They say love is blind.
But sometimes, what’s invisible to lovers is a flashing, hot pink neon sign to the rest of us.
Exhibit A comes from an Internet thread where someone asked the question…
“What was something you noticed between the groom and bride on their wedding day that made you think ‘they shouldn’t be getting married’?”
There were some good ones…
The grandmother who noticed a brief glance between the bride and her boss. It turned out granny’s intuition was right, and the marriage was done within a year because of the affair between said bride and said boss.
A disaster of an extravagant wedding (easily $100K+). It was here the drunk groom who (after a few other incidents), during the cake-cutting ceremony, “baseball pitched the cake straight” into the bride’s face.
The evening ended with the groom outside trying to fight the bride’s brothers and dad. The marriage was annulled the next day.
Then there was the poor guy who asked this question to his church’s pre-marriage group…
“Is it strange that my fiancé sleeps with her parents all the time… even when I’m there?” 😮
There’s plenty more where these came from but those are the cream of the crop… or bottom o’ the barrel depending on your point of view 🙂
Just like these wedding disasters, there are glaring red flags in choosing a marketing agency that can predict a doomed partnership.
These aren’t a guarantee the firm is marketing vultures circling in to scavenge some fresh meat.
But, when you encounter them they should raise more red flags than a communist color guard.
So make sure you’re not blind to these 7 shady marketing agency tactics (listed in no particular order)…
1. They don’t give you full control of (or access to) your domain name, website, FB page, AdWords account, etc.
2. They want to lock you into a long-term contract.
3. You can’t talk directly to the person who’s actually working on your campaign(s).
4. They guarantee you a spot on page 1 on Google.
5. Their fees are MUCH cheaper than what everyone else charges.
6. They sent you an email telling you how horrible your site/rankings are and they can fix things for you.
7. They measure results based on website visits, Likes, clicks, etc. instead of leads and/or profits.
So, before you say ‘I do’ to a marketing agency, make sure they’re the right match for your business. Look for the signs, ask the tough questions, and choose a partner that will help your business live happily ever after.
