Choosing the Best Digital Marketing Agency – Part II
What will a marketing agency do for your business?
Let’s talk about the difference between content marketing and digital marketing. In the simplest terms, content marketing is focused on engaging your audience and digital marketing is focused on sales.
Content Marketing is the intersection of advertising and publishing. For example the online article or blog that you’re reading is “content.” Around the outside of the article you see ads. Thus, content drives brand awareness, and the next step is the advertisement.
Digital Marketing includes tactics like search engine optimization (SEO), pay-per-click (PPC), and social media. Digital marketing is key because these are the elements that will help you capture conversions. You want customers to see an ad that is so appealing it stops them in their tracks and pushes them to click through to your site. Once they are on your site, the content has to be engaging, and the landing page has to be attractive and easy to navigate.
Your digital marketing agency understands the process of using content to hand the prospect along to the next stage in the customer value journey (CVJ). The CVJ is the path that the prospective customer travels as they discover your brand, build a relationship with your company and become buyers. Left to themselves, the customer will lose their way, and you will lose a sale.
Find the right fit by asking the right questions.
How does the agency run their own business?
According to Neil Patel, “Don’t hire a digital marketing agency that doesn’t have traffic to their own website. Digital agencies make a lot of claims. They say they are great at SEO, paid advertising and conversion optimization, but if they can’t show you the results for their own website, don’t hire them.”
What results do they promise?
There are plenty of agencies who make promises, but fail to deliver. Agencies should not make guarantees because there are too many company-specific factors involved. The more competitive the market, the longer it takes to realize results. If you want the best outcome, look for an organization that is tactical. Strategies and concepts are important, but if a company doesn’t know how to implement changes to your website, they’ll never be able to get you the results you’re looking for.
How do they support the client after the sale?
Your relationship with your digital marketing agency is built on mutual trust. Consistent, open lines of communication will strengthen that bond and forge a dedicated partnership. Your agency needs to provide you with regular communication. Ask if you will receive regular reports, and calls, along with email notifications. Consistent, honest communication and support are critical.
Can they supply references and testimonials?
Ask for references. If an agency is unable to provide any references or testimonials, then they haven’t been doing much of anything.
Have they worked with a business that is similar to yours?
The agencies you’re considering should have experience working with businesses like yours. They don’t have to be competitors, but you don’t want a company that has worked with only the Googles and Facebooks of the world. If you’re a small to medium sized business or a local business, they should have experience with similar organizations. By ensuring that they’ve worked with organizations like yours, you’re more likely to get the results you want.
What do they charge?
Cost should not be the only factor in your decision to hire a marketing agency. It is important to save money, but don’t cut corners when you’re looking for the right agency to move your company to the next level. If an agency prices itself too low, they’re making lower margins on their services. This means that they are less likely to go the extra mile for you.
How do you know if the agency is right for your business?
A digital marketing agency’s website will tell you exactly who they are and how they can help your brand. To find the perfect fit, look at who you are as a company and what kind of impression you want to make on your target audience. The agency you choose should mesh with your company culture. You’ll get a good sense of this when you meet in person. Do you want to build a personal, approachable relationship, or are you more corporate in your outlook? Take your time and do your homework.
It’s time to make your decision.
You’re a busy entrepreneur who needs the time to focus on what you do best: things like operating your business, hiring the right people, and building relationships with clients and vendors. You don’t want to get sidetracked, and you don’t want to spend time hiring and training a marketing staff. You need a team of specialists to get you up to speed on the digital strategies that will accelerate your business.
If you’ve come this far with us, you should be ready to choose your digital marketing agency. You’ve looked at your resources, asked yourself and your prospective agencies the right questions, and you understand what a good digital marketing agency can do for your company. It’s time to build a brand, not just a business.
