How To Choose An Online Marketing Agency
With new businesses starting every day, and the marketing world ever-changing on how we get our messages in front of our customers, I wanted to go over some key things to consider when trying to choose an online marketing agency.
Every marketing agency has its strengths and areas of focus. For example, here at Small Hits, we focus on SEO and website development, but we also do SEM or PPC, social marketing, email marketing, and content development. Finding a marketing agency that meets your needs is the first step to getting your business online.
Here we will go over the steps to finding the marketing agency that fits your company’s needs best and how to leverage their strengths for your business.
Step 1 – Find out their strengths
When hiring an online marketing consultant or agency, find out what their strengths are.
What do they specialize in?
What areas can they best help you achieve your goal?
What exactly is your goal?
Ask a lot of questions and see how they respond.
Small Hits can simply set up your website and get you online, or we can take you through all the steps. This all depends on your needs, budget constraints, and what is pertaining to your industry. We pride ourselves on making sure to not offer you services that you don’t need.
Find out your potential agency’s strengths by reading their website and directly asking them. Look at some of the things they have done as well. Do you like the feel of their work? Do you like their website? Social media? Etc. If you can vibe with what they are doing for others, then you will probably vibe with them directly.
Step 2 – Find out their weaknesses
We all have weaknesses – it is just a part of life.
A marketing agency should be transparent with both its strengths and weaknesses. If what you need is someone to develop and build you a website, but they are weak on SEO, you may not get a site that is developed properly to be found organically on Google.
Many low-cost website builders with packaged setups fit into this category. These low-cost websites may look okay on the surface, but behind the scenes, they are a complete mess. Web crawlers cannot read them and they are missing a ton of key elements that are required to get your information across online.
If the agency is not being transparent and just saying “yes” to every request – research more about the company and get additional information from them on exactly how they are going to accomplish your goals. If they say “let me do some research and get back to you”, at least you know they are being honest with you and not just saying yes to get your business.
Step 3 – Set up a meeting or consultation
Set up a meeting and get a consultation with the agencies you like best. Go with a list of questions and goals, and find out what each of them is going to do to help you meet those goals. Be sure to get as many details as possible and see how well they answer your questions.
One other great tip I would give in this step is this – see if they know your business/industry before you tell them. A good marketing agency should have completed enough research about your company, even if you have no online profile or website yet, to know exactly what industries are relevant and how your company fits into it. If they don’t know anything about your business, walk away.
I can’t tell you how many times I have received calls from marketing companies in the past telling me how they can help, usually from a cold call. These companies are rarely even close to the correct industry, let alone have no idea how that industry operates.
No one knows your industry as well as you do, but do make sure that the company or consultant you are hiring understands your industry at least on some level.
Step 4 – Check your results and hire
Once you have met with everyone you are considering, sit down and look over the information. Consult with a business partner, employee, or someone you trust to go over the information collected.
Who did you meet with that best fits the requirements you have for this specific project?
Who has the best skill set for a continued relationship?
Who can help your business grow the way you are looking to grow?
Which agency best fits within your budget?
Which agency did you like the best?
Sometimes, just going on who you liked best can greatly impact your end result. If you and your agency do not get along, the relationship between the companies can become strained quickly. Make sure the person or people you will be working with can get along with your own company culture well. Having a pleasant relationship will make the marketing process all the more enjoyable.
In the end, choose the company that fits you best. Remember, there is also no harm in trying something out for a term. Instead of signing a year contract, see if you can work with the company for a quarter and then reevaluate. If things are moving in the right direction, extend the contract. If not, speak to the agency and see how they may be able to change to meet your goals better.
You can always even go back to the other agencies you have spoken to and reevaluate what is missing. Remember, the marketing agency is just another employee of sorts, in the end, they work for you.
