Finding the Best Digital Marketing Agency for Your Business
Chris Mulvaney is the CEO of CMDS. I make things... I’m the creative entrepreneur with passion for (re)making brands and inventing solutions to problems no one knows exist.
How Do I Find the Best Digital Marketing Agency for My Business?
Your digital brand is the best tool you have to reach new customers in a world that increasingly relies on the Internet. A company with a clearly defined online image has a better chance of making an impact on consumers, which is exactly why you need to find the best digital marketing agency for your business.
This is not a decision to be made lightly. Your company’s reputation is at stake, and knowing how to find the best digital marketing agency for your company is extremely important. You have to feel comfortable with everything about the agency, from the people who work there to the way in which it operates. To be sure you have found the best digital marketing agency, ask yourself a few simple questions:
Who Will Be Working on My Projects?
Try to learn the specifics about the digital marketing agency and specifically who will be working on projects for your company to determine if they are the best fit for you. Will everyone at the agency share the load or will particular employees be assigned to your projects? Get to know the individual or team assigned to your account and ask about their individual qualifications and specific experience. Also, make sure you know whom to call when you need a specific question answered.
How Big is the Agency?
There are advantages to both large and small digital marketing agencies. If the agency is too large, your project could get lost in the shuffle or de-prioritized and handed off to junior, inexperienced staff. Oftentimes the account management fees are at a premium and not necessarily commensurate with the level of service delivered.
If you go with a smaller digital marketing agency, ensuring that the team has the experience and bandwidth to properly and effectively service your account is paramount. Make sure the agency is legitimate and has proven results by thoroughly checking their references and existing clients. Find out whether they outsource the majority of their work or if they handle most of the work internally. Ask to meet in person at the agency’s office to get a better idea of how it operates.
What Kind of Data Does the Agency Collect?
You need to be able to gauge the effectiveness of any potential digital marketing agency. Ask how they collect data and what kind of data they collect. Get as specific as possible and don’t be fooled by industry jargon that is not backed by evidence. A good marketing agency will be able to measure performance in a variety of areas like direct traffic visits, bounce rate, average visit duration, organic traffic and top keywords for your website. An even better agency will try to quantify their results by communicating with you and trying to keep track of lead generation, converted sales and how much your business has improved or grown based on your specific marketing strategy.
What Services Does the Agency Provide?
Is this agency a one-stop shop for all of your marketing and design needs? Don’t just assume that an agency can do it all. Inquire about the services they provide and which ones they think will work best for your business. Every business is unique and deserves personalized solutions, and the right digital marketing agency will be able to craft an integrated marketing strategy that best accomplishes your goals. A holistic agency is almost always better than using 3 or 4 agencies for different tasks, so that you benefit from a cohesive marketing effort.
You Get What You Pay For
Most importantly, when you do find the best digital marketing agency for your business, don’t try to cut costs by going with your second or third best option. Your company will be sacrificing quality and potentially losing out on business. When you find the best digital marketing agency, give them the chance to put their strategy in place and pay them appropriately to do so. You want them to be focusing on giving you the best service possible and how to make your dollars work harder, not about how little they are getting paid.
Most importantly, when you do find the best digital marketing agency for your business, don’t try to cut costs by going with your second or third best option. Your company will be sacrificing quality and potentially losing out on business. Give them the chance to put their strategy in place and pay them appropriately to do so. You want them to be focusing on giving you the best service possible and how to make your dollars work harder, not about how little they are getting paid.
