Choosing a Digital Marketing Agency For the Best Fit
Digital marketing becomes more and more important everyday, and finding an agency that meets all your needs is a difficult process. So before you browse for a company, you should meet internally with your team to outline everything you want to get out of an agency. This may include speaking with your C-suite, web developers, or other important members of your organization.
Authoritativeness
Let the awards and case studies of an agency speak for themselves. These are transparent examples that prove the organization has a history of success in these respective areas of Search Engine Marketing (SEM). However, if an agency doesn’t specialize in a sector of digital marketing you are interested in, then they are not worth your time and money.
Some of the more reputable marketing agencies have certified affiliations with powerful industry figures like MOZ or SEMrush. Agencies recommended from one of these highly reputable organizations will be the most reliable, but likely the most expensive. Other ways to validate a business is to confirm they are a part of the Better Business Bureau (BBB) or through 3rd party review sites like GlassDoor and Clutch. These sites can also provide insight into a company’s culture and specialties.
A “full service” digital marketing agency is capable of performing Search Engine Optimization (SEO), online advertising, social media marketing, overall marketing strategizing, email marketing, web development, and more. These services are closely related and require internal cross-department communication to ensure the consultants stay up to date with the respective services. Hiring an agency for one of these services makes it a lot easier to transition into another service if your company wants to do so.
Signs To Look For
Auditing
Many agencies will offer your business a free, low level audit that will point out some of the most obvious issues they can fix. Since they aren’t actually hired yet, there will always be more opportunities the agency can help you resolve that this initial audit won’t cover. Throughout this auditing process, you have to use your best judgment as to whether or not this agency is capable of finding and solving enough issues to justify the price of their consultations. Determining this may require some prior knowledge of and research into the potential benefits SEM can bring you.
Outsourcing
Digital marketing agencies often outsource some of their processes to third-party organizations to create more bandwidth for their consultants. Some agencies might not be willing to disclose the details of their outsourcing, but this is worth asking about in earlier conversations as it might give you some ideas for alternative solutions.
Specialization
Working with an agency that has experience in your specific industry is often beneficial. Some industries, like the political or medical fields, require specific regulations when it comes to how your content is portrayed online. An agency that understands the intricacies of your industry will, once again, save your company time and money.
Location
The geographical location of the agency you are considering to hire can be important as well. Their location could provide some specialized advantages if your business is looking to focus on local SEM.
Data
The format with which a digital marketing agency sets up reporting data and access to accounts like Google Business Profile (GBP) or Google Analytics 4 (GA4) is also important. You should inquire about who will oversee access to these accounts and if you are able to retain access to all the valuable data you accrue if your company were to quit services with the agency.
Don’t be afraid to request any metrics or data about the agency you are considering. Knowing the agency’s employee retention rate, client retention rate, or amount of clients each consultant is working with will help you decide if they are a good fit for your company’s interests.
Making The Choice Right For You
Ultimately, you can trust the experience and accolades of the agency you are considering hiring. However, it is also important to hire an adaptable team who can keep up with the ever-evolving algorithms and updates that Google and other search engines make. If you don’t have a strong level of trust for your agency, then hiring them will likely lead to anxiety and stress about the quality of their work, so be sure to do your research and ask the right questions.
