You are a small business owner looking to hire a digital marketing agency to take your marketing efforts to the next level. You have read every blog post you can find on how to choose a digital marketing partner. But weeks later, you’re still no closer to figuring it out. Forget everything you’ve read. Instead, ask yourself a simple question: what are your goals?
All the advice you have previously read may or may not hold true for the digital marketing agencies you have considered signing with. But even if it did, how does that help you decide? You need to go back to your goals.
Source: Medium.com
Agencies Have Their Own Brands
You understand the brand concept as well as anyone. Your brand is what sets you apart from the competition. Well, digital marketing agencies have their brands, too.
One agency’s brand might be related to a specific industry, like healthcare or law. Another might build its brand around being an affordable service provider for clients that don’t have a lot of money. Assessing your marketing goals gives you a starting point for looking at the unique value propositions different marketing agencies offer.
Source: uschamber.com
Short and Long-Term Goals
Assessing your goals is a two-part process. Start with figuring out what you want to accomplish in the short term. Perhaps you are looking for more website traffic. Maybe you’re happy with your traffic but not your conversion rates. Perhaps your most immediate short-term goal is to get a handle on social media.
Did you know that there are some digital marketing agencies that focus heavily on social media? They do other things, but social media is the main emphasis. Such an agency would be ideal if your biggest short-term goal is to perform better on social media.
The other part of the process is determining your long-term goals. This is where things get a bit cloudier. It is easy to come up with a very broad goal – like selling more stuff, for example. But try to keep your long-term goals as specific as possible. Here are a few examples:
The possibilities are many and varied. Whatever your long-term goals might be, they are achieved through the process of reaching your short-term goals. In other words, the cumulative effect of achieving what you want in the short term leads to achieving what you want long-term.
Source: urteammarketing.com
The Budget Question
It is not unusual for small businesses to shop around based on their budgets. There is also nothing wrong with including the budget question in the equation. As much as we all wish money were no object, it is. Companies only have so much money to spend on digital marketing. This is where value propositions become so important.
In the simplest possible terms, a value proposition in the context of finding a digital marketing agency is that one thing an agency can offer that adds value to your brand. Sometimes it is two or three things. The key operating word for budgetary purposes is the ‘value’.
As with anything else your company invests in, you want to reap the greatest possible value. You want to get the most for your money. This is normal and to be expected. Furthermore, digital marketing agencies like Webtek Digital Marketing understand it. They are in the same boat.
All of this is to say that, while your budget is very important, so is making sure that what you’re paying for is worth the price. Maxing out your budget and getting very little in return obviously doesn’t make sense. You should be looking for a digital marketing partner that not only makes promises, but also delivers on them.
Source: nathanielzeisler.com
Know Your Target Audience
While you are evaluating goals and budget, do not forget to take a good look at your target audience. Believe it or not, how you reach that target audience plays into establishing short- and long-term goals. The differences between video and email content provide the perfect illustration.
Both types of content are valuable in their own unique ways. What you might not know is that older people prefer email while younger people are more receptive to video. So, what is your target audience?
A financial advisor looking to reach baby boomers and older Gen Xers would be smart to concentrate more on email marketing than video marketing. Likewise, a lifestyle brand whose target audience is the emerging Gen Z crowd would favor putting more effort into video marketing.
Your target audience plays a role in choosing a digital marketing agency inasmuch as some agencies specialize in certain media. Previously you read about agencies that specialize in social media. There are others whose specialty is video. Still others prioritize email marketing.
Source: socialmediaexplorer.com
Don’t Forget Non-Digital
Wrapping it all up is a reminder to not forget non-digital marketing. You may be looking for an agency capable of taking your online marketing efforts to the next level, but do you still plan to invest in non-digital opportunities? They still do work.
Direct mail marketing is the perfect example. A well-crafted direct mail campaign can be just as effective as any digital campaign. It could even cost less per impression. That is something to consider if you are working with a tight budget.
This plays into choosing a digital marketing agency in a very simple way: you ideally want an agency capable of working with your in-house team or another vendor to combine both digital and non-digital for seamlessly integrated marketing campaigns.
Take Your Time
Choosing a digital marketing agency is a lot like choosing a funding partner. You have a lot of choices, and each one brings something unique to the table. Take your time. Look around, conduct interviews, get quotes, and ask questions.
Finding the right digital marketing partner can lead to a long-term relationship that is profitable for both your companies. It is well worth your while to be choosy. Just remember to let your goals drive your choice. If you don’t reach your goals, what’s the point?
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