Choosing the right inbound marketing agency isn’t something an organization should take lightly, as there are a lot of really great options out there (especially when it comes to HubSpot partners). However, not all agencies are created equal—and even ones who are equally effective might not be the right fit for your business.

Most marketing agencies will be on top of their game, claiming to have mastered digital marketing services. The claim may be valid, but beware, there's a fine line between trendy and truthful. Website design, email marketing, and social media campaigns are all fundamental services of inbound marketing agencies; however, they're just simply marketing tactics. To effectively implement inbound marketing, you need an agency with a comprehensive, strategic program in place. 

Many marketing departments are faced with a similar problem. The reality that the field of marketing is ever-evolving (and ever-growing with responsibilities). The problem comes when the responsibilities continue to grow, but your marketing department is only one department, and the team is not able to carry the massive load it takes to be successful with the marketing strategy. With that said, finding an agency partner to assist your marketing team can be the perfect solution.

At LeadG2, we take pride in our ability to work seamlessly in conjunction with your marketing department and come alongside our partners as an extension of their core marketing team. Any quality marketing agency partner should fill a void and take on responsibilities as part of the core team. So how do we do it, you ask?

Occasionally we get the question, "Well, why do we need an inbound marketing agency if we have an in-house marketing department?" Good question. 

Inbound marketing agencies should not be competing with marketing departments; they should be partnering with them. This is how we do business differently at LeadG2. In fact, marketing and sales directors love us! We are an extension and an arm of their in-house marketing team that allows us to focus on areas we are experts in, and allows the marketing team to complete other vital marketing tasks. 

Market specialization is becoming a more prevalent business strategy for marketing agencies. With this strategy, the marketing agency makes a conscious decision to only support the unique marketing requirements of a particular industry or niche. From the client's perspective, they hope they can leverage the experience and key learnings of other similar companies. They feel like they won’t have to be a guinea pig or recreate the wheel. From the agency perspective, it is typically a marketing and branding play. It allows them to fine-tune their positioning as a subject matter expert and thought leader.  

Whether you’re looking to hire someone inside or outside of your company to run your inbound marketing, there are some specific traits, talents, and skills I’ve found over the years that can better set your company up for success if the candidate has them.

This is certainly not an exhaustive list, but it can help you identify the right partner or hire when making this important decision. It can also help you determine if hiring internally or finding a partner might be better for your needs.