What qualities does a good digital marketing agency have? Testimonies, different ranges of digital marketing services, and cultural compatibility are important factors in choosing one. We also explore ways to look for and find the right agency before hiring.

For the best results, it’s often a good idea to get the agency involved as much as possible. They won’t always be expected to know everything, but it can give them a great understanding of your business and ensure that they’re designing with your goals in mind. A company that strives to know what you know and has the right motivations will be a great partner for your business. It’s when you can relate well to each other and they become motivated by helping you grow.

While we can’t simplify the choice of digital marketing agency for you, there are some things that can make it easier. In this article, we’ll cover key points to watch out for, as well common mistakes to avoid, how to make the most of your agency, and tips on what to do. To help you narrow down your choices further still we’ve profiled a handful of suggestions.

As mentioned before, it is important to find the right digital marketing agency. Here are 7 key factors to consider when looking for them.

1. Specialization 

There is often a trade-off between specialization and having an agency that can provide various services. Specialization may have benefits, but there may also be times when you will get more value from a company that can provide you with many different kinds of services depending on what you need at the time.

It is important to note that not every online marketing agency can handle a wide range of services. But there are a few specific areas you may want to pay extra attention to when you search for a new agency.

• Web Design vs User Experience Design
  Some agencies specialize in visual design, while others focus mostly on UX design. We would recommend the latter group, as their designs are more functional and often backed by research data and artificial intelligence. You can tell what type of design an agency specializes in by looking at their homepage – if you see flashy and glamorous, you can usually gauge their design speciality. Agencies focused on UX Design care more about tangible results for their clients than impressing the company’s marketing department.
  
• Technical vs Non-Technical
  When trying to decide whether or not you should work with an agency, make sure the agency has a technology department. Some larger agencies have in-house tech teams that specialize in different aspects of website and app design. If you’re looking for more complex features (such as advanced web apps) and are less technologically savvy, it’s best to go farther within the agency. We can’t just look at now, but also at the future and what different marketing possibilities you might have in 5 years.
  
• Search Engine Optimization (SEO)
  SEO is more than just writing high-quality content that people are looking for on the web. It’s about understanding what search Intent someone has when they type in a query and matching that with the keywords to give them something that covers both of their needs. This can happen over time, but the best results will come when the agency has a deep understanding of SEO. SEO is at its best when its content creation is a partnership.
  
• Content Marketing
  Related to SEO is content marketing. Content marketing is a specific way of utilizing inbound marketing and natural linking, as well as deliberate outreach to build up links, so your content (and thus your site) ranks highly. The content that you’re creating should be tied to your email marketing and lead generation. If you don’t have a specific person managing this, then it can constrict the other parts of your business.
  
• PPC and Paid Advertising
  If you’re looking for paid marketing consultants or agencies, there are plenty who can help you execute a successful paid campaign. However, many businesses have a tough time creating every aspect of their advertisements. They may also have difficulties keeping it updated or running & optimizing successful campaigns.
  

2. Testimonials, Reviews, and Case Studies

Lack of proof can be a warning sign, but there are a lot of really good agencies out there who suffer from the “cobbler’s child has no shoes” problem. They’re great at doing marketing for their clients, but since they are busy doing that they don’t have any time to do it themselves or they rely too heavily on what their clients tell them. But even at these agencies, some proof should still be available. 

3. Honesty & Transparency

This would be hard to measure, but there are plenty of shady agencies who take your money and waste lots of time. You should research the company before signing up with them. Have meetings with them before signing up a contract to know better and don’t shy away from asking too many questions. This way, you could clear your doubts and would be able to test the patience of the agency you are looking at.

4. Focus on the Numbers

The best agencies will make sure your KPIs and metrics are constantly moving in the right direction A good digital marketing agency will help you move the needle for your organization. This means an emphasis on key performance indicators (KPIs) and metrics. They will work with you to set goals and a strategy to achieve them, making sure that they are mutually achievable in order to meet the desired end result.

5. A backed-up Marketing Strategy

It’s crucial to invest in a proper digital marketing strategy before you dive into your campaign. Otherwise, you’re wasting a lot of precious resources and not really getting the best results. A good agency will actually be able to improve your venture with their unique skill set and knowledge of the field. Marketers have a lot on their plates, so agencies need to make sure that they have staff that is knowledgeable and can help them meet business needs. They should be able to follow a marketing plan and become an asset to the company!

6. Building Partnerships

Agencies that take on every single task and marketing effort as their own are only out for themselves. Agencies who work with you as a partner, not an adversary, will help you grow your business. They have the specialized knowledge and experience to help you meet your marketing goals, but they also take the time to understand your company’s business model. These agencies can provide insight into how to improve your in-store customer experience or how to increase sales through targeted advertising on social media.

7. Pricing

It’s important to always evaluate agencies and think about what would be most valuable for your company. It’s worth noting that value is the most important factor in any decision at the end of the day. Social media marketing and management are different, but they often come with the same price tag. While you could go with social media management (simply posting content and tracking accounts) to save money or you could hire somebody to do strategic work & pair their efforts with your SEO, you might find that it’s worth it to invest in the larger sum of money in SMM.

Finding the Best Digital Marketing Agency: How can you do that?

Clients find agencies in a lot of different ways. Some choose to refer or send those they know, while others “light up” when they see your content. A lot of people sometimes use organic search, online PR, or advertising to find and build their agency relationships.

If using a search engine, many people start with the local geography. Others ask colleagues for recommendations. The safest way is by word of mouth, but this doesn’t always lead to the best type of experience or the greatest variety of options. As an agency, you might have both a sales and marketing team working hard to bring in new clients but nothing is as persuasive or carries more weight than the work of someone who has worked with your company in the past. Make sure that this person’s voice is heard!

The love/hate relationship between advertising agencies and marketers has been going on for decades. But if you don’t know where to start, our guide might help.

Some marketers have had a negative experience in the past with agencies. When it comes to web design and development, we’ve seen many “beautiful disasters” – brochureware that looks nice but is either technologically challenging to maintain or unreliable in meeting deadlines. When it comes to digital marketing, we’ve seen some high-converting email campaigns and land pages, but also others that underperform. We’ve seen some beautiful websites that attract a lot of traffic and others which get little or no traffic. As a marketer, you may really love beautiful things and so do we! But at the end of the day, your management team will care about results and hard numbers.

We have something special here at BranDigitalize. We have a team of writers and developers that are here to help you with your projects. If you find an agency that’s closer to you and mirrors a good amount of these traits, by all means, give them a try!