How to Find a Top-Notch
Digital Marketing Agency
A Good Agency Will Help You Achieve Your Business Objectives for a Fraction of the Cost of Traditional Tactics
Congratulations! Your business has grown enough that you’re looking to partner with a digital marketing agency for services like display ads, geofencing, OTT and out-of-home video, social media management, search engine optimization, and more.
Finding the right agency is no easy task, but it can be less daunting when you follow these tips.
Use Google – No, Seriously
If you’re looking for a digital marketing agency with serious search engine optimization chops, then a Google search will tell you what you need to know!
Choose your marketing-related keyword, and the agency in the top few spots on the search engine results pages are probably really good at SEO. Why? They were able to get themselves on the first page, which requires expertise and knowledge of the search algorithm, metadata, keywords, and strategy.
Ask for Recommendations from Other Businesses
Your colleagues who came from other companies likely have connections to marketing agencies they previously worked with and can make recommendations. Similarly, other small business friends in your area probably have suggestions, too!
Ask around for recommendations from people you trust. Be sure to ask them about their experiences, the digital marketing services they used, and about the results they saw from their efforts.
Read Online Reviews
See what the agency’s current and former clients have to say about working with them. The easiest way to do this is to browse Google Reviews, Yelp, or similar websites.
A digital marketing agency should know when and how to respond to customer reviews – so look at what those say, too.
If you like what you see, it’s time to start talking to your potential marketing partners!
Chat with the Agency’s Experts
Once you’ve narrowed down your list of possibilities to about three agencies, it’s time to learn more about what kind of plans they’ll make for your strategy. Ask them for an analysis of your current marketing efforts and what they’d recommend to help your business grow.
Some digital marketing agencies will even provide a complimentary competitor analysis, too. This analysis will compare you to what your closest competition is doing with their marketing, so you end up with a game plan of how to surpass them with your target audience.
A good digital marketing agency won’t suggest only one service. Instead, they understand that each digital marketing tactic works together to target and retarget your audience, build brand awareness, and usher potential customers down the metaphorical marketing funnel.
Ask for Case Studies and White Papers
A top-notch digital marketing agency can show you numerous examples of when their work was highly successful for businesses like yours. Case studies that include metrics, omnichannel campaigns and strategies, and jaw-dropping results will show you exactly which agencies are up to the challenge.
Brush Up on Marketing Metrics
You’re an expert in your own industry, not necessarily in digital marketing. But having a basic understanding of marketing metrics beyond simple return on ad spend can prepare you to understand the monthly reports you should receive from your dedicated account manager and will arm you with the knowledge you need to ask educated questions when you’re reviewing your options of agencies to hire.
Your account manager should be able to talk to you at length about these metrics and what they mean for your business. When you receive your monthly report, it’s the perfect opportunity for you to talk about what’s working, what’s not, and how your approach could improve. The right digital marketing agency for your business will help you succeed.
Consider Whether They’re Winning Awards
Just as you’d want your business to earn industry recognition for your achievements, a smart digital marketing agency should have some hardware to show off. If the agencies you’re considering haven’t won anything of merit in the past year or two, it may be a sign that their tactics have gone stale.
Opt instead for a marketing agency that works hard every day to prove their value to their clients – and has award-winning results to show for their efforts.
Review Contracts and Pricing
Before finalizing your decision on which digital marketing agency to hire, look over their service contracts and pricing schedule. You may want to have your lawyer review them, too.
A good agency will be able to clearly outline their service-level agreements in their contract and describe their reasonable client expectations. A contract that is merely cursory or that doesn’t outline a specific scope of work could be a sign that the agency isn’t quite as professional as they could be.
Sign Your Agreement
When you’re feeling excited to work with a specific digital marketing agency, and you find their contract to be satisfactory, it’s time to sign on the dotted line and get started! The longer you wait to begin your digital campaigns, the more time the competition has to whiz past you.
Your time is now! Good luck!
