These days, there’s no shortage of digital marketing agencies to choose from. With so many options, we’ll show you how to find the right digital marketing agency for you and your business goals.
Our top five tips:
1. Understand your goals
Instead of asking an agency for a specific service, tell them what your goals are and let them proposed a solution to achieve them. It might not always be what you think. A good agency will explain in layman terms what you can do, why, and how much it will cost.. If you’re not sure what your specific goals are, do some more thinking before contracting an agency. Some example goals include receiving more enquiries, reaching higher sales targets, increasing your website’s ranking in Google, or matching the branding of your business to your target market. It’s also important to make sure they are specific, measurable, actionable, relevant and time-bound (SMART). Getting clear on your goals means that a digital marketing agency will more effectively be able to help achieve them. What are your goals? We’d love to know.
2. Establish your budget
Knowing your budget will help you, and an agency, understand what you can achieve in your current stage of business’ growth. According to Forbes, most businesses aren’t actually investing enough into marketing. However, we understand that you know your business better than anyone, and it’s important for you to know what your limits are before engaging with digital marketing agencies. Forbes cites identifying whether you’re in ‘growth’ or ‘planning’ mode as important to formulating your budget. You can talk to your accountant, or check out these tips for a numbers-based approach to establishing a suitable marketing budget.
3. Understand the services you require
“The better you understand your unique requirements for different marketing services, the more revealing your conversations will be with any prospective agency.” –Outbrain
No one expects you to be a digital marketing guru – that’s the agency’s job after all. But if you understand the basics behind each service it will allow you to provide more useful insights to the agency. The right digital marketing agency will be able to help you better understand the services on offer, as well as how to measure your return of investment. Identifying the specific service you’re interested in, for example refining your current website or having a new one created, is an important way to ensure you’re comparing apples for apples when approaching multiple marketing agencies. There may also be digital marketing services available that you’re not familiar with, like SEO or Google Ads. Read up on what might be suitable for you.
4. Are your values compatible?
Try to get an idea of what it’s going to be like working with a particular digital marketing agency by checking out their website, social media channels, and client testimonials. An agency that is known for an aggressive or misleading marketing style may not align with your business or personal approach. Getting along with an agency who values your input and ethos is important to effective communication and efficiency.
5. Validate the agency’s experience
If an agency doesn’t display previous projects on their website, it’s not a good sign. When shopping for the right agency, it’s important that the experience of their team members and company is transparent. This means that you’re able to validate their credibility and level of skill, as well as ascertain whether or not their style is for you. Feel free to contact their past clients to get an honest appraisal of their work.
At AS Digital, we pride ourselves on doing the right thing by you, and offer an array of services that deliver concrete results. Find out more about AS Digital, or get in touch today.
