Now, you may have been Googling “best digital marketing agencies in town” that can take over the marketing reigns of your business. Every time you search this query, there are several ads that pop up along with thousands of search results.
It feels great to have so many options at your disposal right? But even though you have a pool of digital marketing agencies to choose from, how do you know which one is right for you? What is a fool-proof process that you must follow to choose the right digital marketing agency for your business?
In this article, we share the right process that you must follow in order to classify and select the right agency that will have the potential to skyrocket marketing for your business.
List Your Requirements
Before you even start narrowing down your options from the plethora of digital agencies that you see on your search results, first have an internal discussion about what are the main requirements for your business.
The marketing requirements of a business-to-business (B2B) company will be very different from the requirements of an E-commerce business or a cafe or boutique business.
For example, your business may require social media marketing services, content management and SEO for your business. Whereas another business might require email marketing, website development and PPC ads.
Note down your vision for the business, the purpose of branding your business and how you aim to achieve it. It also helps if you are able to articulate your business’s purpose, values and culture. Do not forget to also agree on a budget that you are ready to put aside for marketing.
Listing these few things will give you a direction for your business and play an important role in curating marketing strategies at later stages.
Listing The Agencies
Now, this sounds like a lot of manual labour but it is a good idea to put in the time and effort to list down the marketing agencies that you find most suitable from the pool of options you see on the search results.
You can also turn to customer reviews for the business you are interested in partnering with to check their level of professionalism, transparency and credibility. If they match your requirements, have a good reputation in the industry and also fit your budget, you may want to go give such agencies a chance.
Make an excel sheet of the agencies with their contact details, their unique selling points (USPs), the packages they offer and the price. Doing this will allow you to streamline the selection process.
Moving Towards Negotiations
More often than not businesses want a marketing strategy that is customised or tailored to their business requirements. Even if your business does not want a custom-made marketing strategy, it is important that you ask the right questions and get the most out of your pricing negotiations with the digital marketing agency you are interviewing.
Here are a few things that you should definitely ask the digital marketing agency:
- About their past performance and achievements with clients.
- Evidence of work.
- If they have a binding contract. (It is usually a red flag when digital marketing agencies ask you to sign a binding contract).
- Ask how many clients they currently have and if they will be able to give your business the attention it requires to scale up.
- Their culture and values. (it’s good if they share the same values as your business does).
- How frequently they are available and the accessibility of the account manager that will handle your business.
- Their pricing methodology.
Do a bit of market research about how marketers charge for their services such as SEO services, social media, PR, website development, etc., so that you do not overpay or underpay for the services you leverage. Also, take a download of the details of each service package they offer you and what it entails.
Making The Final Decision
Making the final decision could be a challenge if you find more than one digital marketing agency that suits your requirements. In addition to your own research, and negotiation, do not underestimate how you feel about the agency you are about to partner with. Trust your instincts and partner with the agency that you feel understands your business as if it were their own.
However, do remember that even if your content is optimized, and you are able to drive digital connections with social media marketing, it takes about 3 to 6 months to see quantifiable results in your sales and brand visibility. So give your digital marketing agency that time to prove themselves.
Choosing the right digital marketing agency for your business is critical for the success of your business. So do not hesitate to follow the above-mentioned steps in choosing the right marketing partner for your business.
All the best!
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