Is there anything more frustrating than knowing the advantages of Digital Marketing , but not knowing how to use it in your business?
You hear about the importance of Digital Marketing for business, but:
- There is no time
- Do not know where to start
- There is no team for it
- You think the time has not yet come to invest in Digital Marketing
- He believes that the investment will be very high.
These are some of the problems many companies today are going through. The question then arises: do I need a Digital Marketing agency?
But, before answering this question, let’s take a look at the concept of Digital Marketing agency.
What is a Digital Marketing Agency?
Source: Neosun
Digital agencies execute the projects of clients who wish to put into practice the Digital Marketing methodology.
Remember that not all agencies are equal, offering the same services. Some do work with a whole Digital Marketing project, from strategy. Others, however, have a more vertical profile, deepening in some part of the strategy, such as paid media, content or social networks, among others.
But in addition to knowing the concept, before hiring an agency, it is important to answer the following questions:
Internalize or outsource?
At Resultados Digitais, we often say that everyone is a blog writer. This is because we get teams to organize to write posts on various topics, always related to Digital Marketing.
Internalization of jobs is considerable when scalable. Otherwise, what’s the point of creating content planning that won’t be strictly followed?
In this case, it is better to opt for outsourcing , ie outsourcing some action. Managing an area that is not the entrepreneur’s specialty can become a big problem.
Another example: Managing AdWords can be too complex for you to learn in a few months and put in place for short term results.
On the other hand, having experts integrated into your marketing and sales team can speed up the execution of your strategy. With the team indoors, you will have more control but less expertise.
By internalizing I risk losing focus?
The core business is the core part of your business, ie those activities, processes and policies that are essential for you.
How much time do you spend dealing with issues that aren’t the core of your business? Outsourcing could help a company not lose focus.
For example, if your marketing and sales team already needs a lot of updating to keep up with the market and close good deals, adding a host of new tasks can be detrimental to your strategy.
How complex is this process?
Will this process facilitate or hinder actions? That is the question!
If the decision to outsource your business has already been made we have to understand its degree of complexity to see if it’s worth it.
The agency’s duty at this point is to be a facilitator for the business, contributing to growth.
How to choose? 9 Questions Every Customer Should Answer Before Hiring an Agency
Choosing the right Digital Marketing agency can bring amazing results, delivering the growth you need.
Not to be mistaken, here are 9 questions to answer before hiring an agency:
1. Does physical proximity matter?
Do meetings via Skype or Google Hangouts conferences sound familiar? Or is the importance of face-to-face meetings great?
Let’s say the service the agency will provide is the production of educational materials for your business. Could understanding the personas , producing content, and submitting materials for approval be done without face-to-face meetings?
Understanding how this agency’s communication management takes place is crucial before closing.
2. Do I need an agency or a consultancy?
First of all, we need to note an essential difference between the two:
- Agencies analyze and execute
- Consultants analyze and guide.
Thus, the consultant assesses the context, identifying problems and proposing solutions. He can be a key figure in connecting marketing and sales teams, helping to identify the tools needed for your business to grow and pointing the way.
Source: Opportunity Marketing
A good point of view to make this decision may be to evaluate your and your employees’ activities. If you want to train them to become independent, a consultant is a good choice. On the other hand, if you prefer someone to take care of everything for you, the agency is the right choice.
So does your business need an agency or Digital Marketing consultant?
3. Does the agency have cases in its segment?
Successful cases demonstrate the agency’s knowledge of the market you serve. This can make a big difference in how fast things will happen in your relationship.
Successful cases can be the best selling point of a company.
So take a hard look at agency success stories to see what quality solutions they brought to other clients. The next case may be you.
Check out some success stories from Digital Marketing agencies.
4. What services does the agency offer?
Some agencies were born online. Others have adapted their traditional service to digital recently.
Some provide services for large clients, others for small and medium businesses. There are agencies focused on sales, others on metrics .
If, on the one hand, agencies that have a wide range of services and work on multiple fronts can bring a broader knowledge overall, there are also agencies with a niche of expertise.
Understanding the ability of an agency from its services is thinking about how far you can go together.
5. What is the agency’s niche expertise?
The results area of Digital Results has many agencies with different niches. From specialized medical agencies to agencies geared to serving the political environment.
On the other hand, if you have a dealership and are considering hiring an agency that creates a new site, try to look at customers in the same segment.
For sure, agencies that have shown they know and can do a good job with dealership niche websites would come out ahead.
6. What is the average ticket for hiring?
In times of crisis , how much are you willing to spend on hiring Digital Marketing services?
Always remember that investing in Digital Marketing is getting ahead of competitors or, at the very least, gradually matching.
Therefore, when looking for an agency we have to understand what we expect from it, and consequently what we will pay for it.
If we understand that this agency is part of the strategy of generating sales opportunities for our business, we have to give more weight to it, so we can achieve the expected ROI .
To summarize: within the services I want, when I need to invest in this agency?
7. What about the contract term?
We seek the agency with a goal set.
If we want to perform a Father ‘s Day action , for example, we have to be aware that this event is temporal, ie it will have a deadline.
In another case, if we want to use Inbound Marketing to generate sales opportunities to capitalize on the business, we can’t stop thinking about the long run.
Agencies typically work with a minimum contract time, as it is the time limit for actions to start bringing results.
A tip: Contracts less than 6 months old are not advised, especially if you are building a predictable and scalable sales machine through Digital Marketing.
8. How big should the agency be?
Quantity does not exactly mean quality. We depend on the general need for hiring.
Source: Swim Creative
Do you expect someone who has an intense dedication to your business? Or a team that can deliver services based on their skills?
While smaller agencies can guarantee exclusivity, larger agencies have a higher productive capacity.
9. Does she have partnerships and marketing certifications?
Certifications in various areas of marketing generate credibility for agencies.
Among the most common are:
Google Partner
The Google Partner Agency Certification Seal unites brand initiatives to empower professionals in a variety of ways.
Through training and resources Google partners can understand more about their customers’ online presence.
In addition, professionals have consultant support, promotional offers, professional networking, and stay on top of research and industry trends.
That is, Google Partner Agencies are more adept at campaign management and digital strategies.
Always have your goals and objectives well defined, along with your team, and your business sectors well structured. As we mentioned above, this will guide the entire process of finding an agency as a partner. This way, you will have no problem choosing a digital marketing agency to optimize your business and will make the right decision.