If you’re struggling to increase your business’s online visibility, you should consider hiring a digital marketing agency. They have the tools and skills needed to help your business succeed in this competitive field. However, there are a few things to consider when choosing a digital marketing agency.
1) Services
What type of services does the digital marketing agency offer? Digital marketing is a broad term referring to the use of any digital medium — search engines, social media, email, television, mobile, etc. — to promote a business and its products or services. Therefore, different digital marketing agencies offer various services.
Some of the most common services offered by digital marketing agencies include:
- Search engine optimization (SEO)
- Pay-per-click (PPC) marketing
- Social media marketing (SMM)
- Email marketing
- Blogging
- Content marketing
- Marketing automation
- Analytics
- Website design
- Mobile app development
- Lead generation
- Reputation management
- Analytics
2) Transparency
You should also consider the agency’s transparency. If a digital marketing agency is honest, it shouldn’t have anything to hide. Therefore, it will proudly show off its talent, revealing who works for the company and what they do. On the other hand, nefarious agencies that seek to capitalize on unknowing clients will typically conceal themselves.
3) The Agency’s Website
You can tell a lot about a digital marketing agency’s abilities by looking at its website. If it features a 1990s-era design with a clunky interface and broken elements, you should probably look elsewhere for your business’s digital marketing needs. Skilled digital marketing agencies know the importance of having a professional website. Their websites are fast, responsible, mobile friendly and easy to navigate.
4) Contact Methods
What methods of contact does the agency offer? Reputable digital marketing agencies provide multiple means of communication, including phone, email, online chat, conference calling and social media. When a problem arises, you should be able to reach the agency using one of these methods efficiently. That is a stark contrast to some of the less reputable organizations, which only support email as a method of contact.
5) Pricing
Of course, you should consider the cost of services when choosing a digital marketing agency. Unfortunately, it’s often difficult to determine precisely how much a company charges for its services. That is because each client has unique needs, so agencies charge different rates depending on the amount of work and time the service requires. Once you’ve found an organization that you are interested in, contact them to inquire about pricing. Keep in mind that most agencies need clients to spend a minimum amount, which can range anywhere from $100 to $10,000.
6) Case Studies
You’ll often see case studies of previous clients’ success on a digital marketing agency’s website. These case studies provide a clear picture of the agency’s abilities. If the agency’s services yield positive results for clients, they’ll usually display this information in the form of case studies.
7) In-House vs. Outsources
Most digital marketing agencies perform at least some of their services themselves. Some, however, outsource their services to other companies or freelance workers. Partnering with a firm that outsources all or most of its services can lead to problems later down the road. A freelancer worker, for example, may use shady marketing techniques like popups and pop-unders to promote your business, unbeknownst to the agency for whom they work.
Partnering with a digital marketing agency is a smart decision that will help your business achieve its goals. Rather than choosing the first company, you find online, though, you should use the criteria mentioned here to select the agency best suited to your business’s needs.
