Marketing Agents are a bit like Real Estate Agents: they work on commission, they are only paid in the event of a sale, and it's good to find one you like and then commit to him or her for a long term relationship.
The MN Chapter is probably going to need a marketing agent. It is possible that we could go out and buy ad space or air time directly - but much like buying a house, there are pitfalls and it can get pretty complicated.
A lot of the information I have come into recently has been courtesy of Blaine Lock's agent, Tom*. He has something like 20 years of history in this region with a variety of clients - in particular, he has prior experience with non-profits.
Right now, Tom* is our only candidate. That's fine if everyone agrees - but all suggestions are welcome. The commitment isn't contractually binding, but we still shouldn't undertake it lightly.
It may be advisable to interview other marketing agents in order to corroborate some of Tom*'s advice and to make sure that we are making informed decisions. Then again, we're also pretty fond of networking in the organization and we would be acting on a recommendation from one of our members.
This issue will stay open for the summer - we'll accept suggestions for a couple of months at least and put it to a vote no sooner than September.
You can tell I'm smack on the fence about this - anyone who has any experience with ad agents or with advertising in general should chip in here.
*I also don't know what internet/blog etiquette says about using last names in semi public places - so for now, I'm leaving them off to play it safe.
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