These days, savvy digital marketing can go a long way for companies big and small. Mom-and-pop businesses can often benefit just as much from digital marketing as tech giants. By getting the right digital advertising services and building a digital strategy, you can supercharge your efforts.
When hiring digital marketing companies, you should find companies that charge by performance rather than just upfront fees. It’s also smart to check out some business marketing for beginners’ books and websites so you can learn the lingo of the industry.
Many companies that use digital marketing enjoy higher sales not just online, but also at brick-and-mortar locations. That said, digital marketing strategies can vary a lot depending on the industry. A restaurant needs a different digital marketing strategy than say a doctor’s office. It’s wise to find agency marketing services that have experience in your industry.
Ultimately, a strong track record of success may be the most important indicator when considering different digital marketing agencies. Knowledge is vital too, however, and less experienced digital marketing professionals can still deliver a great return on your investment.
Either way, digital marketing is now a must for most if not all businesses.
It is a well-known fact that businesses who use a digital marketing agency to develop their online marketing strategy tend to outperform their competitors who attempt to manage their digital marketing strategy in-house. It makes sense. Whatever your business is, we bet you are really good at it. It’s safe to say that you know more about your industry than we do; possibly more than anyone else. However, unless your business is a digital marketing agency (in which case, we’re unsure of why you’re reading an article about choosing a digital marketing agency), you probably do not know everything their is to know about web design, and social media marketing, and search engine optimization.
When you hire a digital marketing agency to do these things for you, they do know all their is to know about it. They definitely know more than your competitors do on digital marketing, and the marriage of your knowledge of your industry and your digital marketing agency’s knowledge of digital marketing makes you an unstoppable force.
However, just because someone slaps the “Digital Marketing Agency” on their door does not make them qualified to lead your business’s online marketing strategy. The nightmares you’ve heard of businesses who spent thousands of dollars on digital marketing services and got nothing in return have this in common: they all chose the wrong digital marketing agency. We don’t want that to happen to you. To help you find the right digital marketing agency for your business, we’ve put together a list of things to look for.
Three Qualities in a Great Digital Marketing Agency
- Look for a digital marketing agency that charges by performance instead of upfront fees.
Some agencies give you a price tag for their performance upfront. If their services make zero difference for you, too bad so sad. They still got paid, what do they care?
On the other hand, some of the best digital marketing companies want to show you that they care about your success. Instead, they charge a nominal retainer rate, and make their money based on meeting the goals you mutually set in advance. When their services increase your profits, or brand awareness, or what have you, then they get a payday. They win by getting paid a little more for their successful campaign, and you win by them having the incentive to really work their tails off on your behalf. We call this a good ol’ fashioned win-win scenario.
2. Look for a digital marketing agency that has other clients like you.
Every business is unique as a snowflake, but some of the marketing strategies that are successful for a business that is similar to yours in nature and size will likely be successful for you as well.
We aren’t saying that you should find marketing agencies that represent your competitors. Obviously, that would be a conflict of interest. However, if you are a business-to-business company, using a digital marketing service who mostly works with business-to-customer companies might not understand what techniques would work best for you. You want to look for a digital marketing agency that has clients that face similar challenges and opportunities that you do.
Before hiring a digital marketing agency, ask for some referrals from other clients they work with like you. If they’re willing to share it with you, ask to see their client roster; if your company feels like a “one of these is not like the other” situation in comparison, this might not be the right agency for you.
3. Look for a digital marketing agency that has a track record of success.
The sales person who tries to get your account on behalf of a digital marketing agency is going to say whatever needs to be said to win your heart over. However, proven success cannot be faked. Ask them for case studies from some of their similar clients, particularly showing how they fared over a long span of time. Ask if you can speak with other clients that use their services. A happy review from a satisfied customer is a great indication that your business is in the right hands.
Do you have any other tips for finding the right digital marketing agency? Please share your input in the comment section below.