5 red flags to look out for when choosing a communications agency

Ready to roll out a powerful communications strategy or searching for the right agency to collaborate with? We understand the challenges of finding the perfect fit, so here are our top five ‘red flags’ to consider. These will help you ensure that you partner with an agency that truly aligns with your business’s goals and values.

Whether you’re strategizing a communications plan or exploring agency options, pinpointing the ideal partner can be quite the journey. 

Having accumulated over a decade of experience (yes, 12 years!), we’ve honed our instincts for what makes a trustworthy communications agency. 

But navigating through the sea of options requires a keen eye to detect potential pitfalls. Here are five red flags that should prompt caution: 

🚩 Limited Access to Senior Experts 

They say everyone starts somewhere, but if you’re mainly interacting with junior staff and lacking access to senior guidance, it might raise concerns. Also, be cautious of titles that outpace experience. Anyone can label themselves as a strategist, director, manager, or even an engineer, but the expertise behind the title matters. 

While some possess wisdom beyond their years, seasoned senior staff and account directors bring invaluable guidance, holistic strategy, and support. Their insights, cultivated through experience, often provide comprehensive solutions. Trust your intuition here. 

🚩 Inflated Pricing 

In your quest for a quality communications agency, you’re seeking fair pricing that aligns with effort and outcomes. If an agency is offering caviar and champagne service on a shoestring budget, it’s time for scepticism. 

While quality work entails an investment, it’s a far cry from exorbitance. Expect a reasonable rate that corresponds to the high-quality work and strategic alignment your brand deserves. 

On the flip side, if the price tag seems too good to be true, it likely is. Extremely low pricing often sacrifices quality, relying on inexperienced staff or shortcuts. Quality work requires a fitting investment. 

🚩 Lack of Transparency 

Whether you’re collaborating with an IT, branding, or communications agency, transparency is paramount. Clear ROI visibility and efficient task management should be non-negotiable. 

If your agency’s reporting raises questions or tasks seem to stretch indefinitely, address the concerns. Consistent transparency should be an integral part of the partnership. When monthly retainer work contradicts reported tasks, it’s time for a conversation. Your agency should eagerly showcase their monthly accomplishments.  

🚩 Irrelevant Content 

Unfortunately, the list doesn’t end there. Next up: the content being generated. If the content doesn’t align with your brand’s voice, this raises concern. Content that doesn’t resonate with your audience, lacks coherence, contains errors, or simply misses the mark is a sign of a mismatched agency. 

🚩 Cookie-Cutter Plans 

There’s no one-size-fits-all when it comes to agency/business relationships. Some working relationships might be long term and for others, it might be more of a one-off project basis, so an agency plan needs to reflect this. If you’re about to sign on with an agency and they don’t consider your needs AND your budget, something’s not quite right. There needs to be a level of flexibility with plans – it’s a two-way street after all. 

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Hello! We’re a specialised communications, marketing and PR agency Brisbane and we’d love to help. 

With more than 100 years of combined experience in the media and communications industry, we’ve got the skills, contacts and expertise to get exposure for the stories you want to shout from the rooftops and to quash the ones you don’t.  

Get in touch here to chat all things PR, content and social media.