Every business may encounter this at some point – the dreaded (yet absolutely essential) choice of hiring digital marketing agency to do business with.
Sure, you know all about the reasons why most people choose an agency, like years of experience, certifications, pricing, and the reviews you find about them online.
But what about the intangible reasons why people go with an agency? What can you do to find an agency that will really work for you but won’t just make their case with a handful of stats and a certification badge on their website?
At Omnicore Agency, we believe that business should be done differently. While we back our expertise with multiple certifications and a track record of success, we also want you to know that we value our clients more than most digital marketing agencies.
You’re our foundation – and we build our business with you in mind each and every day. When shopping for a digital marketing agency, consider not just what they do, but how they do it and how they make you feel.
With these criteria, it should make finding the right agency a breeze. In fact, choosing the right digital marketing agency isn’t that difficult when you consider how the best ones do business.
Here are some of the ways the right agency stands out (including Omnicore):
Look for Demonstrated Teamwork
There’s nothing worse than working with an agency that refuses to innovate or collaborate. If you get a pitch that says “This is the way we do things and that’s that”, then you’re better off moving on. The right digital marketing agency looks to leverage teamwork creatively to give you the best possible results, plus, they understand the knowledge and creativity can come from different teams and team members. Flexibility with the marketplace and strategy is everything, so if they’re not willing to collaborate with you or even within their own organization, they’re not worth the time.
Make Them Clearly Set Expectations
When you come on board for a service with your agency, you expect a certain level of communication, as well as a clear outline of what work will be done, what’s expected of you, and when things might be accomplished. A huge red flag in shopping for an agency is finding one that doesn’t clearly communicate expectations and what sort of service level you can expect. The best relationships between businesses and agencies are when communication is open and all parties are clear on their responsibilities, goals, and tactics.
Having easily accessible account managers, regularly scheduled communication, and an outline of what the process is/how things will work will only make working with your digital agency even better. If you’re shopping for someone to work with, make sure you take them to task over this – and that even includes us. We want to make sure that everyone knows what’s happening, when, why, and how, which brings us to our next point.
Seek Transparency
No visibility into the work they’re doing? No breakdown of what you’re actually paying for? No clear outline of how this digital agency is going to accomplish your goals? Yikes. It sounds like a nightmare, but it’s more common than you’d think. Transparency is an area where most agencies fall short and there are plenty of reasons why, but all too often, they’re not really good enough.
As a client, you need to know how your money is being spent and what work is being applied to your account. You need to have someone that you can talk to, ask questions of, and have an open dialogue with about the process. You also need to know what kind of results you’re getting, at every step of the way, in every channel. This level of transparency is essential if you want to have a true partner in the success of your business.
When looking for that perfect agency, be sure that there’s level of reporting and transparency that you feel comfortable with. Sure, they may not be able to divulge trade secrets, but they should at least be able to help you justify what you’re paying for. Get a clear outline of what’s being done for your monthly management fees and also know what sort of processes and timelines you can expect.
Make sure that there are reporting measures in place so that you can easily and effectively calculate ROI. Better yet, work with an agency that will customize their approach to YOUR needs – not just roll out some sort of cookie-cutter approach. Data needs to be organized and well presented. End of story.
Make Sure They’re Comfortable with Your Business, No Matter What it May Be
The best agencies are ones that work with a diverse portfolio of clients. Why? Well, for starters, it means that they are more than likely familiar with your marketplace as well as your industry, which can make strategy and tactic implementation even more effective. They also understand the needs of a business of your size and type, which can aid in everything from your ROI to your ease of communication. But probably the most important thing that having a wide portfolio can offer is the wide scope of experience.
Learning what works in some industries and not in others can foster creativity and that out of the box thinking is what propels successful campaigns forward. They not only understand a wide variety of audiences, demographics, and viewpoints, but they can put all of that data together and form cohesive, innovative strategies that really WORK – and can be effectively measured.
Be Treated as a Person – and Expect Nothing Less
You are your business. Your business is you. You’re both so intertwined that being treated otherwise means a bad experience with that agency. If your current agency (or one you’re courting) is treating your business like a line on a ledger or just another budget, it’s time to say “thanks, but no thanks”. Treating you (and your business) like a person is what sets most agencies apart from one another. You want to feel like you have a trusted partner, an adviser, someone who is working with your best interests at heart. If it feels like it’s just for profit, it’s likely not a good fit. Choose digital marketing agencies that are easily available when you call and make time for your communication. Make sure that they respond to you in an open, compassionate, and truthful manner.
Going the extra mile counts in all forms of business, so if this is an agency that remembers your birthday, gives attention to detail, asks about how things are going, and just checks in to see what’s up (not just what they need from you), then you’re likely working with an agency that will work harder for you to help you see success.
Okay, so you have an idea of what you need to do – here’s how to actually make it happen:
Ask for recommendations. This is the first step in finding a good agency. Reach into your contacts list and start asking other successful business owners in your industry or within your personal network who they recommend as a digital marketing agency. Word of mouth is powerful and the trusted recommendation of a professional is worth its weight in gold – and we’re not just saying that because we get referrals from happy clients all the time. This is true for all digital marketing agencies – if they’re good, you’ll often hear about it from happy clients.
Start searching. Head to your preferred search engine and start looking by searching for “digital marketing agency” or other keywords that pertain to what you want help with, such as social media services, SEO consulting, or analytics reporting. Then, comb through the listings to find contenders that you think make a good impression.
Create a list of contenders. Don’t overthink this. Come up with 3-5 vendors total and then start researching them. An exhaustive list of vendors will only create more work for you. Keep it simple – remember, if they’re easy to find and make a good impression, that’s representative of what they can possibly do for your business.
Evaluate each. Start out by taking a look at their website. Is it outdated? Easy to navigate? A good website shows that they get what works and they’re willing to apply that to your account. Check out their portfolios too and take a look at their reviews on other trusted sites, such as the BBB or Yelp. You can even look on their social media channels to see how active they are and if they get positive reviews (or better yet, how they handle any feedback from their client base).
Schedule a conference call or a meeting. A free consultation can give you a good feel for what working with this agency will be like. Set something up and come prepared. On the call, you’ll want to make it a point to ask all of your important questions (we’ll get into that in just a second), as well as get a feel for the agency, how they do business, and what their processes are like. Develop a list of questions to ask and ask them. See if they’re willing to be a partner – or just make a quick sale.
Make a list of questions. If you’ve never worked with an agency before, here are the must ask questions that should be on your list:
How often do you communicate with clients?
Give me an example of how you helped a client see success with X tactic.
What can I expect in terms of analytics and reporting?
Do you offer consulting time with your services in addition to the actual campaign implementation? If so, how much?
How are services billed? When am I to be billed?
How will you get to know my business and industry?
What is your campaign implementation process like?
How does your team get familiar with my brand, services, and products?
Will I have a dedicated account manager to work with?
How long are your contracts or service agreements?
What ability do we have to renegotiate contracts during a campaign?
What services do you offer and can they be customized to my business?
Have you worked with a business like mine? If so, describe that experience?
How is your team trained? What expertise do they have?
Ask for case studies and examples. A portfolio is great, but a case study is better. Having visible results can mean a lot in choosing the right agency, so ask the vendors you’re courting to share case studies to show success. Don’t be afraid to ask for a current client’s recommendation either – they may be able to give you a number of a client they work with that you can call and ask about their experience. If they don’t give out any references, be skeptical, as they may be trying to hide something.
Negotiate. You do this with all of your major purchases – so why shouldn’t you do the same when working with your agency? Negotiate on the pricing as well as the scope of work that you’re contracting them for. Make sure the expectations are clear and put into writing. This is the time to find out what the real costs are of the campaign – and then budget them appropriately or negotiate on how they’ll be worked in. For example, some agencies charge extra for reporting or analytics. Define this early on in the relationship and look for an agency that offers analytics gratis as part of their services – remember, transparency and accountability is everything! Communication shouldn’t be of an extra cost either, so get that out in the open and agreed upon before you start signing contracts.
Develop a strategy – and then sign. It’s easy when you’re courting a digital marketing agency to be swayed by a persuasive argument, so remember to put your focus on the strategy. They have to give you a roadmap before you start to do business with them, so put them to task to show you what you want and how they’re going to deliver. Don’t forget to also look into what services they offer – don’t see something you want but you need as part of the strategy? Ask if they can put together something custom. They may be able to offer something that the other agencies don’t.
And finally, when you’re thinking about all of this, remember the one big question that you needed to ask in the first place: Why do you even need a digital marketing agency?
Because you can’t do it all on your own
Your job, whether you’re a chief marketing officer or a small business owner is demanding. Your time and attention is pulled into a thousand directions on any given day and needless to say, you’re spread thin – and you feel it.
If the idea of doing any kind of marketing task sends shivers up your spine, now is the time to reach out for help by hiring a digital marketing agency that understands and wants to take this burden off of you so you can focus on the bigger things, like your business direction, strategy, and customer service.
Because you lack the focus and direction your business needs to succeed
When you’re running a business – or working in any management capacity – it’s difficult to focus in on what you need to do and why because there’s so much of your time and attention devoted to the big picture. Or alternately, we develop blinders and focus in on just revenue, or just client retention, rather than all of the other moving parts that are happening in your business at the same time.
When you don’t know your message, your brand, your goals, or how to get there, then you need a digital marketing agency to give you a roadmap – and guide you toward success.
Because you don’t have the expertise – or the time to invest in it
You have a lot on your plate. Your job is a balancing act that sometimes feels impossible. And then, when you think about how you need to start running an ad campaign or delving into analytics, your eyes glaze over and your heart stops.
There’s just too much to handle and you can’t give up the time to learn the ins and outs of something in order to do it well enough to see results.
Your business deserves expertise when it comes to marketing, so hiring out this area of your business strategy to a digital marketing agency can ensure that you’re getting the right opinion and process – there’s less of a risk here because you don’t have to play guessing games to get your strategy right.
The right agency can usually walk in and help you identify your problems and prospective solutions while developing a plan that uses their own experience and knowledge to back it up.
Because your current marketing isn’t working
It’s just not happening. You’ve tried everything and you have no idea what to do. You know you need to change something, but you’re absolutely stuck on what that is.
You need creativity and out of the box thinking. You also need someone who knows how to implement these big ideas and measure them to show success. This is what a digital marketing agency is all about.
If your marketing isn’t working, now is the time to start shopping for an agency, because it’s likely you can’t fix this on your own.
The same way you would trust a doctor’s expertise to help you diagnose a medical problem, you need to trust a digital marketing agency to help you diagnose marketing aches and pains – and prescribe the right treatment.
You deserve the right digital marketing agency – now it’s time to go find it.
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