How to choose a digital marketing agency?
As a business owner or a marketing manager (CMO), you’ve probably opened Google’s search bar and typed in “Best digital marketing agencies” when you felt the need to optimize your existing campaigns or were looking for a professional partner for your future advertising.
The results are endless. From freelancers to large agencies that can provide complex solutions, everyone is competing for clients in this market. The number of digital agencies has grown exponentially in recent years, making it a difficult task to choose the right agency. This is not helped by the fact that, unfortunately, many of these agencies have little experience and learn as they go.
But how do you know which of the huge choices is the right one for you? A big agency or a freelancer? How to choose? What questions should you ask? How do you brief the agency? What should you be aware of before you decide? How can you make sure you choose the best digital marketing agency for you? In this article we give you some useful advice on these questions.
Is it worth hiring a professional digital marketing agency?
Before we take a point-by-point look at the process of choosing the right digital marketing agency for you, you need to decide if it’s really worth it for you. The short answer is yes. Why? Think about it:
- With a marketing agency, you don’t just get one specialist, you get a whole team of experts in different areas online. They have the professional and software resources, support and knowledge that a one-man business might find difficult to acquire.
- When you use a digital marketing agency, you save a lot of resources. You don’t have to spend time researching, recruiting, integrating and maintaining experts in all fields. And because of the high turnover rate, you will have to repeat this process very often.
The right digital marketing agency will therefore help you to increase the success of your business, while putting you in the best professional hands in a cost-effective way. But to do this, you need to choose well and know which digital agencies are best suited to meet your needs. Let’s see how you do it.
Choosing a digital marketing agency in 10 steps
1. Define your goal and your resources
Before you choose a digital marketing agency, decide what you want to achieve, what results do you need to deliver and in how long? Do you want to launch a new product or service? Or are you dissatisfied with your existing campaigns? Finding the answers to these questions will save you a lot of time, as you will be dealing with these issues at the first meeting as a first step to working with a serious agency. In digital marketing, there is no such thing as a predetermined price. You are not buying a smartphone: your goals and the time needed to achieve them will have a big impact on the financial resources you will need. So it’s important to think within limits and be able to make changes within reasonable limits.
2. Do some research
Look at the options and consider who you keep in the hat and who you let go, based on the following criteria:
- Case studies: you can also find case studies on the websites of digital marketing agencies, their own success stories that demonstrate how many companies your prospective partner has done business with before you.
- Testimonials – Reviews: also to prove that you will be in good hands with the company in the future. Written or even video testimonials from previous clients can provide a lot of personal input that can help you make your final decision.
- Look at the website with a “professional” eye. Is there fresh content? Is it easy to use? Is it quick to find and easy to use? In this case, the saying “the cobbler’s shoe has a hole in it” may not be a good thing.
3. Do you have the same mindset?
Although “only” third in our list chronologically, this is one of the most important aspects for WebMa when starting to work with a client. For us, it is essential that the agency and the client speak the same language and that the joint work is based on the same values. It’s a bit like a date: when you get to know each other, you assess how the other person thinks, do you have common themes, do you share the same interests, how communicative is the other person, how well do you understand each other and how well does the chemistry work? Choosing a digital marketing agency is basically the same game.How can you check these in advance? Look at who the digital agency’s previous clients have been, so you can get an insight into which companies they have ‘got on’ with, which clients they have had success with? If you do have a face-to-face meeting later on, make it a priority to check how well the agency understands what you need. How much does the agency want to understand your industry and therefore the problem to be solved? Without this, you can be quite sure that the goals you set will not be achieved at the pace and efficiency that is optimal for you.
4. Check out the agency partners
One of the best ways to screen a potential agency is to look at who their partners are. You can see from the partners what areas you can work on, do they have the tools to solve your problems? If you see a digital agency that is an official Google and Facebook/Meta partner, you can be sure that they are the first to know about the introduction of new digital tools and you can even try them out in a test phase.
5. Make sure you know what industry experience they have
You’ll save a lot of time and effort by not having to brainstorm your industry knowledge with your prospective digital agency. If they already know your product or service, if they’ve worked with a company in a similar sector, you can save a lot of learning money together because of their existing experience. Even if they don’t have experience specifically in your field, but have done well in other similar industries, it’s not a problem. But you should not, for example, choose an agency for lead generation if they only have experience with web shops.
6. The numbers don’t lie
This saying is still valid here. For someone who has difficulty navigating the world of digital marketing, or who does not have up-to-date information, it is particularly important to receive reports, reports and data on the work of the digital marketing agency that they can interpret for themselves. This data should be transparent and easy for you to understand. Know what it means and whether these numbers are really helping you achieve your goals. You might even ask if there is an online platform to track the digital agency’s daily work or if you will have access to Google Analytics, for example. If you don’t get a clear positive answer to these questions, it’s worth being a little sceptical.
7. How scalable is the cooperation?
If, for example, you are currently “only” looking to hand over your current campaigns to a new digital marketing agency, but are planning a complete website overhaul in the future, it is worth checking whether the agency has in-house development capacity or a reliable professional partner. If working together reveals that you need to level up to a full digital marketing strategy, can you think together and define a new digital strategy?
8. Will you be involved in the decisions?
You should also place great emphasis on ensuring that face-to-face or online meetings are not only important at the start of the project. To be able to ask any questions you may have during the joint work, appropriate platforms should be provided. At WebMa, we make it a priority that our clients are satisfied with our work and understand why we do what we do in joint projects.
9. How transparent are the processes?
From the first questions, it is clear how concise and straightforward your answers will be. If you are dissatisfied at this stage, it is likely to be the same in the future. That’s why it’s important to identify the areas mentioned earlier and ask specific questions about them in advance. (Tips for questions are at the end of this article.) It’s important to be clear about every step, from contracting to day-to-day workflow and reporting to invoicing.
10 signs of a good digital agency
- A good agency asks questions
Once you’ve found an agency with a problem to solve and have your first conversation with them, the most important thing an digital marketing agency can do is ask questions. Beware of partners who promise an immediate, out-of-the-box, quick fix to your problems.
- Good professionals, good team
A successful digital agency is backed by a great team of skilled professionals, and in areas where they don’t have in-house expertise, they work with external teams.
- Good communication
As with any healthy partnership, open and honest communication is key. Good digital marketing agencies see their clients as true partners and communicate openly, reporting regularly on the work they are doing and its results.
- Flexibility
The world of digital marketing is constantly changing, so it’s important to partner with a company that is agile and able to stay ahead of trends. Your agency should be able to anticipate changes and respond to them when they occur.
- Problem-solving ability
Problem-solving ability is one of the necessary qualities you must possess. Projects can always be subject to external or internal changes that could not have been anticipated (just think of the changes in online competition caused by the pandemic). In such situations, it is important for the digital marketing agency to be solution-oriented, to be able to quickly identify the situation and to react immediately.
- Creativity
It is important that ideas are not one-way. Your marketing agency will have a wealth of technical information about what’s new that you don’t – after all, that’s why you (also) asked for their help. They should also use this information to come up with new proactive concepts that you wouldn’t have thought of. But what you should consider is that if the marketing agency you have chosen comes up with great ideas, but can’t deliver them, consider whether you are in the right place.
- Appropriate analytical tools are used
See how the joint work begins? How will your chosen digital marketing agency grasp the problem? Are keyword research and competitor analysis part of the initial collaboration? Do you look at available Google Analytics data and other account history to identify areas for improvement?
- Are you measuring results
The goal of any good digital marketing agency should be to achieve the results their clients want. If you feel that the agency could be your partner, be sure to ask about their return on investment (ROI) and return on ad spend (ROAS) measurement methodologies. Remember, good decisions are not based on hunches, but on data analysis.
- Transparent
This point has also been covered before, but it cannot be stressed enough that from contracting to day-to-day work to invoicing, every process must be well defined and agreed by both parties so that both agency and client are satisfied at the end of the day, with no questions left unanswered.
Top 12 questions to ask your digital marketing agency
By now, it’s probably clear to you that you may need a professional digital marketing agency to achieve your goals. So ask the most important questions when choosing.
1. After how long will I see the results?
Our many years of experience as a digital marketing agency have shown us that clients are not aware of how long it takes to see results. A week? A month? A year? It is important to clarify how quickly and at what cost does the agency believe the client’s goals can be met? Remember, however, that it takes time to achieve the objectives. Instead, set quick wins that will show you that you are moving in the right direction.
2. How will we measure the results?
What metrics will you use to define success? ROAS? CPO/CPA? Does the agency consider the same key performance indicators (KPIs) that you do? Don’t just focus on revenue generated. It makes a difference what resources you invest to achieve this. Put a strong emphasis on efficiency. The data you measure and monitor should directly correspond to the targets you set. There may be supporting metrics such as website traffic, but this is not the key to success. If the targets are not met within the timeframe set, then all efforts are in vain.
3. Does the agency have experience in the same industry?
We have discussed this topic before. Learning and familiarizing oneself with a new area is a huge investment of time and energy for both the agency and the client. Each industry has nuanced areas, terminology and client behaviors, so it can help if the agency has worked with other clients in your industry or a closely related field. You can find out more about these beyond face-to-face interviews by reading the case studies available on the company’s website.
4. If we grow, will the agency be able to grow with us?
You’re investing a lot of time and a lot of energy to grow your business in digital marketing. See what strategies your chosen agency is using to help you achieve these goals? If you are in the right place, you should get answers to this question such as. Or: We’ll leverage social media and content marketing to increase your brand awareness and therefore your revenue.”
5. How do you support us to achieve new goals?
We have also touched on this topic above. It is also important to think about whether, if you achieve the goals you have set and set new ones, will the agency be able to achieve them in terms of resources and expertise?
6. Who will be my contact person? Who will deal with my requests and questions?
Will a full team work on the project? Who will be the person I can turn to at any time? How often will I be able to ask him/her questions? Will I be able to meet in person or will we only communicate by phone and email and through reports?
7.How will we work together?
A well-organized digital marketing agency will have an overall, streamlined communication process and can tailor this existing process to your needs. Some clients prefer weekly face-to-face meetings and others prefer monthly, streamlined online reporting. Whichever you prefer, it is important that the digital agency you choose can deliver it for you.
8. What values will we work together on? Are they in line with our own values?
If you are hiring your own employees for this role, this question would be critical during the recruitment process. It is no different here. Here too, joint thinking and effective communication are key to success. It is important that the agency treats your problems as its own, takes a proactive approach and offers quick, effective solutions to them.
9. Do you have formal partnerships with digital stakeholders? For example Google and Facebook/Meta?
The Google Partner badge means that professionals working for the agency have access to their own Google agency team and can keep up to date with the latest innovations, stay informed about current trends that can give them a competitive edge over their competitors. You can also differentiate between partner badges. Only the top 3% of Google Partner Agencies have the Premier Partner badge. We are proud to be one of these digital marketing agencies.
10. Are there any case studies to read that demonstrate success?
One very important way to gain trust is to document the agency’s past successes. The easiest way to do this is to read some testimonials of projects the agency has worked on with other partners in previous years?
11. How do I receive the weekly/monthly reports?
A successful digital marketing strategy relies on metrics analysis and tracking, which means that to make successful decisions you need to receive reports that contain the real facts you need to make them. It’s worth asking how often will you receive them and in what format?
12. What digital services are the agency experts in?
When looking for a digital marketing agency, you are usually looking for a solution to a specific problem. However, we should not lose sight of the fact that there will be other tasks to be solved later on that were not part of the original project. It’s important to know which areas of expertise are on the digital marketing team, in addition to your initial expectations. Also, consider that digital strategies work effectively when different tools are used hand in hand, so if a marketing agency knows Facebook/Meta but not TikTok, which is what you need, they are probably not the ideal solution for you.
+1 Would you like to have a beer with them?
Beyond professionalism, the key to a good working relationship is a shared mindset and good communication. If you’d like to sit down for a beer with your digital marketing agency team, chances are you’ll find it easy to find common ground and understand each other’s problems during the working relationship. Ask yourself this question: Do you love this team?
Conclusion
The process of choosing the right digital marketing agency partner is a long and difficult one. You need to pay attention to the partner’s professionalism, communication skills, the ability to speak a common language and to work with a mutually acceptable and clear process that delivers results based on real data and supported by facts. The above will help you make sure you’re looking for the right digital marketing agency for you.
If you take away just one thing from this article to help you make your selection, it should be that a good digital marketing agency will always ask questions, and without asking questions, will never offer instant, average, one-size-fits-all solutions. At WebMa, we place a particular emphasis on collaborative thinking, understanding our clients’ problems and data-driven problem solving. If you feel you’d like to work with us, we’re always ready for a casual chat to get to know each other. Contact us with confidence.
If you need professional support for your digital marketing activities, do not hesitate to contact us!
Sources:
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