Let's be honest, even the most successful marketing teams sometimes lack the resources to manage digital marketing, which is a strategy in itself. Digital marketing agencies help companies create consistent online strategies and maximize their digital presence through paid search, display ads, search engine optimization (SEO), content creation and search engines.
The reasons to offer the services of a digital marketing agency are numerous. Some organizations need to completely outsource their digital marketing while others just need to expand their internal team. Whatever your situation, the digital landscape is changing so quickly that you will want to partner with an agency to stay ahead of the game.
9 questions to ask a digital marketing agency
During the selection process you will need to interview potential agencies. You can do it by physical appointment, by phone, Skype or e-mail, but it's an essential step. Make your life easier by preparing a list of questions to ask:
- Which KPIs do they measure? The measurement of KPIs (or performance indicators) is essential to the success of digital marketing campaigns. Ensure that the applying agency has a proven system in place to measure a variable set of KPIs. Better yet, see if she asks you what your marketing goal is. A good agency will appropriate the goals of your business and help you achieve your KPIs.
- Do they have experience? How long have they been in the business? What is the profile (training and / or career path) of the people who will work with you? Check out the agency's about page and ask questions if its content is not enough to reassure you. Ask your charge d'affaires to connect to LinkedIn to check if the agencies have examples of achievements proving their skills.
- How do they handle reporting? How often do they report on their progress (monthly, quarterly, etc.)? What are these reports like? Can they provide examples? How are these reports customizable? The agency needs to be accountable as often as you want. The reports provided must follow the progress of the KPIs that are specific to you and propose concrete work tracks based on the available data.
- What return on investment can you expect? What return on investment (ROI) can you expect and in what time frame? Ask to see, among other things, projections based on your business objectives and, again, examples of achievements. Forecasts are good; evidence is better.
- Do they have a portfolio of clients and success stories? Can they show you campaigns that have hit the mark in the past? Do they have customer returns? Are they willing to provide names and phone numbers for reference?
- Do they subcontract? Do they outsource tasks or do they do everything internally? If they subcontract, do they work with competent and reputable companies? An agency that performs all the tasks internally will necessarily have carefully selected its employees. But this does not necessarily mean that subcontracting agencies deliver less quality work; just make sure your service providers work with a consistent team of self-employed people and contractors who have already proven themselves.
- What is their specialization? In what areas of digital marketing do they specialize? Some agencies are SEO specialists, others are PPC (cost-per-click), social media marketing or content. How specialized are they? It may be tempting to work with just one agency for all your digital marketing, but you may get better results by working with two or three collaborators.
- How do they conduct meetings? How do they prefer to conduct meetings with their clients? How often, with which participants and for what purpose? How flexible is their schedule?
- What are the terms of the contract? How long does it run? What are the payment methods? What will the deliverables be? What will be the renewal and/or cancellation options?
- Ask as many digital marketing agencies as you can. Pay attention to the "personality" of each agency and its degree of adequacy with the brand of your company.
Find the right digital marketing agency
Digital marketing is not easy. It is complex, multi-faceted and constantly evolving. As digital marketing becomes more and more important for business growth and success, the need for experts who master the latest technology is vital.
When you start your research, keep your eyes open and keep your specific needs in mind. Once you have verified that the agency is compatible with your brand and that it can prove that it has experience and that its customers are satisfied, this will be the beginning of a particularly important relationship for your company.
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Author : TM Root |
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