You’ve got a discovery call booked with a marketing agency—you probably already know what questions you want to ask, but what should you be prepared to answer? Here are the six questions we always ask (though the phrasing might vary).

1. Who are you?

Don’t worry—we’ll do our research about your organization before the call. But “who you are” is different coming from you. Nobody knows an organization better than the people who work for it. We want to hear, from a primary source, your:

• Brand story: How did your organization start, and what drives it? 
• Services: What do you offer, and what makes your offerings unique? 
• Audience: Who are your ideal customers, and what problems do you solve for them?

This isn’t just background. It’s how we get a sense of your brand’s voice and culture, ensuring our solutions align with your culture and needs.

 2. What are you currently doing?

Before recommending a strategy, we want to know what you’re already doing—or, if you’ve done something in the past that has worked (or hasn’t). We’re establishing a baseline, and making notes about what you’ve tried, what pieces might be missing, where you’ve found success, and how we can offer support. This might include asking about:

• Channels: Are you active on social media? Running digital ads? Using email marketing? 
• Strategy: Do you have any established brand guidelines, messaging strategy, or website strategy that we can review? (We love the background!)
• Metrics: How are you tracking your success? What data is available to measure campaign effectiveness?

This is how we identify gaps and opportunities, eliminate strategies you’ve already tried, and hone in on ones that have worked or could be approached differently.

 3. What do you want?

Let’s correct a misconception—this doesn’t need a clear-cut answer. We can work with you to define the big picture, or do an audit to figure out where to even start. Your answer to this can be a defined target or a general idea of what direction you would like to go, like:

• Deliverables: A new website? A rebrand? An awareness campaign?
• End results: Establishing your brand as an industry expert? Adopting a new audience? 
• Key performance indicators (KPIs): A goal number of new recruits? A sales target? To be featured in publications? 

Again, we frequently work with clients through research and discovery workshops to help formulate their “big picture.” 

 4. What’s your budget?

We don’t need it down to the cents, but we do need a ballpark figure to work with, so we can make the most of your marketing dollars. We need:

• A budget: A range is fine to give us an idea of what resources are available.
• Prioritization: When it’s time for us to allocate the budget, or if the budget is limited, what are your highest priority projects? 

 5. What’s your timeframe?

This is crucial for planning. We’ve worked with every kind of timeline, and will let you know what we can realistically accomplish in yours. 

• Immediate needs: Do you have any upcoming product launches or events that require immediate attention?
• Prioritization: If we need to work in stages, what’s your first priority?
• Timeline flexibility: How rigid is your timeline, and are you open to adjusting expectations if necessary?
• Blackout and/or milestone dates: Are there any immovable dates—such as conferences, holidays, or program launches—that may impact the project schedule?

Knowing your timeframe allows us to forecast our available resources and set expectations for turnaround times and deadlines. 

6. What does success look like?

At the end of the project, what does a “win” mean? We want to be sure every campaign, deliverable, or research study works to get your organization closer to that success. So, we’d love to know your:

• Long-term goals: What are your organization’s long-term goals? We want to ensure our work helps you meet them.
• Desired workflow: What does a successful partnership look like? We want to make sure the process of meeting your goals there is smooth and enjoyable. 

The goal of our first meeting is to get us on the same page and moving in the same direction. Your answers to these questions will make the partnership smoother, more productive, and ultimately more successful, allowing us to hit the ground running.

Looking for a partner to work on a new initiative or project? Contact LMD.