Digital marketing is no longer an option. But should you handle digital marketing on your own?
For best results, many brands are partnering with a digital marketing agency.
But no two agencies are the same, and it can be difficult to separate the quality agencies from the less-than-perfect ones.
If you’re on the hunt for a digital marketing company, you can start by asking a prospective agency a few simple questions.
If you’re in the process of talking to agencies, here are 8 questions to ask.
1. Will You Work With Me to Achieve My Company’s Goals?
Your digital marketing agency offers more than enhanced digital visibility and more sales. They will be your new partner.
The best agencies have expansive marketing knowledge. They apply this knowledge and experience to all individual businesses. This results in a unique marketing strategy.
This individualized marketing campaign will help you achieve your marketing goals. In addition, the best marketing agencies will include your business’ branding and vision into your marketing strategy.
2. Who Are Your Previous Clients?
Many digital marketing agencies offer a portfolio of past clients and projects on their website. If they don’t offer this, ask them. Reputable agencies will be transparent with their past work.
Ideally, you should find a digital marketing agency that has experience in your industry or with the projects you need.
Instead of asking for their past work, you can give them the scope of what you need and ask if they have worked on similar projects.
What if they don’t have experience in your niche? You should still consider the agency if they do great work. Ask them how they will conduct research on your industry and other resources they may use.
Last but not least, always look for references and reviews before signing up.
3. How Do You Measure Success?
Measuring digital marketing metrics is the key to success. But every agency uses different analysis tools and methods.
From here, the best agencies will show you the results — no matter if the successes are major or minuscule.
In addition, you should ask how often they measure metrics and how long their past clients have achieved results. Keep in mind, it usually takes months or years to see results.
4. How Much of the Work Will You Outsource?
When you contact an agency, the person you talk to likely won’t work on your campaign (or at least not all of it).
Many digital marketing firms have in-house staff that handles individual tasks, but not all of them do.
They may outsource specific areas, such as content writing or social media marketing. It’s helpful to know what all they will outsource before you sign up.
If they outsource a significant portion of their services, ask how they find contractors. You’ll want nothing less than experienced and talented contractors working on your campaign.
When you outsource tasks, it may take a few days to receive the work. Keep that in mind when communicating with the agency. You can also ask if they give their contractors deadlines and if you can approve the work.
5. Do You Offer One or Different Services?
You’ll find two different types of digital marketing agencies: the multi-service firms and the one-trick-pony. Both types have their advantages and the agency you choose depends on your needs and your preferences.
But you should at least know the basic tactics involved in a digital marketing strategy. These include:
- Web development/design
- Branding
- Website hosting
- Video
- Inbound marketing
- SEO
- Content
- Analysis
All of these aspects will function seamlessly to enhance your digital presence.
6. Do You Fit With My Company’s Personality?
The goal is to establish a long-term relationship with your digital marketing agency. You should at least know if you’ll get along with them.
Ask them if they have similar business values. You can also look into your company culture and see if it’s similar to yours.
You can also gauge the agency’s personality during the initial consultation. Are they friendly and easy to work with? Or are they cold and don’t seem to care?
7. Who Will I Be Working With?
While many people will be working on your campaign, you may likely only talk to a small group of people.
The people you work with will impact your satisfaction with the agency. Get to know them. You should look forward to communicating with them and the collaboration process should be a breeze.
There are many benefits of hiring a local marketing agency, especially if you live in Houston. If you live in their immediate area, ask if you can visit their office.
Take advantage of a free consultation. After the consultation, listen to your gut. If they treat you like a team member more than a customer, that’s a better sign than if they’re trying to force you into a sale.
8. What Tools Do You Use?
The average agency has many digital marketing tools in their toolkit.
Ask what specific tools they use and do your homework. Are these the best tools in the industry? Do they provide the most accurate results? Or are the tools outdated and ineffective?
You’ll also want to look at their non-marketing tools, such as for payments, file sharing, and communication. This ensures all information you send and receive is secure.
Are You Looking for a Digital Marketing Agency in Houston?
Every business needs digital marketing, and it’s recommended you seek a digital marketing agency to help you achieve your goals.
Not every marketing company is high-quality, but asking these questions will make it easy to find a company who can take your marketing initiatives to a new level.
If you’re looking for a digital marketing agency in Houston, you can contact us to see how we can help. Or, you can continue reading our blog and educate yourself on digital marketing and other related topics.
