Although you may have a natural instinct to try and take care of every aspect of your business, it’s not always possible – eventually, you and your team are spread too thin, and this can result in a drop in quality and morale. In cases like this, don’t be afraid to seek help and the services of external companies for business development purposes.
One area where this is possible is digital marketing. A digital marketing agency can transform your marketing efforts and take care of processes such as SEO (search engine optimisation), web development, PPC (pay per click advertising), email marketing, and analytics.
But how do you pick the right digital marketing agency to make sure your budget is spent efficiently and effectively? I understand how daunting this can seem – you only have to do a quick Google search to see the huge list of potential candidates. I want to make that choice easier for you and so I’ve created a simple 15-point checklist to go through when shortlisting digital marketing agencies.
1. Getting On With Them
No one wants to work with people they don’t get on with – that’s just human nature. It can also be prohibitive to a successful business relationship and cause unnecessary tension.
Ideally, the digital marketing agency should have similar core values and business culture to your own. Additionally, it always helps if you like the people who will be providing the services. This is where initial consultations and onboarding sessions can help greatly. It’s also useful to check who you’ll actually be having review meetings with as it may not be the same person has you’ve had initial meetings with.
2. Who Will You Be Meeting and Speaking With?
An important thing to establish is who you will be working with? Will your main point of contact be an Account Manager? Will you be able to speak directly to the person or people that are working on your campaigns at all?
It can sometimes be useful to speak with the person running your campaigns directly, so you are happy that they fully understand your business and your objectives.
You also want to be careful that your campaigns don’t get passed to a “junior” – well, certainly not a beginner. I’ve had clients come to us who have realised this has happened and so move on.
3. Does Not Use Interns for Client Work
Everyone understands that people have to start somewhere and gain experience and that interns have a valuable place in company infrastructure and business development.
However, should that be at the potential cost of your business and marketing efforts? Ideally, you should only work with a digital marketing agency that use only their qualified full-time marketing staff and doesn’t allow interns to take the reins.
Of course, there is nothing wrong with interns learning the job, but they should not be placed in a position of power or for decision making when your company’s funds are at play.
4. Awards and Recognition
Ideally, you want to work with an agency that is a leader in their industry and stand as an authority on digital marketing that others trust. Do they have any accolades or awards at a local or national level?
Can you find any publications the directors have released? Maybe they have produced white papers on aspects of digital marketing, or have given seminars or talks on marketing? Finding this information can take a little more digging but can prove valuable in your search for an authentic and talented digital marketing agency.
5. Transparency, Honesty, and Openness
There’s nothing worse than jumping into a business agreement under certain pretences only to find that the relationship is not as expected, there are hidden charges, or you are not getting the results you want.
This is why you should only work with an agency that is fully transparent, honest, and open about the services they provide, the cost, and the realistic expectations you can expect. This can be difficult to gauge, but face-to-face meetings or video conference calls can help – it’s much easier to lie or embellish in an email.
6. Specific Industry Experience
It’s important to remember that many digital marketing agencies do not have specific industry experience for every client they work for. Typically, an agency may specialise in a handful of sectors such as legal, ecommerce, manufacturing, or consumer services.
It doesn’t necessarily mean they can’t provide an effective marketing strategy for your business or run Google Ads for your business for example. In fact, they may provide a new and different take on what the sector is doing that could help and drive positive results. Of course, if you feel this is crucial for your industry then you’ll almost certainly find sector specialists.
7. Services Offered
When spending money with a marketing agency, you need to know what you are paying for. What services does the company offer? Are they a specialist agency only covering one aspect of digital marketing, or can they offer a bespoke services to suit your needs? Typical services offered include:
8. Response Times and Service Level Agreement
An SLA (Service Level Agreement) is a contract that outlines the deliverables the digital marketing agency will provide within a set timeframe. This could be blog posts, social media posts, Google Ads optimisations, backlinks, an SEO audit – anything to do with the process where you can see results.
This is something you need to discuss and set clear terms for so both you and the agency are on the same page and have clear expectations of the relationship. This could also include expected number of enquiries or sales for example. That way you’re likely to have a long-term partnership which works well for both parties.
9. Budget and Costs
A key consideration is always cost, regardless of the process and this is something you can’t ignore as a business. You most likely have a set marketing budget or limited funds to allocate to a digital marketing agency, so their services need to be affordable for you.
First, assess your financial situation and current digital marketing budget. Next, consider if you have room to increase this budget as part of your business growth objectives.
Once you have a clear understanding of what you can afford, look at the expected costs of the marketing agencies services. This is usually a monthly retainer – make sure you check exactly what that cost includes, and what you can expect for your investment.
You do need to invest though especially if you want to grow your business. So, if you know your cost to get a lead and your cost to get a sale, you can work out what you need to spend to get the right number of leads to grow your business.
10. Existing Clients
You can tell a lot about an agency by checking out the clients they work with. Are their clients successful and respectable businesses? Do they work with any well-known brands? Most agencies will actively promote their existing clientele as part of their own marketing efforts, and highlight the success they have with them using case studies, so it should be easy to find information about them either on their about pages, or in a dedicated client section.
Are their current clients like you? Are they a similar size to you? All important questions worth checking out.
11. Level of Required Commitment
Like a mobile phone contract, digital marketing agencies often have a minimum term contract such as three months. Many will even look for a 12-month commitment. You need to give the agency time to be able to show the difference they can make for your business.
At Key Principles, we ask for a minimum three-month test or trial, but if it is clearly not working, we will be flexible. After the three-month trial, we move to a rolling monthly contract too. Our clients stay with us because they want to, not because of a long-term contract. Think about what is best for you.
12. Certifications in Specific Platforms
Experience is vital in digital marketing, but this should be backed by qualifications and knowledge and an extensive understanding of the underlying technical processes. Therefore, does the agency have any specific platform qualifications or certifications on platforms like:
- Google Partner
- Google Ads Exam Qualifications
- Microsoft Advertising Partner
- Facebook Advertising Partner
Certifications show commitment, hard work, and a core understanding of the things the marketing agency is trying to sell to you which is never a bad thing. Check out the company accreditations as well as the certifications of the team members.
13. Social Proof
A digital marketing agency might have an incredible website and boast about their services, but can they provide any social proof of their accomplishments? As a bare minimum, there should be a host of testimonials and/or reviews from current and past clients.
Ideally, these testimonials should include real data and metrics that show marketing improvements such as increased website traffic, reduction acquisition costs, and most importantly increased enquiries and leads.
In fact, the real results are clearly increases in sales and profit from the work the agency is doing with clear examples of great returns on investment – metrics that shows your business is going to benefit.
14. Own Marketing Proof
As the saying goes, a digital marketing agency should practice what they preach! Check their own marketing material, website, and social media channels. If the agency has real skill and knowledge, they should be able to demonstrate this throughout their content.
If you see inactive social media profiles, a poorly optimised website, or a lack of regular content, this may be an indication that their skills are lacking.
15. Amazing Client Results
While social proof goes a long way to show the competency of a digital marketing agency, what about their longevity and track record? Does the agency have a history of successful clients that spans for years?
Do they have a group of core clientele? How long do clients tend to stay with the agency? Analysing their track record in more depth including their business history allows you to build a picture of their reputation, trustworthiness, and capabilities to drive your company forward.
Find the Right Digital Marketing Agency to Spearhead Your Marketing Efforts
We have created a downloadable version of this checklist for your use. Please feel free to save the image below, print a copy, and use it as you search for a digital marketing agency. Before making any commitments, why not arrange an initial consultation or strategy session with us?
You never know, we could be just the agency for you. 😊
