Even after 10 years in the medical marketing niche, we’re surprised to see so many marketing agencies locking their clients into 1+ year agreements for marketing services. Put simply, we’ve never done that and never will. While contracts can have their place to put in writing what has been agreed to, longer term marketing contracts, at least in our eyes, are just bad business.
Contracts vs. Relationships
Here’s how we look at it. Let’s say you go on a first date. Before the appetizers even hit the table, would you be ready to get married? If so, we respectfully request you reassess your dating standards. The fact is that no one is going to get married after a first date. We look at the client/agency relationship in the same light. It’s not natural or fair to lock a client in before work even stars if you want to form a lasting relationship.
And relationships are what we’re after with our clients. All of our clients choose to do business with us, and continue to make that choice every month. If it’s no longer a good fit for them (or for us) we’re free to have that discussion and make a change. It’s built into our marketing services agreement and we even have a “break up promise” to ensure that no clients feel they’re held captive.
Bucking the Trend
The world is going in the direction of pay-as-you-go and in our opinion, more marketing companies should be following suit. Remember when cell phone carriers all required at least a 1 year commitment? Now consumers have dozens of good options for monthly plans that give them flexibility at an affordable price. Everyone hated being stuck in phone contracts and the market responded.
We don’t think too many doctors want to be in long-term marketing contracts. After all, what’s the benefit? There’s certainly a benefit for the marketing agency – guaranteed revenue. But we just don’t see any discernible advantage for clients to be locked in with a marketing company for the long haul. More likely, the contract term gets thrown into the fine print or glossed over during the sales pitch. Again, that’s just bad business.
Longer Term Results
So let’s say you’re with a more progressive agency that hasn’t locked you into a contract. If they don’t deliver results in a couple months, you can just jump ship to something better – right?
Not so fast. Even if you don’t have a long-term contract, you still need to establish reasonable expectations and timeframes with your marketing firm. The benefits of some types of online marketing work might not be seen immediately (especially for medical SEO/SEM), while other efforts such as PPC or social engagement campaigns should deliver results more quickly. Even if you’re not locked in, it’s critical to have ongoing conversations with your marketing agency about what to expect when and next steps can be implemented if the desired results aren’t seen within that timeframe.
Getting Your Freedom
If you’re stuck in a contract and want out:
- Take a look at what you signed. Or better yet, have your legal counsel review to see what options you have.
- Talk with the account manager at your marketing agency about your options. Raise the concern up in the company if necessary.
- If you are 6 months or less away from your contract end date, start shopping for a new vendor. It will take a few months to find a new agency and make the switch.
- For every vendor, look carefully at their proposals and review their service agreements before signing. No sense getting burned twice.
One wildcard we’ll mention is whether your current agency will “play nice” with a new vendor. Some will help to get a transition going ahead of your contract end date. Others won’t lift a finger until the day your contract has expired. We recommend to expect the best and plan for the worst, and soon the contract will be over and a (hopefully) more productive marketing relationship with a new agency can begin.