When you’re just getting started with your marketing, choosing an agency can feel like walking into the lion’s den. After all, independent agencies thrive on their ability to be trusted advisors and consultants for businesses within their niche. They are also masters at knowing exactly how to sell themselves and their services in order to meet their monthly quota. It doesn’t matter what type of agency you choose – marketing, PR, brand consultant – they will all want a cut of your profits in exchange for their services.
Because of this dynamic, selecting the right digital marketing agency can feel like a big risk. However, it is not as risky as it might seem if you have done some research in advance and know exactly what to look for before signing any contracts or finalizing payments. In this post I will cover some key things to think about before choosing a digital marketing agency:
What is your current marketing situation?
This is one of the most important things to consider when selecting a digital marketing agency. How much money are you willing to spend? Are you currently spending any marketing money at all? If so, is it on the right channels and with the right strategies? If you currently have no marketing budget and no marketing efforts in place, then finding an agency that can start from scratch and build you a campaign from the ground up is going to be quite expensive. If you have some funds to invest in marketing but are not sure where or how to spend it, then an agency that specializes in tactical marketing campaigns in specific channels may be your best choice.
Define what you want to achieve.
Every campaign should have a goal, and every goal should be measurable. Do you want to grow your email list? Do you want to increase traffic to your website? Do you want to increase customer retention? If you are looking to grow your email list, for instance, your agency should help you develop one or more lead magnets that will incentivize subscribers to subscribe to your list and give you their email address in exchange for a valuable, freebie. ON this point don’t hide your content behind an electronic ‘gate’ though. You may be looking to increase your email list but increasing your company’s awareness with potential clients is just as important. People are not stupid, if they like what you say and do, they will find you, so don’t hide. If you are looking to increase customer retention, your agency should help you create a customer retention strategy to encourage customers to return to your website or store again and again. Your digital marketing agency must also help you track and measure your efforts so that you know how effective the campaigns are.
Know what to look for in a digital marketing agency.
Who do you trust to manage your most important marketing efforts? What do you look for in an agency? When you select a digital marketing agency to work with, you need to make sure to find one that specializes in the channels you want to focus on and is a good fit with your business. Here are some things to look for when choosing a digital marketing agency:
- Is their focus on your niche? If you are in a niche business, you want to make sure that your agency has experience working with businesses like yours. You don’t want an agency that just works with any small business; you want one that has specific knowledge and experience in your industry and market.
- Do they have experience managing your type of business? Different types of businesses have different needs, and an agency that specializes in a certain activity such as Search Engine Optimisation (SEO) or Pay Per Click (PPC) might not have the experience or skill set needed when managing a truly digital marketing campaign.
Check the company’s reputation and track record.
The easiest way to know if the agency that you are thinking about working with is a good one is to look at their track record. You can do this on review sites like Yelp and Google Reviews, but you are better advised to ask the agency if they have a case study or success story from a similar business that you can read and find out more about. You can also talk to other business owners who have used the agency and ask for references or conduct interviews with their customers. Remember though, they are only going to introduce you to clients they expect to give good reviews, so dig deeply and even ask to talk to clients that stopped working with them.
Ask for demos and showings of their work.
You can also ask for a sample of their work that you can review and analyze to see if it is what you are looking for. If they have done work for other companies in your industry, you can ask if they can send you their case studies or if they have a portfolio of their work that you can review. This is a great way to get a feel for the agency’s work and see if it is what you are looking for.
Make sure you have the same definitions of success.
The last thing you want to do is find an excellent agency, pay them a lot of money, and then expect your goals and the goals of the agency to match up perfectly. Make sure that you have the same definitions of success and that you are communicating your expectations clearly so that there are no surprises or misunderstandings down the line.
Don’t forget about your own resources!
This might seem like an odd point to make, but sometimes when you have a big marketing project on the horizon you start to forget about your own resources. If you are going to hire an agency to help you grow your business through digital marketing, why not also hire your own in-house team to support your efforts? It can be as simple as hiring an intern to help with social media or an assistant for liaison with the agency. It is important to remember that digital marketing is an investment that will help you grow your business, but it is not a magic bullet that will solve all your problems immediately and make you millions overnight. Your digital marketing campaigns will take time to produce results, so be patient and know that you will get what you pay for.
Conclusion
Choosing the right digital marketing agency can be a bit tricky, especially if you are new to the world of marketing. Luckily, there are some key things you can look for to make sure you pick the right one. Before you start picking agencies, make sure you know what your marketing situation is, what you want to achieve, and what you’re looking for in an agency. Once you have that information, it should be much easier to find the right fit for your business.