I saw a post on Twitter the other day that made me raise an eyebrow. I’m paraphrasing here, but basically the author said “Agencies are a waste of time. And don’t tell me you’ve analyzed the ROI of your work, because you’re making it up.”

Ouch. So is he right?

In my estimation, not entirely. In fact, I’m not a big fan of blanket generalizations of any kind. I spent over a decade in both corporate and non-profit marketing, and I’ve worked with my share of agencies (good and bad). So let me explain what I think a Good Agency of any stripe – PR, marketing, web, and yes, social media – can do for a company.

1) They bring fresh eyes and ears to a problem.

There’s something to be said for drinking your own kool-aid. I remember well the days of working as a corporate marketing director, and its really easy to look at your challenge from the same point of view all the time. Bringing in a good agency for your project can help you see the entire thing with fresh, outside and objective eyes – not just because there are fees in it for them. In fact, that brings me to my next point…

2) They’ll tell you when they can’t help you.

There are times when embarking on a new website project or PR campaign or systems overhaul is NOT a good idea. Some projects require ample resources, or a culture shift, or an investment of manpower that a company can’t afford. Some brands aren’t ready for social media, because they need some more fundamental pieces in place first (or their audience isn’t online in the first place). A Good Agency should be willing to walk away from a potential project and advise their prospective client on why it’s not a good fit for them right now. Good Agencies know that when the time is right, they’ve built a relationship with a company who will seek them out first.

This same concept applies to agencies that are asked to do a project that they can’t do well. An advertising agency being asked to do a website project, for instance, if that’s not what they do. Good Agencies will introduce you to a partner that CAN help you, and resist the urge to take on a project that is bound to leave both parties unsatisfied. They’ll know that when the project is the right fit, you’ll call them.

3) They don’t gold plate their fees.

I’m probably going to catch flak for this, but that’s ok. If your agency charges you every darn time you pick up the phone and call them, who are they in this for? I’m not suggesting that their time isn’t valuable (I do this for a living too), but for heaven’s sake. Building value for a company is as much about building a relationship and earning their trust as an advisor. How can you do that if you milk them for every time you send an email or pick up the phone (think of how you feel about lawyers)? They won’t want to call you, which stifles your ability to truly help them when they probably need you most. I’m a big proponent of building a reasonable flat project fee for this reason alone. Good Agencies know that nickel and dime fees don’t work, and tend to engender mistrust (“Crap, I have a question about this campaign, but I wonder if they’re going to charge me if I call…?”).

4) They care about your business.

Think this goes without saying? Think again. Good Agencies are in their business for a reason: helping other businesses succeed. Christina Kerley nailed it when she said that Good Agencies are truly interested in what you’re doing, which to me means taking the time to learn more about you, both as a business and as a person. They’re curious, enthusiastic, and keep their eye on the ball. It’s obvious when they like their jobs, and believe in what they can do for you.

And CK also agrees with me that patience is key when things get crazy, as they inevitably do. Good Agencies can go with the flow a bit, and are understanding when the rest of your business sometimes railroads the project at hand.

5) They draw upon their experience, even across industries.

Gavin Heaton says that Good Agencies can suggest ideas that have worked elsewhere to open up great doors and ideas for other, directly relevant solutions. Not only does that mean they think creatively, but that they think strategically and widely enough to contemplate solutions that may not ever have occurred to you. Good Agencies learn like you do, through experience, and they bring to you the benefit of that experience and the lessons they’ve gathered along the way.

6) They can point to the results of their work.

Results are key. Period. But there are two sides to any achievement: The Goal and The Results. Understanding exactly what you want out of your work with your agency is paramount. Is it brand equity? Sales leads? Contacts? Recognition or Awards? Pure visibility? Website traffic? More reliable network infrastructure? Not every positive result has to have a direct or immediate line to revenue, but you do need to know how you’re going to measure success when the project is complete. A Good Agency will not only help you achieve the results you want, but they’ll help you frame the goals and the measures of success in a way that makes the best sense for your business. Don’t settle for irrelevant metrics.

Bonus: They can take constructive criticism.

Lisa Trosien pointed out something that I hadn’t thought of, but really makes sense. She said she was able to point out what she didn’t like about what her agency brought to the table, and instead of getting defensive, they responded by asking for specifics about how to improve it. Good Agencies are here to help your business, and they want to make you happy. It’s in their best interest to be open minded to critiques and offer thoughtful responses in order to continue demonstrating that they’re in this for the ultimate goal: results.

The upshot is that I’ll concede that there are crappy agencies out there. There are peddlers of BS and scam artists and just plain incompetent idiots calling themselves agencies. And this isn’t new: there has been ineptness as long as there has been excellence in business. And it’ll continue that way.

But there are Good Agencies out there dedicated to doing what they do for the benefit of your business, and to producing results – either tangible or intangible – that are valuable to you. And an investment in a good agency can pay dividends long after your project is complete when you’ve learned a little something along the way.

What has your experience been with agencies? What’s made them an asset to you, and where have they gone wrong? Let us know in the comments so we can all learn a little something.

image by Helico