When selecting a marketing agency, decision-makers evaluate two key types of factors: Hygiene and Chemical. Each of these factors plays a distinct role during different stages of the selection process, influencing who makes it onto the shortlist and, ultimately, who secures the contract. Let’s explore how Hygiene and Chemical factors impact the journey of selecting a marketing agency and why highlighting them effectively is essential.
Hygiene Factors: The Basics for Selection
When clients start selecting a marketing agency, they focus on foundational, practical criteria—these are the Hygiene factors. They help answer fundamental questions such as, “What services do I need?” “Where is the agency located?” “Does the agency have experience in my sector?” “Are they working for competitors?” Such questions help clients determine whether an agency meets baseline requirements and if they should be considered.
Hygiene factors may seem basic, but they are non-negotiable. Failing to meet a client’s Hygiene criteria can eliminate an agency from further consideration. For example, if a company is set on agencies with experience in a niche industry, they will immediately exclude agencies lacking that background, no matter how impressive their creative work. Hygiene factors serve as the threshold for eligibility; they get you in the door but don’t necessarily make you stand out when clients are selecting a marketing agency.
Chemical Factors: The Differentiators
Once an agency has passed the initial Hygiene screening, the Chemical factors come into play. At this point in selecting a marketing agency, clients are looking for something deeper: “Do I like their creative style?” “Do I feel cultural alignment?” “Do I like the team as people?” “Does their philosophy resonate with me?” These questions are less about technical requirements and more about interpersonal fit.
Chemical factors go beyond qualifications and focus on compatibility, personality, and values. Agencies that stand out on these fronts are more likely to make a lasting impression and win clients over. When selecting a marketing agency, it is often these Chemical factors that seal the final decision, as they showcase the agency’s essence and align with the client’s vision. But to even reach this stage, an agency must first pass the Hygiene test.
Why Agencies Overlook Hygiene Factors—and the Risks
Despite their importance, many agencies hide their Hygiene factors or fail to emphasize them clearly. Clients and intermediaries often visit agency websites anonymously, looking for key information that matches their Hygiene criteria. If they can’t find what they need quickly, they’re unlikely to reach out and ask. Clients rarely call to inform an agency they’re evaluating partners—instead, they quietly move on to the next candidate when selecting a marketing agency.
Agencies frequently assume that clients will contact them if interested, but this is rarely the case. Clients usually prefer to keep their search discreet, especially if they’re considering replacing an existing agency. If an agency’s website doesn’t visibly address the client’s Hygiene factors, even a perfect match could be overlooked in the early stages of selecting a marketing agency.
Ensuring Your Website is Selection-Ready
Agencies should evaluate their online presence, especially their websites, through the eyes of clients who are selecting a marketing agency. Is it easy to find information about your location, size, industry experience, and services? Does your website clearly present the factors that would qualify you for a prospective client’s shortlist? If not, it’s time to make changes. Prioritizing Hygiene factors ensures you won’t miss out on consideration and enables clients to move you to the Chemical phase, where the true connection in selecting a marketing agency happens.
