The digital marketing landscape is ever-changing. Today’s average business owner does not have the time to learn about this vast and growing industry. This is why many businesses are reaching out to digital marketing agencies to help them manage their digital presence, and keep them abreast of the latest trends.
If you are also looking to hire an agency for your business’s digital marketing needs, you will have many questions about how to make sure you land on the right one for your business. The best way to pick the right agency is to use a few different indicators while carrying out your own due diligence.
Try these tips out the next time you need to choose an agency.
1. Learn more about the marketing tools they use
When you are looking for a digital marketing agency, ask them what marketing tools do they use. Marketing tools include platforms, software, and systems that can help the agency manage and optimize its marketing processes.
A digital marketing agency should be able to provide examples of the tools they use, and how you can benefit from them when it comes to managing your website and content, SEO, social media, pay-per-click advertising, email campaigns, and more.
When they tell you about the tools they use it is going to give you a good idea about how serious of an agency they are and how familiar they are with the work that needs to be done. The more tools that they use, the more likely it is that they are up to date with current trends, and it also shows that they are willing to try new things.
For example, you can ask them about the review of Oktopost and see if they have any valuable insights to share. Their knowledge about tools like Google Analytics can also tell you about the quality of the work they do. The more information the agency has about these tools, the better would their understanding be of the digital marketing landscape, and the chance that you have of finding the right match for your business needs is higher.
2. Look for the right experience and expertise
The most important thing you need to do is to look at what kind of experience the agency has had in dealing with companies like yours. If you run a clothing store, you need someone who understands fashion, but if you run an engineering firm, you need someone who knows how to market engineering services.
This does not mean that they will only have experience with engineering firms, but they should at least have experience dealing with B2B marketing or working with other businesses of your size or larger.
3. Check out their testimonials
Good testimonials are an indication of a strong business. If an agency has several positive reviews that stress how satisfied the customer was with their service, it is a solid indication that they are capable of providing you with good service as well.
However, testimonials can be tricky—you cannot completely rely on the companies to provide you with authentic testimonials. There are numerous ways in which agencies can spin their reviews, whether they are written or video testimonials.
The best way to get a clear idea of how a digital marketing agency can help your business is to ask for testimonials that are more in-depth than a typical one-or-two paragraph review.
4. Visit the website to see if it looks professional
Checking out the agency’s website is one of the first steps in selecting a digital marketing agency. If they have a well-designed, professional-looking website, then that is a great start. This means they are serious about their business, and it also shows they know how to market themselves.
A business that is willing to spend time and money creating a well-setup site indicates they’re highly professional. However, if they do not have a dedicated website, you may want to reconsider hiring them because it means they are not very serious about their business and marketing efforts.
5. Take a look at their past successes
When you are looking at potential agencies for hire, take a long, hard look at their past clients’ successes. While agencies may be able to provide you with testimonials from their current clients, it is more helpful to see how the agency has helped previous clients succeed in a variety of different industries and markets.
Make sure to ask them about the campaigns they have worked on, and what results they were able to achieve for those clients. You can even ask to see case studies of previous campaigns that they have run.
Details like this will give you an idea of how successful they were at bringing in business for their clients, and if they can deliver results that are similar to what you want to accomplish with your own company.
Trustworthy companies would happily lay out their previous work in front of you, and encourage you to talk to their previous clients so that you can learn more about them and the type of work they can deliver.
In learning about the unique challenges these companies had to face, and how the agency was able to help them overcome those, you will gain a better understanding of whether or not the agency is the right fit.
6. Ask about their certifications
Certifications are something that should be on your radar when you are looking for a digital marketing agency. A good certification will tell you whether or not an agency knows what they are doing and if they have the experience necessary to help you succeed.
Here are some of the top ones to look out for:
- Google Analytics IQ Certification
- Meta Blueprint Certification
- HubSpot Inbound Marketing Certification
These certifications are a great way for any agency to show off their experience and knowledge—and for you to find out if the agency is even worth your time.
7. Take a look at their pricing plans
A big red flag when it comes to choosing the right digital marketing agency is that most of them offer cheap packages, which is tempting to business owners who have not been exposed to the world of digital marketing before.
Once they come to know the real reason behind the lowered costs, they warm to the idea of hiring a more expensive agency for professional services.
Don’t go for the cheaper options just because they seem really affordable because they might do more harm to your business than good by cutting corners or adopting frowned-upon industry practices.
It is a fact that finding a digital marketing agency that offers both quality and affordable price is not an easy task. But the best strategy is to compare the packages of different agencies. This will give you an insight into what services they offer and what pricing structure they have.
Conclusion
Finding the right digital marketing agency can be a huge challenge. There are many choices out there, and no single option can be considered as the perfect one for all your digital marketing needs.
The key is to uncover the qualities and benefits you value most in a business and then choose those that pass this test and also come up as the best solution for the problems your business has.
A little research up front should help you find the agency that is right for your company, but keep your eyes peeled for any new comers on the scene as they might have a refreshing take on the existing problems of the digital marketing world.
