There are many digital marketing agencies that are clamoring for your business. They may inundate you with emails and offers to boost your search engine optimization or drive leads to your website. How can you tell if they do what they say they do? And how can you tell if they are the right company for you? Digital marketers can throw around a lot of jargon which can be hard to understand, especially if your business is not in the technology industry. How can you get to the bottom of what they have to offer?
Here are a few marketing questions to ask any digital agency you may be considering.
1. How Do You Measure Your Success?
All the digital marketing tactics in the world are not worth a penny if they do not deliver results. You want a digital agency that can show you what they can do to improve your business, and how they do it.
A good agency will work with you to define success, then develop metrics to enable you to track their performance. So, if you want to increase online sales by 40% this year, that will be the benchmark against which you can measure them.
When you interview a marketing company, ask how they track their performance and report it to their clients. You want someone who will tell you how you are doing on a regular basis. You also want someone who will correct the course if the results are not going in the right direction.
2. Do You Handle Everything In-house?
Digital marketing agencies may offer many services. Some will redesign your website. Some will buy online ads. Others will design an integrated campaign.
Big marketing agencies may have all kinds of professionals in-house. Others may outsource functions like coding or graphic design.
Ask how the agency handles outside contractors. This may affect timelines and prices of services.
3. Do You Offer Social Media Strategy?
It seems like every company is on Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter. Most digital marketing firms will offer to create your social media for you.
It's important that your presence on social media serves your overall purpose. If you want to reach an audience for youth-focused products, you will need a different social media strategy than you would if you are aiming for the over 70 demographic.
When you interview your prospective agency, ask how they develop a social media strategy for their clients. You do not want an agency that treats everyone the same! Social media is not a cookie-cutter process.
Social media can also be very labor-intensive. It can take a lot of time if your marketer is plastering many platforms with your messages. Without careful planning, it can spiral out of control.
A focused strategic plan can be more effective than volume when it comes to social media posts.
4. How Can You Boost My SEO?
Most businesses know that they need to rank high in search engines, but they may not know how to accomplish that. That's why you hire a digital marketing expert!
Many companies will promise to get you on page one of Google. You need to know how they plan to do that.
Anyone who promises immediate results in this area is misleading you. Understanding the algorithms and getting to the top of searches is a science. It takes time and concentrated effort.
Ask how they have accomplished this feat for other clients. Case studies of clients like you can give you a real-life example of how this agency works.
5. Do You Work With Clients Like Me?
Often, different industries have different expectations and needs. If you run a florist shop, you have a different sales approach than a law firm or a dentist's office.
Agencies may work with a wide range of clients across many industries. However, they need to understand your audience, your product, and your challenges. What works for one marketing challenge may not work for another.
Ask others in their industry whom they recommend. Ask the agency if they have worked with others like you and if you can talk to them. Personal recommendations are a key way of finding out if this agency is right for you.
6. How Do You Bill?
Different agencies may charge in different ways for their efforts. You do not want to run up huge bills without knowing what you are paying for.
Web design companies may charge by the project or by the hour. They may hire subcontractors for special tasks, and pass the cost on to you. They may also add markups to the costs they incur from other contractors.
You need to have an open discussion with any potential marketing agency you plan to retain. Tell them how much money you have to work with. Ask what happens when projects go over budget.
Some agencies require payment upfront, especially on a big project like a web site design.
7. How Will You Work With Me to Deliver What I Want?
Your relationship with your digital agency can make all the difference in the success or failure of your company. If you can collaborate effectively, you can expand your reach and sell more products or services than you ever imagined!
On the other hand, if you do not have clear communication, you may end up spending a lot of money on tactics that are not effective towards your ultimate goal.
Ask your potential agency how exactly they will deliver what you need for your business to be a success. You need to develop trust with each other. You need to have confidence that you can rely on each other.
Do You Have Marketing Questions? You Need Answers
When you make an investment in a digital marketing agency, you place your trust in them that they will understand your needs and provide effective, measurable tactics to deliver what you need to grow your business.
Ask as many marketing questions as you need in order to establish that comfort level. If you find it, you may have a relationship that will grow with your company and last for many fruitful years.
For more answers to your questions on digital marketing, contact us.
