How to Choose the Best Digital Marketing Agency for Me?
A digital marketing agency takes care of all your marketing needs, just like a traditional marketing agency, and increases the reach of marketing by utilising the capabilities of the internet through websites, blogs, email, social media and much more. So, to choose the best digital marketing agency which suits your requirements, the below parameters will be helpful:
1. Content & SEO
As always content is the king. So, looking at the portfolio of results of the various agencies can give you an idea of their reach, achievements and standards. Another way of evaluating the standard of an agency would be by looking at the standards of their Search Engine Optimization (SEO) techniques. Two key factors would be the keywords the agencies have ranked for their various clients and the amount of traffic generated for their clients based on these keywords. It is also imperative to note that the technical side of the client’s website will need to be managed by the client as most digital marketing agencies steer clear of having any involvement with it.
2. Sales
Sales reports showing the volume of leads generated for past clients, both through form submissions and calls generated, would be a good marker of the agency’s track record.
3. Scale and Budget
Get an estimate of the kind of budgets handled by the agency in the past to ensure that they can deliver your requirements. Budgets are key to the quality of marketing reach, especially while running advertisements. Also, as a client, we need to be sure of the kind of budget we have in mind. Client budget determines the budget for the marketing agency and it is best for clients to have a realistic budget determined by the business domain they are functioning in and the kind of experience they have.
4. Reach
Choosing a marketing agency with experience working with similar clients in the past can be a huge boost. Nothing trumps experience. So, as a client, we need to evaluate an agency by looking at the various brands handled by the agency and the volume of subscribers and organic followers they have managed to reach out to.
5. Creativity
Creativity determines the quality of the agency and it is best to stick to quality over quantity when it comes to selecting the best agency. While one would be safer in opting to select the agency which has a good track record over a newly launched one, it is also key to note the quality of the work they have done and while judging the quality – creativity is the best evaluation metric.
6. Knowledge
This is another metric to evaluate the work done by a marketing agency in the domain we want them to work for us. Assess the agency’s knowledge in the domain of our requirement by asking questions which require in-depth knowledge of the business, target audience and other logical capabilities needed.
7. Team Profile
Knowing the team employed by the agency is as important as knowing their past works and portfolio. Considering the fact that employees in today’s age are much more open to switching jobs, given the plethora of easily accessible opportunities, attrition is a huge risk to any organisation. So, in such a scenario, it’s always important to understand the quality of the team the agency has to offer, to meet the client’s requirements.
8. Industry Reputation
Another way to assess the credibility of an agency is by analysing the reputation the agency has built up in the industry the client operates in. A good marker for such analysis is by obtaining inputs and reviews from past clients of the agency. Normally, these reviews and testimonials from past clients are advertised by an agency on their website as a way of promoting their reputation and attracting new clients.
9. Company Culture and Core Values
This is a very important factor in understanding how the business relationship will function. An agency which operates with core values and cultures which closely match those of the client will ensure that the client-agency relationship will be smooth and productive. A possible red flag would be agencies that come out with outlandish promises and results in the hope of attracting a new client. It is much safer to stick with agencies that give realistic promises and have a steady operating model to attain them.