Finding the right digital marketing agency for your business can be a real headache. No matter what your industry, having a strong online presence is vital, which means you will have to outsource your marketing if you don’t have the resources in-house to handle it. Hiring an agency will give you the flexibility to scale your marketing efforts without worrying about expanding your team internally.
But with so many agencies to choose from and all of them offering a new take on the same old services, it can be difficult to decide what is best for your business. Before you take the plunge and choose the best digital marketing agency for your needs, consider the following tips…
Ask your network
If you are friendly with other business owners in the area, they may be able to give you pointers on which agencies to consider and which ones to avoid. With more and more digital agencies cropping up every day and every solo freelancer masquerading as a large agency, it can be difficult to sort through the hype. It’s easy to get sucked in by a flashy website and a slick on-boarding process, but you might soon learn the agency is all style and no substance. By asking for recommendations from your professional network, you can be assured you are committing to a company that has real credentials.
Define your needs
You might feel like your social media needs some work, or that your search engine presence could be improved, or even that your conversion rate needs some attention. Before you start shopping around for potential agencies, think about the services you really need. This will allow you to rule out some agencies and quickly whittle down the list.
Broad or specialist?
If you need full-service marketing, then you have a wider range of agencies to choose from. However, if you want a specific service such as SEO, then look for a company that only offers this service. The same goes for B2B and B2C agencies, as some agencies will offer both while only really excelling in one field. Once you know your needs, you can decide if a general or specialist agency is more suitable for your needs. For example, if you’re looking for a B2B marketing agency in London then a company like Agency Inc would be ideal for your needs.
Set up a meeting
Choosing a local company has its benefits as it means you can set up regular meetings to discuss the progress. Once you have narrowed down your list of potential agencies to two or three, set up meetings as a kind of fact-finding mission. Arrive at the meeting armed with questions but be ready to listen. It can be overwhelming to start with as you will be determined to ask all of your questions, but paying close attention to the answers will help you decide if they can really deliver results or if they are all talk.
Do your background research
Before settling on an agency, make sure that you have done full background research on the company. This includes checking their social media profiles and checking the work they do for their own brand. If their own social media marketing looks a little amateur, it might make you wonder if they are really the right choice to manage your own social media marketing. A lot of companies will have a portfolio section of their site, but they often brag about the biggest clients that they may have only worked with for a short time. Ask to see examples of their recent work before making a final decision.
When it comes to hiring your ideal digital marketing agency, it’s important to do your research and trust your instincts. Digital marketing often isn’t cheap so you don’t want to be handing over money to an agency that doesn’t understand your company and isn’t going to put your best interests first.
Always look for an agency that offers an introductory period so that you can quickly go your separate ways if things aren’t working out. If you aren’t seeing enough progress and aren’t happy with the results after three months, it might be time to start the process again and see who else is out there.
