So maybe you’ve finally had enough of doing all of your digital marketing yourself, and you’ve decided to go ahead and take the plunge by investing in a digital marketing agency to take some of the stress away – but now you’re faced with a new problem – how do you pick the best digital marketing agency?
The thing is, like all things in life, digital marketing agencies are not created equally. Some are suited to different types of businesses, different size businesses, different business objectives, and, well, you get the gist.
Shopping around before you make a commitment to one particular agency is incredibly important, however, as it can save you from big mistakes and overspending, as well as just being left downright disappointed with the job that’s been done.
So, what should you be looking for, or even looking out for, when you’re on the hunt for a digital marketing agency?
Have Your Own Goals in Mind
Before getting any agency on board, you’ve got to know why you want the digital marketing agency in the first place. What’s the purpose of them even being there? Do you want to scale the business? Do you have a specific number in mind when it comes to increased revenue? Do you want to solely focus on brand awareness for the moment?
That’s the overarching goal.
When you have that in mind, you can work from there with the digital marketing agency at your side. They are the ones that can tell you what strategies you should be pursuing in order to achieve your goals.
Have a Loose Plan When it Comes to Digital
Yes, you’re not expected to have all of the answers, and all of the solutions in place. But you need to understand your problems and pain points. When you get started talking to digital marketing agencies, you need to have a loose understanding of where you want to go.
Is it an increased focus on social? Do you feel your competitors have much more presence than you do on Instagram or Facebook and you want to take them on in this regard? Are there specific issues happening with your paid campaigns that you feel could be improved on? How’s your SEO looking? Does this need some specific work?
Look at Their Previous Work
Take a look at the digital marketing agency’s previous work. Are they able to share case studies with you? Look deeper into these. What size clients do they have experience working with?
What have they been able to achieve for these clients? Are they the same goals you have in mind for scaling your own growth?
What sorts of businesses have they previously worked with? Does the digital marketing agency specialise in SEO or retail/ecommerce businesses?
Location, Location, Location
Likewise, investigate where the businesses are that the digital marketing agency has previously worked with. Do they work with global or local clients?
This is important as if you’re a smaller business, you might find you are more suited to working with a local digital marketing agency. For example, if you’re a small to medium Sydney-based business, you’ll be in good hands if you were to pick a digital marketing agency in Sydney.
This is because it allows for seamless integration of the two teams as one. Even in these times of physical distancing and meetings via video, there is still an argument to be made for how great it can be to truly have the teams side by side and working with one another.
The digital marketing agency should simply be an extension of your own core team with values and goals aligned.
Be Wary
Be very careful when it comes to digital marketing agencies that are prepared to offer you the world. Huge lines like ‘get your website ranking at number one on Google in a couple of days’ will never be offered to you by the real professionals.
Trust Your Gut Instinct
When something seems to set your alarm bells off, simply steer clear. Since COVID lockdowns forced many businesses online, the number of people offering clearly dodgy deals hiding behind the guise of online anonymity has only increased.
That’s another reason it pays to look for those digital marketing agencies who are working in your local area.
As always, look for reviews and proven prior work to back up any claim made by anyone at all.
