29 Jan What to Ask Before Considering a Digital Marketing Agency

It’s difficult for any business to succeed today without an effective online presence. No matter your industry, your business needs an effective digital marketing strategy to reach your target audience and bring in positive results. So, how do you develop this digital marketing strategy? The first option is doing it all on your own, which requires extra time, resources and effort without guaranteed results. The second option is to enlist the help of a digital marketing agency, as we discussed in our previous blog, “Do You Need a Digital Marketing Agency?” 

A digital marketing agency can integrate and optimize your marketing needs from a centralized strategy through digital marketing specialists and such services as web design, search engine optimization (SEO), social media marketing, pay-per-click (PPC) advertising, email marketing and more. However, with so many digital marketing agencies out there, how do you choose one that is best for your business? It’s important to know what to ask your prospects before deciding on an agency to ensure that your marketing goals will be met.

What to Ask Before You Commit

Searching for a digital marketing agency may involve fully reviewing agency portfolios, examining agency websites in detail, and talking with previous or current clients of said agencies. Once you’ve generated a list of your top choices for a digital marketing agency, you will be ready to discuss your needs with them in-depth. 

You may be inclined to ask the following when choosing a digital marketing agency,

“Does your agency have experience within my industry?”

However, this may not be the best question to ask, and it may lead to unsatisfactory results for your business in the long run. Why is this? Agencies that claim to only specialize in specific industries are more likely to rely on stagnant, one-size-fits-all strategies for their niche industries rather than developing a unique marketing strategy for each individual business. What works well for one company is not going to work exactly the same for yours. Your digital marketing agency should take the time to develop a strategy that works for the unique needs and goals of your business.

Therefore, consider instead asking,

“How will your agency focus on what is unique about my business to get ahead of competitors?”

How the strategy is developed and how the marketing gets done is the backbone to this question. Be sure to ask your prospective agencies the following questions about their processes:

• How do they develop unique, goal-oriented marketing strategies for each business?
• How do they plan to learn more about your industry and individual business?
• How are they able to provide positive results for clients based on their marketing processes?

To get more specific answers about your potential agencies, you my also want to ask about:

• SEO practices and improving search engine rankings.
• Development of engaging, actionable content.
• Marketing distribution channels and tracking the results.
• Analytics gathering and optimization strategies.
• Lead generation.

Do They Have the Right Tools?

Once you discern whether or not your prospective digital marketing agencies are able to provide a successful marketing strategy for your business, the next step is to find out if those agencies have the right tools to get the job done and if they know how to use them.

In other words, what’s in their toolbox?

It’s important to go into your discussions with prospective agencies already being at least a little familiar with some digital marketing tools. This will help you better understand the agencies’ processes and also help you to determine if they even know what they are talking about. For example, when it comes to SEO, will the agency be using Moz, Google Analytics or something else entirely? If an agency sounds like they aren’t familiar with a marketing tool they claim to be proficient in, it’s likely best to move on to another choice. If they use a tool you’re not familiar with, being aware of other similar tools will help you make the same decision.

Your top marketing agency should at minimum be proficient in the following tools, or tools very similar to those listed:

• Marketo
• MailChimp
• Moz
• Google Analytics
• HubSpot
• Screaming Frog
• Salesforce
• Sprout Social
• Constant Contact

Establish Communication

The last key to success is to establish communication with your digital marketing agency. Developing an online marketing strategy is an ongoing process that involves both your business and the specialists at your chosen marketing agency. Together with your agency, you should establish your primary point of contact within the agency, a regular schedule for reviewing reports and progress, and an expected timeline for seeing positive results from your marketing strategy.

Choose a Marketing Agency That Cares

Choosing a digital marketing agency is an important decision for finding success for your business. At Virtual Stacks Systems UK, our goal is to make your individual business stand apart from your competitors while also effectively reaching your target audience. Our marketing, content and web design specialists provide years of experience combined with a passion to help your business grow. Contact us today to discuss your digital marketing needs.