6 Guidelines for Choosing a Digital Marketing Agency

Choosing a digital marketing agency is a lot like choosing a contractor for home renovation — make sure yours knows what they’re doing.

Choosing a Digital Marketing Agency

Photo by Scott Graham on Unsplash

Like home contractors, digital marketing agencies can offer a lot of services and be an expert in none of them.

Making this mistake with your home can be costly and it can be for your business too. This post will help you in choosing a digital marketing agency that you can trust.

Hiring the right agency can help you grow your business. What’s not so simple is first finding an agency that you can trust and rely on to consistently deliver results. 

The barrier to entry in the digital marketing industry is fairly low, giving clients an overwhelming number of options. Fortunately, there are several guidelines that you can use to streamline your search and hone in on the best candidates for your individual needs.

Here’s what you need to know when choosing a digital marketing agency. 

1. Establish Your Objectives

In most cases, an agency specializes in one or two main areas, be it SEO, PPC, content, or social media to name a few. While some might classify themselves as “full service,” they usually prefer taking on projects within their specialty. It, therefore, makes sense to start by identifying your goals and what you aim to accomplish. 

For instance, let’s say you’re primarily interested in building up your blog. Perhaps you want it to run on autopilot to keep attracting leads to your website. If that’s your goal, you should be looking for companies that focus on content marketing or have it as one of their specialties. 

By establishing your objectives first, you also save time as you’ll be able to clearly communicate what you want to an agency so that they can immediately determine whether or not they’re the right fit. 

2. Browse Their Portfolio

The best digital marketing agencies are proud of their clients and the work they’ve done for them. When you’re looking around, always check the portfolios of each company you come across. At the very least, there should be a visible list of previous clients and examples of projects the agency has been part of. 

If there’s nothing, the agency either hasn’t done much work or is still in the process of setting up its site. In any case, sticking to companies with proven experience is a safer bet. Case studies, testimonials, and reviews are also useful sources of information. Remember to prioritize agencies whose portfolios align with your requirements. 

3. Assess the Website

A well-designed website is an absolute must for any digital marketing agency. It indicates the type of work you can expect from them. If the landing page is poorly put together, takes forever to load, or is riddled with errors, you can rest assured that the quality of work the agency provides will be no better. 

How the website looks and performs is particularly important if you’re looking for web development or design services. The same is true for the written content if you’re in the market for that. 

When browsing an agency’s website, pay attention to factors such as the design, layout, ease of navigation, and content. The landing page for marketing agency Digital Strike, for example, features a striking design that doesn’t overload you with too much information. Their contact details are immediately visible, and you can quickly find out what they do. 

You’ll also notice that many agencies have case studies and an about page with the names and photos of each team member, as well as their areas of expertise and work history. This gives you an idea of their specialties and what the agency is capable of. There’s also a blog that illustrates the quality of content you can expect from them. 

4. Get in Touch With Previous Clients

While not always possible, you can learn a lot by contacting clients that the agency you’re considering has worked for in the past. This is even better if you’re able to find a client in your industry, which shows that the agency has experience with your type of business. 

You can ask the client how long they’ve been working together and what kind of results the agency has brought them. Be sure to enquire about any issues and the agency’s approach to handling those problems. 

5. Check Their Core Values and Company Culture

It’s worth taking a moment to remind yourself of your company’s core values and culture. The reason being when a marketing agency values the same things as your business, it will be much easier to work with. Your team will be able to quickly and efficiently collaborate with them while avoiding miscommunication. 

At the end of the day, the agency you work with should exist as an extension of your business as opposed to an outside entity. The last thing you want is the stress of having to deal with a team that doesn’t operate in a similar way or has different values. 

You can get an idea of the company culture and values of an agency by looking at their about page. Also, look at the way the agency communicates and describes its services. 

6. Give Them a Call

Needless to say, you shouldn’t have any trouble getting in touch with a marketing agency. This should be as easy as possible. Different agencies have different approaches here. Some simply provide their contact details, while others might require you to fill out a form to receive a custom quote or more information. 

Whichever way you manage to get in touch, there are some questions you can ask to get the details you need to decide whether the agency is worth your time and money. 

Do you outsource your work?

It’s essential that they’re transparent about who exactly will be carrying out your projects. The general rule is to stick to agencies who handle everything in-house as this prevents a number of potential issues

How do you stay on top of industry changes?

The digital marketing world is constantly and rapidly evolving. Your agency should provide regular training to keep up with new trends. 

What is your day-to-day work process?

Who will be contacting you? How do they manage projects? What kind of information will you have access to? A great agency has established systems and workflows in place to keep everything running smoothly. 

 

Don’t hesitate to ask any other questions so that you know exactly who you’ll be working with and what to expect. Now that you know what to look for, choosing a digital marketing agency that will help you instead of hurt you won’t be so challenging.