Content Attributes
In the modern world, it is very difficult for a business to advance and develop among a large number of similar companies. For this, a digital marketing agency is simply needed. But in order for this to have an effect, you need to choose the right company. It should provide you with all the necessary tools and perform its services with high quality.
Here are a few factors that will help you choose the best agency:
Agency ratings, festivals, and awards
It is not worth choosing an agency based solely on ratings and awards, because not all ratings are transparent, and not all festival cases are effective. But it makes sense to pay attention to them and take them into account when choosing a contractor, among other criteria.
An agency that actively participates in ratings and competitions invests effort, time, and money in this, and cares about its reputation. Many ratings take into account the turnover, large customers in the portfolio, and the period of work with clients in the methodology. Therefore, the presence of an agency in the industry rating is evidence of its reliability.
In competitions, the jury often chooses, and in ratings, customers vote. The recognition of the professional community also indicates the level of the company. In our experience, I can say that the team is very happy with awards and ratings, we pass from mouth to mouth effective mechanics that we use in projects.
Cases
Almost every agency maintains a portfolio of completed projects. Does this mean that your project will give the same performance and growth? Not necessary. Much depends on the business and processes within your company, the period of placement and the situation in the advertising auction, and the cost of the advertised product/service.
But agency portfolios and cases can help you navigate the team’s approach and understand that they have relevant experience. Feel free to ask for details of the implementation of cases, and check if the employees who made this case are still working.
Media plans and roadmaps
Pay attention to the details of the media plan and work plan. They should describe in detail all online marketing services and stages. For example, with SEO promotion and website development, you need to think through the content, design the site, keys for promotion, and so on. All services must be registered as included in the price or created for an additional payment.
If the media plan of the project consists only of traffic forecasts and a line with the services of the performer, you may encounter additional costs and a lack of understanding of what exactly the specialists do at each stage of the project. An agency that works transparently, shows all the necessary information and from which the cost of the contractor’s services is formed.
Project team
It is important that the project team be designated by the agency. It happens that the manager with whom you communicate at the stage of preparing a commercial proposal and the manager who will lead your project are two different people. The head of the department comes to the meeting, and not the specialist who will then lead the project.
Client briefing and pre-sales are often carried out by sales managers or department heads and rarely by line specialists. But at the same time, before starting work, it is normal practice to get to know the team.
Ask about the loading of specialists and their motivation system. 10 large projects or 20 medium ones cannot be supported by one specialist – he simply will not be able to pay due attention to everyone.
Work process
It’s good when all the processes in the project are transparent and you understand what’s going on.
What factors are important for this:
- Your presence during the transfer of the project to work.
- Reporting should contain not only numbers but also recommendations on what to do next.
- It is desirable to hold monthly meetings with the main part of the team to discuss the results and plans – this increases the coherence of the working group and improves results.
- Ask if you will have a dedicated manager. If you have to communicate with a bunch of different people in an agency, that’s a messy process.
- Ask if the agency is ready to work with third-party traffic verifiers and whether it provides guest access to advertising cabinets.
Guarantees
If some digital marketing agency Chicago gives you guarantees on the number of leads or the site in the TOP-10 in a month, it is most likely a scammer. A bona fide agency does not give guarantees, at least before the start of work, for several reasons:
- External market factors and competition (search algorithms, launches of new startups, click growth in a niche, etc.).
- The agency most often does not manage your pricing policy or the work of the sales department on your side, and rarely is the agency an expert in selling your particular product/service.
- The effectiveness of the site (if it was not developed by the agency that then promotes it).
What can you guarantee in the agency at the beginning of work:
- Cost per click, coverage of the target audience
- Targeted spending of funds and transparency of work;
It is important to understand from the start of work that you will need involvement and willingness to interact. If you want a good result, be prepared to invest time and effort into the project as well. For example, to quickly make changes. Thus, we can conclude that if you use all our tips and carefully select marketing agencies in San Antonio, Portland, or Kansas City, you can bring great value to your company and not waste your money.