How to Choose a Digital Marketing Agency

Choosing the right digital marketing agency for your business can seem daunting at first, especially with how important this decision is to the future of your business, so we’ve prepared a checklist to make sure you’re making the right decision.

• Why use an agency?
• Do they understand your goals?
• Do they showcase knowledge of marketing?
• What are the opinions of the agency?
• Have you seen their previous work?
• Do their services integrate?
• Can you access their team?
• How do they communicate?
• Do they provide advice?
• Do they practice their methods?
• What are their USPs?
• Get in touch with EDGE

Businesses of all sizes often struggle to effectively advertise and market themselves due to time and expertise limitations, and hiring a specialist marketing executive can be very expensive.

That’s why digital marketing agencies are there to help offer these services on your behalf, providing you with a clear strategy of how to grow the influence and reach of your brand.

But how do they do this and what should you consider when choosing the right marketing partner for your business? Read on to find out!

Why use a Digital Marketing Agency?

Orchestrating effective marketing efforts requires the complex and continual management of several marketing channels, including social media and email strategy, website copy, UI and UX testing, and development, market research and paid advertising.

Digital marketing agencies are specialists when it comes to all these areas, meaning that you can benefit from access to dedicated professionals in every field rather than relying on a general marketer to do it all.

Our teams work together effectively to develop specific strategies and co-ordinate wider marketing efforts across several platforms. By managing everything effectively and by reaching the right customers online, a digital marketing agency should be able to help grow your business!

Plus, digital marketing agencies have access to several specific platforms and programmes that are designed to help marketers manage their work and maximise the effectiveness of what they produce.

In-house marketing without specialists on hand to help will be time consuming and ineffective, while a marketing agency will be there to provide you with a cost effective, successful, and efficient service.

10 Questions to Answer When Choosing a Marketing Agency

Start working towards improving the effectiveness of your marketing efforts today! Here are 10 questions you should answer when choosing the right creative marketing agency for your business.

Do They Understand your Business and Goals?

An effective marketing agency will ask about your business, your model, and your goals from the very start of your partnership.

This way, an agency can get a good understanding of your needs and those of the wider industry to understand what it is you do. Then, they will want to understand what you’re looking to achieve through your marketing, be it more business or simply growing your accounts.

Once they know what they should be working towards, they will devise a strategy to get you there within a set amount of time and demonstrate a clear understanding of where to progress beyond that.

Do they Demonstrate Knowledge of the Services You Need?

Digital marketing requires so much more than just a knowledge of social media. The agency you’re looking at should know how to work in your industry effectively, understanding the trends and successful strategies that can be employed.

If they don’t have concrete experience in your industry, then they should at least be able to demonstrate translatable examples of work they have done that is relevant or show ways that they have adapted to working in other industries successfully.

What are Other People Saying About the Agency?

Check Google reviews and testimonials on their website to get a feel for the kind of work they have done in the past, and the impact it could have on your business.

There are few better ways to get an honest reflection of the work a company has done than their business reviews on Google, as that is where their clients and customers will be most honest. If their average score is close to five stars, they’re likely very good at what they do!

Have you Been Provided Access to Prior Work?

On the same vein, it’s important to have access to examples of their previous work, either through case studies on their website or by checking out some of the clients they have worked with in the past.

That way, you can get a feel of the breadth of their services and how detailed the work they produce is, while also getting a glimpse into their processes and norms.

Does their Service Integrate Across Several Channels?

One key indicator of a competent and strong digital marketing agency is their ability to link their marketing efforts across several channels. A common question we get asked is “why is content important?” and this integration is one of the key answers.

For example, any web copy should have a clear purpose and be written with SEO in mind, and then these web pages can be promoted via paid ads or form the basis of your social media content.

Consider whether the agency you want to work with promotes their blogs through social media, or if they adjust based on real customer feedback. Interlinking different aspects of marketing is crucial when creating a well-rounded strategy.

Have you Been Able to Assess the Team, Technology, and Resources?

Any marketing agency will have an experienced and knowledgeable team who specialise in different positions. The teams you need will be dictated by what you want to achieve, but those whose services you require will need the most up-to-date technology available to do their job most effectively.

You should be able to ask freely about the bespoke marketing software and technology they employ, and you should be able to probe their knowledge on certain key tools like Google Analytics.

If they cannot confidently answer these questions, there could be significant gaps in their service.

How do they Communicate and Report Effectively?

A key consideration when outsourcing your marketing is the ability of the agency to stay in touch and keep you updated, clearly communicating their needs, successes, and of course, failures.

Marketing is not an exact science and approaches will need to be changed depending on the client and end goals they are working towards. Ensuring that you are fully consulted throughout this process is key, and the ability to admit and adapt when things need to change is even more important.

They should have a clear and regular reporting process in place to ensure that you understand the metrics behind their work, what has been working and what they might be changing. They should also demonstrate an understanding that not all marketing approaches work, and certain things will need to change!

Do they Provide Proactive Advice and Consultation?

Sometimes your team will need to get involved with the marketing efforts to truly complete the marketing experience. Perhaps your team can appear in an advertising video to make it more personable, or they need to share certain posts on their own personal social media accounts.

Gaining an understanding of when to step up internally is key, and having a marketing agency that will consult as much as provide is crucial.

Are They Known to Practise What they Preach?

A marketing agency can talk about growing your numbers and improving business as much as they like, but are they able to do it for themselves? Pay attention to their own social channels, their website design, or their blog posts.

Are they of the quality you would expect? Do they make you want to work with them? If they don’t apply the same techniques to their own work, then it may be an indication of the quality they could produce for you!

What are their Unique Selling Points?

Any business should have USPs, regardless of whether they are in a field with established norms. Does the agency have a set of unique points that attract you to them? For example, some agencies may choose to have a young team that bring fresh ideas, while others may specialise in specific industries or with certain channels.

An agency needs to stand out in one way or another, and the agency you choose should have a selling point that is relevant to you, your business, or your ideals.

Get in Touch with EDGE Creative for a Comprehensive Marketing Experience

EDGE Creative are a leading marketing and SEO agency in Birmingham with a young yet experienced team of marketing professionals across a range of services.

Our creative agency works with several businesses across the UK in a variety of industries to help provide the marketing solutions they need, growing their online presence and increasing their business.

We’re currently offering a completely free SEO audit of your business to see where you could improve your online and web marketing, with no obligations attached!

So, if you’re looking for a fully managed service or simply just a marketing consultant in Birmingham, get in touch with us today! Call the office on 0121 355 8092 or email info@edge-creative.com and ask any questions you may have!