What to Look For In a Digital Agency

So, you’ve finally made the decision to make the big leap. You’ve given it a lot of thought, weighed the options and looked at the playing field. Now, it’s time to hire a digital agency.

That being said, you don’t have any experience in this area. You may not be familiar with the terms, and how all this digital stuff works in the first place. So, just how do you go about selecting the agency that’s just right for your company?

Well, glad you asked. Here are a few simple steps you can take to find just the digital marketing agency that’s perfect for you.

Young man working on an Apple laptop

Check with Your Peers

That’s about as simple as it gets. You probably have friends in other companies who have been through the process, and take our word for it – they’ll be happy to share their experiences with you. Buy them a couple of pints, and they’ll go on for hours!

But seriously, checking with friends and colleagues is an easy way to get information on how the whole process works. It will give you a solid basis for making your own agency search. You might want to get their recommendations as well.

Start Your Search Online

This might seem axiomatic. After all, what better place to check out a company whose work is based on the internet, than one who uses it to promote their own company? But here’s something to remember: beauty is only skin deep not only in life, but on the internet as well.

That colorful website with flashing lights, and drop-dead gorgeous graphics, may be pretty, but does it really do the job? Look for substance. Read every page on their site. Does it tell their story convincingly? If it does, great. Add them to your list. If it doesn’t, how can you expect them to do a great job for you, when they can’t do it for themselves?

This is where it can get tough. There may be a number of digital agencies that caught your eye, but do they really fit what your company needs? Do they cater to firms your size? Do they have any experience in your field? Is their creative not only creative, but purposeful as well?

Great creative is a lot of fun, but if it doesn’t have an underlying marketing strategy, it isn’t worth the digital page it’s printed on. Now, once you’ve done your research, you should be able to narrow it down to not more than three digital agencies to make presentations. Anymore and you’ll end up with a migraine. Take our word for it.

You Show Them, They Show You

Before scheduling a meeting, send the digital agencies involved a portfolio of your company’s profile. This will save a lot of time down the road. In some instances you might find that for one or more reasons, they don’t feel they’d be a good fit with your firm. It does happen. Better to find out now than after a couple of time consuming meetings.

Also, be up front with them about your marketing budget. Many a client-digital agency relationship has soured due to misunderstandings in this area. Remember, they want to do a terrific job for you, but they can’t do it until they know all the facts.

In the End, It’s All about Chemistry

It may be trite, but it’s also true. All things being equal, a client/digital agency relationship is successful only to the extent that the agency and client feel good about one another. That’s a fact. There has to be an enormous amount of trust on both sides to meet marketing goals in the most powerful, effective, and efficient way possible. A fair amount of your company’s money will be used to meet those objectives.

On the other hand, your digital agency will be working diligently, spending enormous amounts of time planning, creating, and executing an internet marketing strategy to make your company appear in the best light possible. It’s a big job on both sides, but if you pick the right digital agency in the first place, you’ll find it’s been well worth the effort. That being said – happy hunting!

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