If you’ve been thinking about possibly enlisting the help of a marketing agency to boost your company’s marketing efforts, it’s important to understand what exactly a marketing agency is, the different types of marketing agencies, what a marketing agency does, and what to look for when hiring a marketing agency.
What is a Marketing Agency?
A marketing agency helps companies with their marketing efforts in order to achieve their business goals by designing and implementing marketing strategies and campaigns. And, depending on the type of marketing agency you go with, they can typically help with other marketing tasks, like providing content and managing social media accounts.
Types of Marketing Agencies
1. Traditional Marketing Agency
A full service traditional marketing agency usually doesn’t focus on digital marketing. They are similar to ad agencies. So, instead, they leverage public relations, print marketing (like billboards or direct response pieces), television ads, and radio ads to boost your marketing results. They also can help with brand management by cultivating and helping you to maintain a strong public image. Larger businesses with larger budgets usually tend to hire traditional marketing agencies.
2. Specialized Marketing Agency
A specialized marketing agency is just what it sounds like, “specialized.” This type of agency focuses on one aspect of marketing, like website design, SEO, or social media.
3. Digital Marketing Agency
A full service digital marketing agency, like EmoryDay, focuses on the digital side of marketing, like internet marketing, SEO, e-commerce, content marketing, and social media.
What Should You Look for When Hiring a Marketing Agency?
Not all marketing agencies are the same, and there are a ton of different agencies out there, so you should definitely do your homework and shop around before signing a contract with one.
1. Do they have the services you want and need?
It is important to choose an agency with proven success in the marketing channels you want to leverage. If you want a marketing agency to handle all of your marketing needs, you will want to look for a full service agency. Or, if you just need help with something specific, like SEO, you’ll want to look for a specialized marketing agency. And, if digital marketing is something you want help with, you’ll want to find a reputable digital marketing agency.
2. How do they go about strategy and planning?
Once you and your potential agency have identified your business needs, you will need to evaluate their planning process. Not having a clearly defined marketing plan can end up wasting a lot of your time and money. Does the agency have a formula or method that has created proven success? A good marketing agency will advise you on a budget, set measurable goals, and create a timeline of initiatives to help reach your goals.
3. What is their game plan for measuring success?
It’s really important that a marketing agency has a results-oriented approach to marketing. While not all digital marketing efforts are measurable, a well-established agency should be able to show you examples of proven success. See if the agency has case studies on its website, or inquire about successful campaigns in industries similar to your own. Your agency should be able to provide you with analytics reporting, so you can track measurable results. Ask for a sample of weekly/monthly reporting, as this can help you determine their proficiency in providing easy-to-digest data.
4. Do they value transparency?
One of the most important factors in choosing a digital marketing agency is being able to have an open and honest relationship. This is your company’s money and time at stake, so it’s important that they keep you informed. You should be aware of all fees, team members assigned, and hours dedicated to your account before starting any projects with an agency. They should also implement regularly scheduled meetings to discuss progress and new initiatives. Overall, you should feel like there are open lines of communication between the agency and yourself.
EmoryDay Can Handle Your Digital Marketing Needs!
We are a full-service digital marketing agency committed to growing small businesses. We can create and implement a marketing strategy for your company as well develop digital marketing campaigns that will get you the results you want. At EmoryDay we combine our expertise along with our results-oriented approach to provide measurable success for our clients. Get in touch with us today to learn how we can take your digital marketing to the next level and help improve your company’s bottom line.
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