Who doesn’t love a good movie? If you are like the majority of people out there, you go to the movie theater a few times a year. As a matter of fact, on average, an American catches about 4 movies a yeara. Then there are people like me who are the ones raising that average. It is not uncommon for me to go to 4 movies in a month.

Now, I don’t mean to brag, but I have a lot of authority to talk on this subject. I was a Television and Film minor in college. So I am basically an expert on all things movies.

I have a rule when I go to the movies. If I can’t make it for the previews before the actual movie, I won’t go. It is a HUGE pet peeve of mine. I cannot miss the trailers. I love trailers. Trailers provide excitement and anticipation for the awesomeness that awaits at some point in the future for me.

There is a big problem with trailers though. Sometimes, the trailers are amazing. Sometimes they aren’t. Trailers are manipulated to make a movie look as amazing as possible and entice people to want to see it. This is the goal, whether the movie is good or bad.

Check the original trailer for Ridley Scott’s Prometheus:

 

 

If you didn’t see Prometheus, it looks amazing, doesn’t it? I remember watching this trailer in 2012, and was genuinely excited. First off, Ridley Scott has put out some amazing movies. Secondly, the movie just looks awesome. It has it all, space travel, suspense, aliens, adventure, origins of man, I mean, everything. Everyone was excited for it.

Wow, did this movie fail miserably. It was a giant turd of a movie. The plot has holes big enough to fly a spaceship through. As one YouTube user commented, “This was the most beautiful movie I ever wanted to punch in the face.”

But hey, the trailer fooled us.

Another example: Star Wars Episode 1: The Phantom Menace

 

 

It had been 16 years since Return of the Jedi. When Star Wars was first released in 1979, it blew everyone’s mind. This was a revolutionary movie that was so advanced for its time, in terms of special effects, it literally changed the course of the cinematic world.

Then Episode 1 happened. The trailer was released. Everyone was so giddy they could barely contain themselves.

What a monumental letdown. What was George Lucas’s answer on how follow up his original special effects wonder? If he threw more special effects at this movie, it has to be better, right? Wrong! From the acting, to the story, and the orgy of effects, everything was bad. Then there is the whole thing with Jar-Jar Binks. What was that? I’m not even going to give that topic any more time that it deserves.

I Digress. Basically, there are examples galore of great trailers for horrible movies. And how annoying is this? You are all primed to be blown away with awesomeness, and then you are let down on an epic level! (Yes, it always seems way more dramatic of a letdown than it really is.)

This isn’t always the case though. Sometimes you have amazing trailers that lead to amazing movies (e.g. The Dark Knight) and poorly done trailers for really good movies (e.g., Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind). The trailers can often times misrepresent the actual merits of the movie.

 

What does this have to do with digital marketing?

Finding the correct agency is like checking out the trailer to a movie. You sit back and get pitched on their products and services and what they offer. You get this little tidbit of information, and you have to make a decision on which one to go with in the future.

Imagine you have some time on Saturday night and you want to go see a movie. The problem is, you only have time to see one movie. What if there are 4 viable options for movies you want to see?

This is what happens when a company tries to find a digital agency. They have one slot open, and, in many cases, several viable options. So what are the steps to decide? How does one decide?

 

• • The Trailer – this is the pitch. Basically, an agency takes everything that it does, all (or most) of its offerings, and put it together in a really nice package to make it seem as desirable as possible.

 

• • The Research – how you decide where to go. One you have seen all the pitches (aka, watched all the trailers), you have to determine which one you are going to commit to. You have to do your due diligence. Maybe you look up professional reviews, go online and see what others are saying about it, and even go through all of the “facts” and see which you are going to commit to.

 

• The Feature – choosing the agency. Based on all the information you have, it is time to put it all together, and commit to one of the features. Hopefully you make the right choice, because whether you do or not, you are stuck with them. At least for a while.

 

No matter what, the ultimate goal is this: to find the right agency, at the right time, who fit’s the goals and needs of your company.

Remember that an agency should be viewed as a partner, someone you work with not constantly battling for any number or reasons.

So how do you make sure your company is not fooled by the trailer (pitch) of a company?
Like most things in life, there is no surefire way to guarantee you will make the best decision. You have to make the best decision possible based on the information you have. Some of this information will be provided to you by the particular agencies, some of the information will need to come from your own research. But no matter what, the more information you have will lead the making the decision easier.

 

What to keep in mind when deciding

1. Where your company currently stands in the digital space.

• Do you have an established digital presence or are you in the early stages?
• What is the purpose of your digital presence?
• What goals are you trying to obtain?

 

2. What type of agency do you need?

• Do you need an agency that can cover all things digital? Or do you need one who specializes in specific areas, like SEM, SEO, etc.?
• What are the agencies capabilities in meeting these needs?

 

3. What are your growth goals?

• Don’t just look at your needs now, but with growth goals, what are potential needs that your company might need. Does the agency you are looking into provide these services if they will be needed?
• Will the agency provide meaningful and possible suggestions that help your company grow in new and forward thinking avenues?
• Do you feel comfortable enough with the agency to where you can push them and they can push you to be better?

 

4. What type of chemistry does your team have with the agency? (This is one I can not stress enough.)

• Do you feel like you can have a solid relationship with the team?
• Are these people you feel you can have open and honest conversation with at all times?
• Do you feel that the agency has the best intentions for you and your company and not have a hidden agenda behind why they are doing things?
• Does the team appear to be too pushy or salesy
• Does the team listen to you and your (the company’s) needs?

 

These are just some ideas to keep in mind. There are unique questions that every company needs answered from their agency. But make sure you consider all of those before you decide. And, please, do not underestimate the value of chemistry with your agency. This will save you headaches down the line.

Do your due diligence in fact finding, ask the right questions, and you will limit your chances of being duped by a trailer (pitch) that might steer you away from finding the perfect movie (agency).