You business needs to build awareness to reach its target customers. A creative advertising agency can help you build a online or offline marketing and advertising campaign that can greatly boost your sales in this economy.

Unless you are writing an advertisement for classified ads in the local newspaper, you need a good advertising agency to create effective campaigns for you.

Consider the following while looking for an ad agency:

• First figure out what you need. If you are not clear about your goals then hire an advertising agency that can help you get some clarity.
• Keep note of the advertisements you admire. Find out who did the ad campaigns that you think are smart, creative, or have been running for a long time. Look for award winning advertisements and contact their advertising agencies.
• Initiate a conversation with ad agencies. Call them up and get a sense of chemistry and interest. Ask the ad agency if they know your brand and are aware of any issues but don’t dismiss them if they don’t know your company.
• Don't limit your search to local advertising agencies.  A local advertising company is definitely convenient but you may not find the best fit if you restrict your search by geography. It is not too difficult to communicate with an advertising agency across the country and meet a few times a year by taking a flight to their location or by inviting them to your office.
• Don't just look for agencies similar to your size. It is important to base your search of the ad agency on expertise. Size of the advertising company should not matter for you.
• Don't make industry experience a mandatory requirement. A good advertising agency has expertise in the art and science of marketing and communications. If you want fresh ideas gained from working in other industries, do not make industry experience a requirement. Don’t worry about how long it would take your ad agency to understand your business and your industry. It would be worth your time to bring your advertising agency partner up to speed.
• Invite the ad agency to your office to review a few case studies. Focus on understanding the advertising agency's thought process and how they arrive at the advertising solutions. You should learn about their creative process and see if it would be a good fit with your company and its culture.
• Don't ask for speculative work. When you ask for speculative work, ad agency generally hires a free lancer to develop it. Spec work can never give you a true picture of advertising agency's capabilities. The advertising agencies that are in high demand will not entertain request for spec work. If you are getting spec work from an advertising agency, they are probably not in much demand.
• Narrow your list to two or three advertising agencies and visit their shop. Speak with their staff, experience their culture, and go out for lunch with them. See if there is enough chemistry to work together. This is the time to ask all the tough questions about the advertising agency's past successes and failures. Is your company’s account going to fit well in their current portfolio? Does the advertising agency have the right personality and character to create what you envision?
• Sign the agreement with your top choice. List out your expectations regarding staffing, compensation and service. Ask the ad agency what is the best way to ensure a long and successful relationship? List out your expectations but give the advertising agency enough leeway to use it's creativity to find the optimal advertising solution for you.

Finding the right advertising agency is not easy. It is important to cast a wide net by comparing multiple advertising agencies before selecting the right adgency for your business needs. Remember, a bad ad agency decision can set you back years and in extreme cases may even be damaging to your brand and overall business.