage your content marketing so that you don’t have too. They will manage all aspects of content marketing, from creation and distribution to planning.

You most likely won’t be able to manage it all yourself if you hire an agency. You also expect smart strategy from the agency you hire.

You can do it! But don’t give up too soon.

Content marketing is a long-term strategy. Content marketing is not about instant wins. It’s about slow, steady gains that accumulate over time.

Although it can be frustrating at first, perseverance will pay dividends in the long-term.

Your agency should be diligent in content marketing. This means publishing frequently, communicating well and analyzing metrics. They should treat you as a partner, treat you with respect, hit deadlines, and keep you informed.

You will get the results you want.

The post 7 Things to Consider: When to Fire Your Content Marketing Agency appeared first on Search Engine Land.