How to Choose a Digital Marketing Agency

Let’s face it! In today’s world, the popularity of a business is simply judged by its popularity on the internet. There might hardly be any business out there (and we literally mean in single digits) who can say their digital presence doesn’t matter for growth. Choosing the right digital marketing agency, as a partner, has become as important as choosing your sales VP, or something similar.

Before we jump into how to choose a digital marketing agency, its important to understand exactly understand what a digital marketing agency does.

It is a common misconception that digital marketing is the same as social media management. It is more than just uploading posts on social media platforms or running paid campaigns. Digital marketers need to constantly research about the latest happenings and news in respective domains, they need to carry out Online Reputation Management to ensure that every Google search of a company’s name only shows positive results. User- friendly websites need to be developed and Search engine optimization (or SEO) needs to be done to rank them higher on search engines. Email-campaigns, SMS campaigns need to be run parallel to social media campaigns to engage customers. Radio Ads, TV ads and mobile marketing, all come under digital marketing.

An agency who provides all these services under one roof is a digital marketing agency.

In the early days, Digital marketing was considered just a small part of marketing, and it used to suffice having a single person look after it. As the scope of opportunities in digital marketing grew, organizations understood the need of a proper, well-trained team to handle all the activities. Today, thanks to the rise in awareness, businesses are on the look-out for the best digital marketing agency that they can find. This is simply because even an in-house team may prove to be less effective than a digital marketing company.

• Set Your Goals 

  Even before you get to choosing a digital marketing agency, you first need to do an introspection of what exactly are your expectations from digital marketing. Is branding your focus, or is it customer acquisition? Which platform is best suited to engage your customers? The clearer you are about these goals, the easier it is to find the right agency that can help you achieve them.

• Plan for Long Term

  If you plan on exploring the benefits of Digital marketing to its fullest, you will have to be ready to keep your patience. Digital marketing isn’t as simple as just doing it for a few months or one time. So, prepare to invest in it for a longer duration, and be ready to wait for some time, before you start seeing the results.

• Determine Your Budget

  It’s better to be prepared with a ballpark of how much you are willing to spend on digital marketing. When you’re sure about your budget, an agency will be able to do a reverse calculation, to choose the best way to go forward within the decided time-frame.

• Understand the Scope, Process, and Timeline

  To an outsider, Digital Marketing might look easy, without knowing the exact processes and nitty-gritties involved. Once you are able to understand the basics of how things work in Digital Marketing, it will help you to chalk out a feasible and attainable goal.

• Do Some Research

  Though the digital marketing agency that you may choose will answer all your questions, it’s better to carry out simple research by yourself, about the latest happenings in the digital marketing realm. This will, in turn, help you in making decision of which agency to choose and whether they provide the services that you are looking out for.

• Ask Right Questions

  A second part of your research is also asking the right questions to the agencies that you shortlist. Also, ensure that the agency you shortlist is well-versed with your specific industry, or if they have worked previously on any similar projects. It is better to have all your doubts cleared right at the beginning, than for questions and uncertainty arising at a later stage.

• Ask for Referrals

  Referrals are one of the safest ways to ensure results. Choosing a digital marketing company that has already worked for someone you know is a safe bet. This also helps you to check out the previous work of the agency, before deciding on approaching them.

• Their website

  A website is a great way to judge an agency’s capabilities, considering that any organization will try to provide as much information about themselves on their website. You can check the agency’s previous work samples, their range of services, their team size and so on, to take an informed decision.

• Specialization

  There are two factors to check, when choosing a digital marketing agency for yourself. The first thing is to see if the agency is specialized in your domain, or if they have any previous experience working with companies similar to yours. The second thing is to see if they have the specific skill-sets or tools to carry out digital marketing for your specific customer base.

• Experienced Team Members

  The more experienced digital marketers you’ll have on your team, the faster you’ll start seeing results. It is better to go for experience, rather than compromise to save a few bucks.

• Transparency and Legitimacy / Company Culture

  Many times, it may happen that even the most reputed digital marketing agencies may not be the right fit for you, simply because every agency has their own way of working. While choosing the best digital marketing company for you, it is important to see the compatibility between your way of work, and that of the agency. Of course, the legitimacy and trust factor of the agency also comes into picture.

• Portfolio, Testimonials, Reviews, and Case Studies

  A quick recap of the agency’s previous work is an important step before finalizing on an agency. This is especially necessary if you have not been introduced to the agency through referral.

• Pricing

  The last but the most important point, of course, remains choosing the right agency that fits your budget. Though its not the best practice to choose the cheapest option available, it also doesn’t mean that you must invest a lot to hire an agency, simply because they are big. The idea is to balance your finances with the most affordable digital marketing agency, who can generate results for you.

Choosing a digital marketing agency is a long-term commitment that you’re making to your business. So why compromise on quality or services. It’s better to invest in the best digital marketing company near you, than hire someone who lacks in experience and to repent later. At MAD Designs, our experience in digital marketing has helped businesses from various domains to successfully penetrate their market and to reach out to a global customer-base through our entire range of digital marketing offerings.

If you’re searching for a professional digital marketing agency for your business, who can deliver measurable results, feel free to connect with us at info@maddesigns.in.