Based on my experiences, the following 6 key steps are core to finding a digital marketing agency that will be the right business partner for your needs.
#1 – Define your needs
If you want to find the right agency for your needs, you need to first properly define what resources you have, and what you need to grow your company.
It’s rarely easy, so you might actually need an agency that will help you define these things as we do at 0101marketing for our clients.
Take some time to consider your plans. Do you want to grow an in-house team, or do you want to only work with outside partners? If you’re growing an in-house team, what processes do you want to outsource, and what do you prefer to keep?
For marketing to work, you must have your goals defined. Sometimes they’ll be broad, like “define the right marketing channels to focus on”. They can be very specific goals too, like “reduce bounce rate from users finding the blog through SEO”.
With your goals in mind, you can start looking for agencies to work with.
#2 – What services do they offer, and for what industry?
Having goals will help you narrow down your search. If you need to optimize your blog, look for content agencies. If you need to find marketing channels that work for you, look for a 360 digital agency that can audit your company and market.
Look for agencies that focus on your industry. It might be tempting to work with an agency that doesn’t specialize in your type of business, but why risk it?
For example, if you’re in B2B tech, look for agencies specialized in B2B tech. If you run an online shoe store, look for agencies that specialize in B2C e-commerce.
Basic stuff, I know – but surprisingly often overlooked.
#3 – What do they take responsibility for?
As mentioned before, if no agency that you work with is responsible for results, it’ll all fall down on your head. If that’s what you want – great! But you don’t want to be surprised by it.
This is why, before you start working with an agency, you want to have a clear understanding of what they will deliver for you, and what they’ll take responsibility for.
A content agency contracted to do 1 blog post per week based on your briefs will not take responsibility for the results that these blog posts generate. It seems simple, but it’s easy to fall into the trap of thinking “the agency does X, so they’re responsible for the results”.
So do you need just some content or results generated through content? To avoid misunderstandings, you need to specifically define their responsibilities and your expectations before you enter into an engagement.
#4 – Portfolio
This is the most obvious part. So obvious that it’s often overlooked. You might check the portfolio, see that there are several projects, and move on.
But if you want to make sure you’re choosing the right agency, spend a bit more time on this step. Read their case studies thoroughly. Are they delivering the type of results that you need?
You can go a step further, and contact the companies from the portfolio. Ask about the agency, how the cooperation went, and whether there were any challenges.
#5 – Customer service
When you start contacting potential agencies, take a look at how they handle customer service.
Do they respond quickly, or do they leave you hanging? Do they provide all the information you ask for, or do they speak in riddles?
Most importantly – do they try to force you to make a quick decision? This is the biggest indicator that something might be wrong. If you feel increasingly uncomfortable communicating with agency representatives, it’s a sign that you should probably look elsewhere.
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