How to Choose a Digital Marketing Agency

Choosing a marketing agency can benefit your business’s goals and the ongoing development and growth of your brand’s digital presence. Building a solid online presence takes time and effort, and partnering with a dedicated digital marketing agency can help accelerate this process. An agency can bring a fresh perspective, specialized expertise, and the resources needed to effectively plan and execute a comprehensive digital marketing strategy.

Establishing a successful partnership with a digital advertising agency requires time and effort in the onboarding process. Just as you would when hiring a new employee, it’s important to carefully uate the agency’s values, operating style, and services to ensure that they align with your needs and goals. While different agencies may offer similar services, they may differ in how they approach their work and the values they prioritize. It is important to take the time to find the right fit to avoid the need for repeated onboarding efforts in the future.

Let’s discuss the values of an internal marketing team and an external digital advertising agency.

Internal marketing teams can be a valuable asset to any organization. They often have a deep understanding of the company’s customers, products, services, and brand, as well as expertise in a range of digital marketing activities such as market research, search engine optimization (SEO), data warehousing, social media, email marketing, and content development. This in-depth knowledge can help them create targeted and effective marketing campaigns that align with the company’s goals and values.

While internal marketing teams can be valuable, the skills and expertise needed to develop and maintain a comprehensive digital advertising and marketing program constantly evolve. To stay up-to-date on the latest technology and best practices, partnering with an external digital advertising agency may be necessary. These agencies specialize in digital marketing and have the resources and expertise to help businesses effectively reach and engage their target audience in the digital space.

What to Look for in a Digital Marketing Agency

In choosing a digital marketing partner, start with the core competencies:

• Does this agency align with your brand’s values?

Your brand’s values are the guiding principles that shape how your company operates and makes its decisions. If the agency’s values do not align with your own, it may be challenging to work together effectively.

• Does the agency complement your team’s strengths and weaknesses?
  
  An agency that complements your team’s skills and expertise can add value and provide a fresh perspective on your marketing efforts.

• Does the agency stay up-to-date on the latest technology and industry trends?A digital marketing agency should continuously invest in researching and staying up-to-date on the latest technology and industry trends through attending conferences, events, webinars, and following industry leaders and experts.Additionally, they should build and maintain partnerships with technology companies to gain access to the latest tools and advancements.

• How does the agency work within the growth mindset of your brand?
  
  A growth mindset is an approach that focuses on continuous improvement and optimization. Its design is to help businesses create and maintain digital assets that are more effective at driving growth.

It is important to carefully uate the leadership of a digital advertising agency to ensure that they have a deep understanding of the complexities of the field. Don’t settle for an agency that only scratches the surface of digital advertising. If you want to take your marketing efforts to the next level and go beyond traditional methods, look for an agency with a team that has a full range of competencies and expertise. You can unleash their expertise and achieve rewarding results with the right agency partner.

What to Expect from a Digital Marketing Agency

There are four vital components to ensure you choose a digital ad partner with robust services:

• Process
  
  They have a process for:

• • Quickly launching a well-thought-out advertising plan and making incremental improvements based on data insights collected.
  • Developing and measuring key performance indicators (KPIs) for digital campaigns.
  • Prioritizing strategic values to fully understand a campaign’s critical components and the target customer.

• Project Management
  
  Does the agency’s project management approach set the stage for a successful partnership by including the following:

• • Effective communication that values time.
  • Flexibility for changes in scope.
  • A clear outline of what the agency requires from you, and their expectations.
  • One central place to organize campaign assets, feedback, and details

• Focus on ROI
  
  Does the agency use data correctly to focus on leads, sales, and conversions by:

• • Tracking custom campaigns and results from multiple properties accurately, ex. managed data warehousing.
  • Focusing on what advertising investments are profitable and positively affecting sales.
  • Understanding your buyer persona’s decision journey to purchase your service to guide campaign changes and plans.

• Advanced Technology and Tools
  
  Are the tools and technology the agency uses advanced enough to:

• • Streamline work processes and reduce time spent on redundant tasks.
  • Put your brand in front of your target audience when they are most receptive to engaging with your brand.
  • Improve website and advertising performance while providing better data privacy and security, ex. server-side tagging.

What Type of Client Are You?

After uating an agency and ensuring that it meets your criteria and aligns with your needs, it is important to take a step back and consider what type of client you are and want to be. This self-reflection can help you identify your priorities, preferences, and communication style, and ensure that you find an agency that is well-suited to working with you. By understanding your needs and expectations, you can choose a digital agency that is the right fit and set the stage for a successful partnership.

When considering a digital advertising agency, it is important to consider your level of involvement in the partnership. Do you want to hand everything off to the agency and let them handle all aspects of the campaign, or do you want to maintain more control and provide guidance on the direction and vision of the project? Both approaches have pros and cons; the best approach depends on your preferences, needs, and resources. Consider what level of involvement you are comfortable with and look for an agency that can work within those parameters.

Clients who prefer a hands-off approach and “let the agency do it for them” may take more time to select an advertising agency partner. However, once they have decided, they will likely trust the agency’s expertise and delegate all aspects of direction and execution to the agency. This can be a good approach for clients who need more resources or expertise to manage a comprehensive digital advertising campaign internally.

Clients who prefer a “do it my way” approach typically want to hire a marketing agency that follows their direction and executes their vision. They may be less interested in feedback and collaboration, and more focused on getting the work done efficiently and effectively. This approach can be suitable for clients who have a clear vision and want to maintain control over the direction and execution of their marketing efforts. However, collaboration and input from the agency can often bring valuable insights and perspectives that can help improve the campaign’s effectiveness.

Neither is right or wrong, just different. To choose the right digital advertising agency, identify exactly what will give you the best impact for your business. Self-reflection goes a long way when selecting the perfect digital advertising agency. Make sure the chosen agency is well-suited to work in the type of relationship you envision and can grow your business.

Curious if New Path Digital is a Good Fit for You?

At New Path Digital, we thrive on collaborating with our clients and working toward an equal partnership. We want to use our expertise and knowledge to help our clients create marketing strategies and plans in a long-term relationship. And, we want to be challenged and supported, while also challenging and supporting our clients in growing their brand.

Schedule a free consultationto learn how we can help your business grow.

Blog Last Updated on 2 years by New Path Digital