Deciding which digital marketing agency to work with is an important decision impacting time, capital and return on investment.
Undoubtedly you have some criteria you feel are important to your companies growth, and while this criterion will vary based on vertical, there are some overarching elements that are important when evaluating a digital marketing agency to work with.
Tell Me About Your Business
Shouldn’t this be one of the first questions a digital marketing agency asks? We think so. How can you design a marketing plan without a thorough understanding of the business you’re designing it for? We’re not just talking top level “so this is what you do”, but a deeper understanding of where you came from and where you want to go. Your philosophies, culture, sales process, pain points you address, and what makes you different from your competitors. A good marketing plan will embrace these elements so that your message reflects the voice of your business.
A Not So Silent Partner
You shouldn’t only hear from you digital marketing agency when they send you a monthly invoice. A good marketing agency should be a not so silent partner, one who strives for the success of your business as if it were their own. This partner will understand the pain points you want to be addressed. They should keep you abreast of current initiatives, readily share and be open to new ideas. They should look beyond the analytics and understand what is happening with the rest of the business as it all ties together. They should feel like an extension of your business… less the Christmas bonus.
Transparency
A trusted marketing partner is a transparent one. They should readily ensure you have access and primary control over all channels related to your business. They should willingly show you what your actual marketing costs are, as well as be transparent with their fee structure. If their work it good, and they are ethical with the way they deal with your business, there should be nothing to hide.
Experience and the Vertical Trap
Depending on where your business is in its marketing journey and the budget you have allocated to marketing may limit your choices of digital marketing agencies. This isn’t to say that you can’t partner with an experienced agency. The key is to be forthcoming about your budget and what you hope to achieve. Reputable marketing agencies will format and walk you through a marketing plan based on your budget and goals.
Some agencies may be able to create a roadmap that addresses all of your goals in an agreeable timeline within your budget. Some may be able to address your goals over a longer period of time due to higher fees, and some may not be able to do the work with your current budget. With good proposals before you, finding a balance between budget and experience should not be difficult.
While it seems intuitive to work with a digital marketing agency that has experience with your type of business, don’t fall into the vertical trap and dismiss an agency that may not have experience with your type of business. Look at their whole body of work, ask questions about the clients they’ve served, the services provided and the outcome of that work. A digital marketing company that has a track record of success across multiple verticals offers a broader level of experience and expertise. Just because a company specializes in a certain vertical doesn’t necessarily mean they produce the best results.