​​How to Choose a Digital Marketing Agency?

The past few years have seen a slow but complete elimination of traditional marketing methods. Radio, TV, and newspaper magazine advertisements have little or no space in modern business marketing. That said, if you are yet to incorporate marketing strategies in your business, you are doing a great injustice to your brand and, even worse, to your clients. Whether you are a marketing manager or a business owner, hiring a digital marketing agency is the best way to ride the new business wave. But before that, what is a digital marketing agency, and what can they do for your business?
‍

A digital marketing agency is vital in marketing your business and the products and services you offer to the digital world. They employ various marketing strategies, including search engine optimization (SEO), website design and development, paid-per-click (PPC), content marketing, email, social media marketing, etc. They will work to understand your company's unique goals and then offer analysis reports, recommendations, and marketing services that are tailored to your business's individual needs.

Why Use a Digital Marketing Agency?

The modern business world is fluid and dynamic, thereby constantly evolving. With incredible technological advancement, the world is getting more connected and quickly transitioning into a "global village." Today, up to 80% of potential customers research products online, while others rely on search engines such as Bing, Google, and Yahoo. On that note, start-up and established businesses go above and beyond to keep up with these changes and adapt their brands accordingly. Working with a marketing agency is one of the most effective ways of surviving and eventually thriving in the modern business world. It will ensure that your business remains competitive in this constantly changing landscape. Ideally,  marketing strategies bypass the old-time "let's give it a try and hope for the best" methods. On the contrary, it pays more attention to targeted marketing, lead and traffic generation, and brand awareness.

7 Key Factors of Finding the Right Digital Agency

Switching from in-house marketing and partnering with a marketing agency is a big and brilliant decision. But looking at your long list of options, you do not know how to choose the best partner to tell your brand story. An agency can make or break your brand. The impacts of a successful marketing campaign can be dramatic, so are the results of teaming up with in-experienced agents who are learning as they go. Therefore, it is crucial to take your time and ensure that you hire only the best team, which will act as loyal stewards of your brand. Maybe you are a new business owner starting on the journey. Or perhaps you are older in business and looking to hire a new marketing team. Whichever the case, here are seven key factors that will guide you in finding the perfect digital marketing agency for you:

Honest, Transparency, Good-natured Character

Like most of us, you have grown up with the saying "honesty is the best policy." But once you get to business, you might be tempted to bend or stretch such truths a little as you work to convince your potential clients to believe in your brand and make a purchase. Well, as alluring as that is, the lack of transparency in marketing can do more harm than good to your brand. In fact, studies report that most consumers place a high value on transparent and ethical marketing and advertising. Therefore, you must work with honest agencies to build and maintain the trust of prospective, current, and repeat customers.
‍

Sure, it might be quite challenging to measure a company's authenticity and good nature, especially if you are hiring them for the first time. However, there are always red flags to watch out for. Pay attention to how a company handles you, discusses their operations and costs, and how to address your questions and concerns. The company must be professional, elaborate in their explanations, and willing to answer all your questions. For instance, what do their SEO services entail? Can the team clearly define these services, or are they cunningly vague with such information? Also, you might want to request the company to connect you with a few of their previous clients for further clarification. Lastly, check out their websites and social media handles. Analyze the reviews, feedback, testimonials, and ratings from previous clients. You should be able to understand the company, find pertinent information, and learn more about it as you scroll.

‍

Industry Experience

One of the best things about hiring and working with digital marketing agencies is the confidence that you have an entire team of marketing experts at your disposal. The perfect combination of skills from SEO experts to strategists and designers can greatly value your brand. It makes it easy for you to get expertly tailored professional guidance and find reliable solutions that best work for your company. Even better, the best companies will analyze your company's current marketing strategies and efforts and provide results. For instance, perhaps you have been running a campaign for months or years. This might be something you did in a fury of inspiration, and you have been stuck on it.

Well, marketing industry is a results-oriented, meaning every strategy must bring results. Therefore, if your campaign is not generating the expected results, it needs improvement. With years of industrial experience, a digital marketing agency can help you find and incorporate the best strategies that work for your business. Do not hesitate to ask your prospective company how long they have been in business and what marketing areas they are best experienced in.

Similar Core-values and Company Structure

Value alignment is integral in all thriving relationships, including in business and agencies. Your values define what you consider good or bad and give a clear picture of what you stand for. That said, finding and hiring an agency whose business values align with your company can make the business-agency-client relationship more seamless and successful. After all, the easiest way of ensuring a good business relationship is to create a good fit between the internal and outsourced digital marketing team.

To find a company with similar values, you might want to try to define your business values, goals, and expectations. For example, do you want to make a difference, or are you more profit-oriented? Is it all about speed or perfection? Is it innovation or consistency? Answering these questions will help you understand and clearly define your company values. You can then compare them with your short-listed agencies you are considering to find your perfect match. You might also want to pay more attention to companies with complementary values as they might be more beneficial.

Review the Company's Physical Location

If yours is one of those companies that value close relationships with its shareholders, this is an essential factor for you. Sure, lots of digital agencies can work effectively even from a distance. However, there are times when a business owner or marketing manager needs more than impersonal communication. Sometimes, you might need to discuss personal issues which cannot be done through phone calls, emails, or video conferences. Besides, you trust these experts with one of your most valuable assets- your business. Therefore, it is only natural that you want to have a close connection and, once in a while, face-to-face meetings with your business partners. In that case, it might be better for you to work with agents in close geographical proximity. In addition, personal visits will make more thorough evaluations of the promised offers and the companies' ability to fulfill them. For instance, you evaluate the agencies' facilities more closely and see if they are sufficiently equipped to meet your business needs.
‍

‍

Specialization

Do not hesitate to ask your prospective digital marketing agency about their area of specialization. You can then analyze and decide whether they are the best fit for your company's needs. When choosing, you should go for the one that partners with specialists rather than mere generalists. After all, everyone wants a partner with artistic talent and critical attention, even to minor details. For instance, you want an incredibly analytical individual with a passion for numbers to handle your paid search campaigns. On the other hand, a genius web developer with great coding experience will build amazing websites compared to a fresh graduate who is just getting started.

Next, check whether your prospective agency offers partial or full digital marketing services. Ideally, full-service digital agencies provide a one-stop-shop for all your business marketing and advertising needs. Such agents offer their clients a full suite of web marketing services, including PPC and SEO advertising, web design and building, etc. Full-service experts go beyond the required promoting of your business, services, and products. They go the extra mile of devising, delivering and integrating an ultimate strategy that incorporates all the marketing strategies. This way, your business can launch and combine efforts that will be more impactful in your company's marketing and advertising initiatives. This is because each of the individual strategies, including SEO, social media, email, and PPC, will support each other in attaining your marketing goals.

‍

‍

How to Choose

Choosing the best digital agency starts with understanding your business needs, goals, and budget. This will make it easier for you to define precisely what you expect of the agency. You can then proceed to find the "best digital marketing agencies near me." Remember that some agents are more specialized in some areas than others, so you might want to dig deeper and do enough due diligence. Go for the agent that promises the best results, a good business relationship, and a seamless flow of activities. Always find out how long the work will take, who will be working on it, and the expected results. Be sure to evaluate your prospective agencies each time until you have one that virtually checks all the boxes.
‍

Marketing can be quite complicated, especially in today's modern business world. Numerous channels are at your disposal, and you might get overwhelmed even by the sheer information. That is why you need the valuable services of digital marketing agents to create exceptional digital experiences for you and take your business to the next level.

‍