Sep 9 | Categories: Info

How to Find the Right Digital Marketing Agency for You

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You already know that marketing is an important component of your business’ success. So the question is, where do you begin?

Working with a good digital agency that specializes in quality marketing strategies is an obvious starting line. Knowing how to choose a digital marketing agency is essential in your search to find a digital marketing agency.

In this article, we’ll review:

• Where to start your process
• Who needs a marketing agency
• What to look for in a marketing agency
• What a good digital agency does and does not look like
• What it’s like to work with a marketing agency

Let’s get started, shall we?

What Are Your Goals?

Your business is unique, and your marketing strategy should be just as unique as you are. Just because you are in the same field as your competitors does not mean that you will have the same goals and objectives that they will for your marketing. Why is that?

Because marketing is a driving tool to tell your customer base who you are as an individual company. 

You can use tools such as branding, tone, videos, and graphics to tell a story about who your company is. You can build or rebuild a website to adhere to your audience’s needs and set a standard for your own work. This means that you are going to have your own goals on how to best market yourself to your target audience. So where do you start?

Knowing your goals will help you choose a marketing agency based on what they have to offer.

Marketing agencies typically have specialties and experts in the field of that particular specialty. When you have a set of goals that you would like to achieve from your marketing strategy, you can find a marketing agency whose specializations pair well with what you want to achieve.

Knowing your goals and then having an idea of targeted deliverables is a good first step in your search to find the right digital marketing agency.

Who Is a Good Fit for Working With a Digital Marketing Agency?

At Metric Marketing, we practice marketing with the belief that whether you’re a small business or a global enterprise, you deserve a team of specialized marketers who will make a positive impact on your company.

Today, everyone needs digital marketing. Depending on your goals, you may be looking for something long-term—like building your entire online presence and optimizing your digital content. Or, if you’re just looking for some advice or a website rebuild, maybe something more short-term is in your trajectory. If that’s the case, then it may be beneficial to find a digital marketing agency that offers an option for flexible contracts.

Industries That Need a Little More Marketing Love

We do believe every single business deserves a well-rounded marketing strategy. However, there are industries that seem to need some extra attention when it comes to their search for the right digital marketing agency.

Software companies are B2B (business-to-business) companies that market to other businesses that can use their product. Marketing services such as paid ads and keyword visibility must be extremely intentional when marketing software products.

When it comes to local search engine optimizations (SEO), quality traffic must drive the clientele. Many law firms may be seeking rebranding and online visibility.

We have found that these three industries require marketing agencies who focus on their specific marketing needs. As you continue your search to find the right digital marketing agency, you should not only pay attention to your own goals, you should also see if the digital agency knows how to work within your niche fields.

How To Find a Good Marketing Agency

Let’s take a look at how to choose a digital marketing agency based on the agency’s attributes. Before committing to an agency, it’s nice to have a basic understanding of what to look for.

What Services Do They Offer?

So you have ideas about the results you want to see from digital marketing. Now it’s time to start your journey in how to choose a digital marketing agency. Your business’s goals should match with the agency’s marketing practices. While searching for digital marketing agencies, look at what each agency specializes in. Their practices should align with your needs.

That’s why it’s always a good idea to ask for a prospective marketing agency’s hard data about the success rates of different aspects of their prior and/or current campaigns.  Matching your desired ultimate outcomes to the agency’s areas of expertise is a foundational part of finding the right digital marketing agency for your business.

Show, Don’t Tell

Find an agency that can walk the talk. An excellent way to understand a marketing agency’s value is to ask how they use data-driven tactics to get results. A good digital agency will have solid relationships with its clients and will help them improve key performance indicators (KPIs). Case results should offer facts:

• What data is presented in their client results?
• What digital marketing techniques were used?
• If the partnership continues, how does the agency plan to continue positive growth for the client?

A good digital marketing agency will be transparent about its services and the results it can deliver. Looking at case studies is one of the ways to choose a digital marketing agency. When the data they present aligns with the expectations they have laid out in their promises, you know that you can trust them.

Do You Like What You See?

First impressions are everything. When you are looking for digital marketing services, the concept of literally looking plays a huge role in choosing which digital marketing agency to work with.

Let’s get back to your goals. Knowing what goals you have allows you to see how the marketing agency can support those goals. Why choose a marketing agency that doesn’t offer solutions that your company actually needs?

Do you want a website built for you or a website redesign? Great, now look at the marketing agency’s website. Did they demonstrate their credibility when building their own site? Are they capable of building a website for you? What if you’re looking for updated graphic designs to accompany your brand. Does the marketing agency you’re looking at even offer graphic design? And if they do, do you like what you see?

Choose a digital marketing agency that practices what they preach. If you like what you see, find out if they can do the same sort of marketing for you as well.

Who Are the Team Members?

You want to work with a marketing agency that is staffed by people who will help you meet those goals and objectives we talked about earlier. A good digital agency will have hired experts in the field that you can trust with your digital marketing goals.

You should start by looking at the agency’s website to find out more about their team members:

• What is each member’s expertise?
• What type of background do they have in their subfield and within the digital marketing field as a whole?
• Does the website even have a team members page?

If you’re having trouble finding out who is a part of the marketing agency’s team, LinkedIn is a reliable source to check. Note that it is possible that some of the agency’s employees may not be on LinkedIn, but it is still a fine resource to use.

If you have any questions about the agency’s employees, always ask during your initial consultation. You want to ensure that your objectives align with the team members’ specialties, so if you have any doubts, it’s important to ask what the team is all about.

Don’t forget: Behind every marketing strategy and best practice, there is a team of people who are creating what you need. A large part of answering how to choose a digital marketing agency is by choosing the people you want to work with.

What Are Others Saying?

Another excellent tactic on how to choose a digital marketing agency is by learning what past and/or current clients are saying about that marketing agency. Before working with an agency, you should look at client testimonials and reviews. These reviews can be dependable resources, particularly if the agency’s clients have similar objectives to those of your business.

When looking at what others are saying, consider how you relate to their testimonials. If a big company wanted a quick fix for their newsletter, that may not be the kind of attention—or at least the only kind of attention—you are looking for. Do some research into the details of what and how working with the marketing agency produced for other clients. The more you can relate to the goals of those giving a testimonial, the more accurate a depiction you will get of what your own experience might be like working with the digital agency.

First Impressions Matter: What Is Your Experience?

After you find a marketing agency that specializes in your needs, the final attribute to look for is your ability to relate to the agency—and vice versa. A reliable digital marketing agency will respond to you right away and be transparent in what they tell you. An agency’s honesty and reliability are as important as your business’s growth is.

If you are a small business, you may want a marketing agency that also has a smaller number of employees. Direct communication is also crucial, as your marketing depends on it. If you cannot communicate your needs directly and receive updates on how your needs are being acted upon, how will you know what’s going on with your digital marketing?

You also want to jive with your chosen marketing agency! We recommend partnering with an agency that you can be honest with. A culture of mutual respect and positivity is important, especially when faced with business challenges. You want to be a partner with your marketing agency. A partnership means trusting the marketing firm and being able to reach them when you need—and want—to.

Keep an Eye Out for Red Flags

Do They Make Realistic Promises?

Digital marketing agencies are businesses themselves, meaning they too are searching for clients. If a marketing agency makes outlandish promises—like gaining 10K social followers in one month when you don’t even have an online social presence yet or increasing your quarterly ROI by 125% when they haven’t taken the time to understand the intricacies of your business—then you’ve found some major red flags.

Short-term marketing strategies can get fast results, but fast results are usually short-term as well—and they are more likely than not accomplished unethically. Unethical digital marketing practices, such as Black Hat SEO, can actually result in search engine penalization.

When questioning how to find the right digital marketing agency, look for agencies who will work with you as a partner, rather than just viewing you as another client to add to their portfolio. Being self-aware of their own limitations and communicating with you about their expectations for both parties is a good indication that they are both professional and realistic.

Avoid Spammy Tactics

All too often, businesses get burned when signing with digital marketing agencies that practice unethical marketing tactics. Spammy tactics can get your company penalized or banned by search engines. Spammy backlinks may get fast results, but they will ultimately lead to your digital downfall. A marketing agency is probably using spammy tactics if they:

• Do not show data-driven results
• Produce fast results without explaining their process
• Are difficult to get into contact with
• Do not follow through on their promises
• Do not communicate about who you or who they are as a company
• Stuff your website with poor linking, which leads to negative SEO
• Do not have qualified employees

A partnership with a marketing agency should be built on trust. Hiring a digital marketing agency to bolster the success of your business requires relationship-building and mutual understanding. If a digital marketing agency is not willing to take the time to explain their process and their suggested strategies that should be unique to your company’s needs, they probably aren’t a business you want to work with.

Working With a Digital Marketing Agency

Working with a digital marketing agency means teaming up with and trusting them to achieve your business’s marketing goals. This requires a partnership with your chosen agency.

When setting your goals, make sure your whole team is involved and invested before having any discussions with a digital marketing agency. It’s important that everyone be on the same page when entering this kind of partnership.

Let the Conversation Flow

While working with a marketing agency, you must also continue the communication with your own employees. This ongoing conversation will alleviate the chances of confusion down the road. Your employees probably have some great ideas to bring to the table—remember, you’re all in this together!

It’s also important to be honest with your digital marketing agency. If you’re confused about why they did something, express that concern or question. If you have a new goal, or if your goals have changed, be willing to bring that forward. Achieving results requires active participation in the partnership.

Trust Who You’re Working With

Though it is important to bring forward your ideas, it’s equally as important to know that the specialists at the marketing agency are experts in their field—just as you are experts in yours. Listen to their advice. If it’s not something you agree with, be willing to talk it out and put your trust in the expertise of those you’ve hired. We know this can be difficult, but it’s a necessary step in seeing those positive results you’re seeking.

Contact Metric Marketing

Every good digital marketing agency has its own process, and you want to work with an agency that works well with you. Here at Metric, we want to meet you where you’re at. Although we do have a process, we also adjust to your needs and goals, and work closely with you to make those goals a reality.

Partnering with Metric Marketing means getting consistency for the long haul. Our digital marketing services are highly customized and we value our partnerships with our clients and foster relationships that drive growth. We also value transparency and communication, which means we keep you in the loop about how your digital marketing is growing.

Whether you’re ready to take the plunge or just want to dip a toe in, we’re happy to chat. We offer both monthly and annual contracts, so there are no strings attached. However, we know from lots of experience that positive results require time and patience. If you are willing to trust us with that time, we’re ready to go the distance with and for you. Ready to get started? Call us at (734) 404-8714 or reach out to us by filling out an online form today. We look forward to hearing from you!