Questions When Hiring a Digital Marketing Agency

The success of every business depends heavily on its marketing strategy. When looking for the right digital marketing agency, it is crucial to hire an agency that will become a reliable partner for your business, now and in the future. While you can attempt to bring marketing in-house, it can be a struggle to hire highly skilled and experienced online marketers who know what they’re doing. The primary role of a digital marketing agency is to develop an effective marketing strategy that works and provides your business with a high return on investment in a turnkey way. With the abundance of digital marketing agencies in existence, not all agencies can deliver excellent results for your customers. Hiring a digital marketing agency that can contribute significantly to the success of your business can be a risky decision, so it’s essential to be very selective. Carefully analyze digital marketing teams and make an educated choice. To help you in this process, we’ve prepared a list of questions that business owners commonly ask marketing professionals before hiring. Getting the answers to these questions will help you understand what to expect from a marketing agency and ultimately hire a reputable one to help grow your business.

What Business Promotion Methods Do You Use in a Marketing Strategy?

It’s generally preferable to give preference to a full-service marketing company. Such an agency can provide an all-in-one marketing solution for any type of business. The vast majority of marketing agencies offer the following services: Web design and development Search engine optimization (SEO) Local SEO solutions Paid search advertising (PPC) Social media promotion Content marketing Reputation management Conversion rate optimization (CRO) The first step is typically to create a website for the business. After that, business owners need to attract their target audience to their websites. Most companies need to be promoted in search engines and popular social media platforms. The ultimate goal is for the digital marketing agency to turn (convert) the website’s visitors into customers. Aim to find a digital marketing agency that can provide cost-effective solutions to any of your business pain points. While a full-service marketing agency is often recommended, there are plenty of opportunities where a boutique or specialized agency can be effective. This is particularly true when you have a very specific industry or marketing service requirement. Specialized agencies often have deep expertise and experience in their niche, which can translate to better results. When evaluating a digital marketing agency, look for case studies, testimonials, and reviews that demonstrate their expertise, authority, and trustworthiness (E-A-T). An agency with a proven track record of success, industry recognition, and satisfied clients is more likely to deliver the results you seek. Don’t hesitate to ask for references and examples of their work to gauge their suitability for your business needs.

How Do You Help Businesses Stand Out From the Competition?

Creating a digital marketing strategy always begins with deep research and preparation, a process often referred to as “Discovery.” The main task of marketing professionals is to perform a situational analysis of external factors and understand your target audience and competitive landscape. During the research phase, specialists must determine your clients’ needs and preferences, as well as your competitors’ strengths and weaknesses. This information allows professionals to develop an effective digital marketing strategy tailored to your business, helping you leave your competitors in the dust.

What Track Record of Projects Can Your Agency Show?

The goal should be to work with a highly experienced digital marketing agency. Ask the experts to show you their other projects and the results and goals they have achieved for other businesses. Give preference to marketing professionals who have a portfolio of successful projects. Avoid hiring digital marketing agencies with little or no experience. Additionally, try to determine whether the agency has learned from their failures and not just thrived upon successes.

Does Your Digital Marketing Agency Have Experience With Multiple Industries?

Every business is unique and requires different marketing strategies. Experience is crucial for digital marketing experts. A team will likely do an excellent job for you if they have experience working with companies that operate in your industry. Look for agencies with a diverse portfolio spanning multiple industries, as this breadth of experience can bring fresh perspectives and innovative solutions to your marketing challenges. 

How Do You Track Marketing Trends and Use Them in Your Strategies?

Digital marketing is an ever-changing industry, with new trends emerging every year. It’s crucial to work with innovation-driven teams that successfully keep up to date with trends and incorporate them into their marketing strategies. Reliable teams provide their professionals with ongoing training in different aspects of digital marketing and help them develop their skills. Highly skilled professionals will help you get the most out of your marketing efforts, enabling you to grow your business quickly and successfully with an effective marketing strategy. 

Do You Provide Customers With Reports?

Reports allow business owners to see how their companies are progressing. On average, marketing teams send reports to their customers once per month. These reports contain information on job performance and marketing achievements, such as increased website traffic, sales, and revenue. Business owners can analyze the report, track progress, and draw conclusions, but most agencies should provide you with their insights on how they interpret the data. This information should make it easy to measure the return on investment of marketing services. However, not all digital marketing agencies provide their clients with reports, so inquire about these reports ahead of time.

What are Your Prices for Digital Marketing Services?

Budgeting plays a vital role in marketing, and it all begins with planning a marketing budget. You need to know how much you will spend on marketing to create a budget for your campaign. Getting the prices of the services you will use for your business will help you calculate the cost of an in-house digital marketing team. It’s in your best interest to get the digital marketing costs beforehand to make an informed decision.

How Often Do You Meet with Customers?

Reliable digital marketing agencies meet with their clients regularly, traditionally once a month. During these meetings, marketers and business owners can set new goals, discuss projects, and address various questions. Sometimes, it’s necessary to make changes to an online marketing strategy. Both parties can discuss how to improve the strategy during meetings. Before hiring a digital marketing agency, don’t forget to ask about their meeting frequency and format (e.g., in-person or online). Often, a digital marketing agency assigns an Account Manager for a particular project. The Manager will assist you and answer all your questions during the campaign. Make sure you know who you will communicate with throughout the marketing process. If you’d like to learn more about how our digital marketing company can help you grow your business or want a free service quote, contact us anytime! At Oi Marketing, we are always looking forward to helping with your digital marketing needs.