Being uninformed is the worst position you can arguably be in for pretty much any scenario that involves availing of a product or service. Partnering with a digital marketing agency is no exception. In fact, it can be considered as nothing short of necessary for you to take the time to gather all the information you need before deciding to avail of their services. Not all digital marketing agencies are two sides of the same coin, after all.
And what can be a better way to keep yourself in the know than by asking your prospective agency directly regarding their services? This age-old method always does the trick simply because it helps you acquire all the info you need to help you decide. That said, there are certain questions that you should be asking in order to immediately pinpoint an excellent digital marketing agency.
For one, it’s a given that you will be asking about costs and whether they will suit your budget. If you’re still brainstorming, these questions are definitely a good place to start.
What makes your agency stand out from hundreds of others available?
Digital marketing is a highly competitive field. This rings true for online marketers and agencies that offer various services (e.g. SEO, Content Marketing, Web Development, Brand Awareness, etc.) in it. That said, it’s not easy to stand out, and most of the time, those that do develop and hone their own marketing strategies. It’s vital for you to find out what sets your prospective company apart.
Usually, the general feedback they get should give you a good inkling about this, but it’s always better to dive deeper by asking them about strategy. What’s more important is for you to know what twists they introduce to their techniques because there are practically hundreds of accessible ways for you to learn effective digital marketing strategies at no cost whatsoever.
You have to make sure that what they intend to apply to your project will not only be suited to it but is also results-driven as much as possible. It’s easy for them to attract you with the information they reveal on their website, but they have to be willing to go further by being transparent with what makes them unique. Most of the time, this takes more than just scrolling through their landing page – you have to be willing to contact them and have an actual conversation with the company’s representative.
How exactly will you help me achieve my goals?
This question readily aligns the company with your project or business after all. It is also a way of expressing your desire to have a good, work relationship with your intended agency. The word “exactly” in the query also connotes your intent to be more specific. At least, they should be able to layout the processes involved.
How did they arrive at the specific strategy they are now pitching to you? Will their strategies be based on current trends? If yes, how will they ensure that this will not affect the long-term growth of your business and its scalability?
This might require you to be clear and precise about which type of goals you want to achieve, though, in order for the agency to be able to give an equally vivid and substantial answer. Even if you come up with the best questions, yet the agency still only manages a vague outline, then it’s best to look elsewhere. One good sign of an exceptional marketing agency is if it’s willing to go into the details and shed as much light on how their strategy will work towards fulfilling your goals.
Are there businesses similar to mine which you have helped succeed in the past?
Again, the specificity of this question gives it invaluable relevancy. Niche is important in digital marketing, and if the company can confidently show a solid track record in your specific niche, then it goes without saying that it is a good candidate. One caveat, though: even if a business in the same niche succeeded with them, this does not always mean that you will have the same desirable results. Every marketer and company’s goal is different after all.
With this considered, it won’t hurt to go further by asking specifically about businesses for which they have shown to help immensely in a specific area of digital marketing. If they can show how they were able to successfully launch a business in your shared niche, for example, then their branding and promotion strategies might just be what your own business needs. The same goes for SEO, content marketing, and other services the agency is offering.
How will they collaborate with your in-house team?
From the get-go, it’s almost always better to adopt an approach rooted in unity when working with a digital marketing agency. And why not? Just think about it, you will be sharing your goals and key details about your business’s operations with this entity. It’s only logical that both parties should consider working as one team.
If they’re showing hesitancy in interacting with your in-house team, in helping them learn key processes like automation and data analytics, and in hearing the side of your experts, then that can be considered as a red flag. The key to successful partnerships with digital marketing agencies lies in transparency and consistent communication, which are traits of an agency that truly cares about the growth of their clients.
How will you gauge the success (or failure) of a campaign?
You can never overlook this question, which admittedly, has a complex answer. That said, one way for the agency to prove the success of a campaign is through the data that they will show you. They should be able to explain to you how they will gather it throughout the campaign as well as the important metrics from which success and failure will be determined.
It would not hurt to brush up on the basics of data analytics because you will only be able to understand what they share once you do so. Once you are familiar with the metrics and how to read the reports they will undoubtedly prepare, you will not be kept in the dark, to say the least, and be able to see clearly the results of your efforts as a team.
When asking any digital marketing agency about what they will be able to bring to the table, don’t pull punches in asking them to be more specific. That’s one golden rule that you should remember because if you’ll only get hooked by their attractive CTAs and prefabricated answers, you might end up getting disappointed in the end. All the better if the agency will take the initiative to be specific with their answers from the outset, accompanied by a palpable degree of warmth and compassion towards your goals.