Outsourcing your digital marketing is a great way to reach your business goals. It can streamline and supercharge your marketing efforts, helping you hone your marketing strategy and execute your promotional vision.
At least, that’s possible when you work with the right digital marketing agency. The challenge is choosing which agency to partner with.
There are many different kinds of digital marketing agencies, which can make the decision even more intimidating. Some specialize in niche areas, such as social media marketing, content marketing, or brand awareness strategies. Others are more comprehensive in their approach.
Relevance, for instance, is a growth marketing agency. That means we use content, digital PR, SEO, and other online marketing tools to create an individualized, comprehensive, and synergistic digital marketing strategy for each client.
So, how do you narrow down which is the right agency for your business? Here are some tips to help you make the best choice for your company based on your resources, needs, goals, and circumstances.
Before we review the actionable steps you should take to narrow down your options, let’s consider what factors you should assess when looking at digital marketing agencies.
Remember, you’re not talking about a platform or a campaign. This is a collaborative effort. It requires relationship building and ongoing investment. To work well, you should treat it as a serious, long-term investment. Here’s what to consider when making such an important decision.
What are you trying to accomplish? Do you already have an in-house marketing team, and you’re struggling in a specific area like social media or email marketing? Or do you need a partner that can create or overhaul your entire marketing apparatus?
As you consider your current situation, identify the goals, benchmarks, and metrics that matter. What are your marketing objectives? Don’t be vague. Try to identify timelines, expectations, and additional data that can guide your digital marketing agency research.
Once you have an idea of what you’re trying to accomplish, it’s time to look at your potential agency options. Research potential marketing agencies on the market (there are a lot of them out there) and curate your list to reach out to.
The goal here shouldn’t be to create a massive compendium of marketing agencies. Instead, keep your shortlist, well, short. Only add agencies that closely fit your requirements and goals. As you conduct your research, keep these three things in mind:
Expertise, experience, and reputation. These are your guiding lights when assessing your options.
How does a marketing agency’s communication methods align with your own? This may sound like a minor issue, but inconsistent or misaligned communication can lead to unnecessary stress.
Consider how you communicate with your own team. Make sure a digital marketing agency is prepared to communicate with you at the frequency and level of detail you expect from a collaborative partner.
Don’t trust an agency that says they can do everything. From the nuances of marketing strategy to the finer details of Google Analytics, there are many things that go into a good marketing campaign.
A good agency should be able to deliver on most things. However, they should also have a high-quality network of trusted partners that they already utilize to refer work. That way, if you need a unique piece of marketing collateral or a service you can’t access, they will be ready with top-shelf recommendations.
Once you’ve considered your own marketing goals and the potential agencies that can meet them, it’s time to make a decision. Here is an easy, four-step process to narrow your choices down to the single, best candidate for your enterprise:
Use these filters and benchmarks to whittle your options down to the one that best fits your unique marketing needs.
It’s hard to overstate the impact of choosing the right digital marketing agency for your business. You want to give an agency months to create marketing plans, set them in motion, and assess the results. That means you want to start with the right group from the get-go to avoid wasting time and resources on digital marketing efforts.
Using a strategic approach in your agency selection (like the one outlined above) can help you choose an agency that isn’t just a good fit. They can help you meet your business goals.
Once they understand your business better, they should also be able to continuously evaluate your progress and adapt to ongoing changes to sustain your marketing success. They can even help you expand your vision, see new markets and opportunities, and reach for bigger, better results. If you’re looking for a good digital marketing agency to help you achieve your marketing goals, Relevance can help. Reach out now for a free strategy session. Let’s see if we’re a good fit, and we can give you the information needed to make an informed decision about your company’s marketing future.
