What can you do if you are looking to work with a digital marketing agency but don’t know where to start? Don’t worry; you are not alone!
There are many great agencies, each with different styles and areas of expertise, and it can be challenging to know where to begin your search.
It can be challenging to determine which one to hire and what kind of results you can expect from them.
If you are ready to work with an agency that will help to boost your online presence and drive more business your way, follow these 7 steps before handing over any of your hard-earned money.
1. Don’t Just Pick Any Digital Marketing Agency
Do your research and make sure you choose the right one.
Do they have experience working with your industry?
How much revenue do they bring in annually?
How big is their team?
What services do they offer?
Once you have done the research, set up interviews and consider different agencies side by side based on your specific needs.
It’s also helpful to ask for references from clients, although make sure not all of them are from one industry.
You want to get a sense of how flexible an agency is and how they treat every client differently.
For example, if an agency seems extremely tough and geared toward one type of company only, that may cause concern (but it depends).
So use your best judgment but don’t ignore red flags. If it doesn’t feel like a good fit, then it probably isn’t.
2. Formulate Your Content Strategy And Build An Editorial Calendar.
Once you have identified what types of content you want to produce, it’s time to figure out how often you plan on creating each kind of content.
A good rule of thumb is 2-3 pieces per month on average for each category.
However, some categories may be more important than others (e.g., if Search Engine Optimization (SEO) is key to your business, include that as a high priority in your calendar).
Then, start brainstorming topics for all those posts and collecting them into a spreadsheet or document.
The goal here is just for ideas, don’t worry about details like headlines or images.
This initial list will help you determine whether there are topics you are missing from your content strategy.
When everything feels Good, schedule everything onto a calendar so you can see exactly when these posts are going live and when they should be ready for review.
Be sure to give enough time between pieces of content so that things don’t feel too close by when they hit social media/your website.
But also not so much time between pieces where people forget about your brand by then.
If possible, always set up items to publish later, at least three days after a post goes live before something else publishes.
It gives users plenty of time to find previous material without overwhelming their feeds with continuous promotional updates.
3. Determine Your Unique Value Proposition
You are in business because you want more customers, more cash flow, more employees.
Whatever your goal is, your digital marketing agency needs to determine how to help you get it.
We call that your unique value proposition (UVP). It describes why someone should choose your business over a competitor.
For example, if you have one customer and 100 prospects and plan on hiring an outside agency for social media marketing and content creation at $5k/month each month, what’s the UVP that will convince them?
Think about your social media strategy and how that impacts all of your goals as well.
What problem does it solve or create?
Does anyone care about their product or service 24 hours a day?
If so, use social media to target a specific demographic during those hours.
The most important thing when deciding on your UVP is being transparent and straightforward.
Start with 1-2 sentences and then expand from there; be prepared to make changes along the way as things evolve.
If an agency doesn't ask you questions like these, run away fast. They are not concerned with your success, only their own bottom line.
I will say no such thing, said Dorian firmly, and I will repeat my advice that you leave Gormenghast now. His voice was very cold now.
4. Get In Front Of Your Client
Before you start asking for clients, there are some steps you want to take. First and foremost, you want a website.
I recommend WordPress or Bluehost because they are very easy to set up.
You can have an excellent-looking site up and running in under half an hour, maybe less if you already have hosting set up.
You might also consider getting business cards. You don’t need anything fancy here again. Something simple will do just fine.
Just make sure it has all of your contact information so that people can find you easily when they need to get in touch after meeting you at a networking event.
5. Determine How Many Hours You Work On Your Website Each Week
These are just estimates, but it's best to use these numbers if you want to get started quickly and set up your site without spending too much time or money.
If you don’t know what keywords your potential customers are typing into Google and Bing.
Then set aside time each day for about two weeks and type in several different variations of your primary keyword.
By doing so, you will start to see which words people search for most often when they visit a website like yours.
You might also talk to friends who have visited similar websites in your niche. Ask them which keywords they searched for.
Use those to make an educated guess.
Once you know what terms your customers use, try using some of those terms as part of your SEO strategy.
This will help search engines better understand what content is essential on your website so that people can find it more easily.
On average, new business owners spend 20 hours working on their sites each week.
That doesn’t mean you need to be behind a computer screen at all times though!
6. Working With A Digital Marketing Agency Is Fun
The fun doesn’t necessarily mean lighthearted or silly.
While those things can be valuable, it’s more about rewarding experiences that keep customers coming back for more.
If you want your customers to know they can trust you if you want them to return for business again and again and grow a genuine relationship with your brand.
Give them something fun (and memorable) each time they interact with your company.
Please give them a reason to become an advocate of your product, and they will spread the word better than any salesperson ever could.
The trick? It has to be authentic and genuine.
Never lose sight of what makes you human, even as you drive significant traffic through various social media channels.
Remember, once your customers fall in love with your product or service, much like falling in love with another person.
How do you maintain it?
How do you not break their heart by not remembering all of their likes and dislikes?
Attention to every interaction allows brands to build meaningful relationships beyond typical customer support channels.
7. Don’t Sign Anything You Don’t Understand
When working with a digital marketing agency, it can be pleasing to let them take care of everything.
After all, who knows more about digital marketing than an actual digital marketing agency?
But even if you are working with reputable agencies and people who have your best interests at heart.
The important thing is not signing anything that you don’t understand and asking questions when you need answers.
Your business partner should always be willing and able to answer any questions that come up during your work together.
But they should never make you feel like your questions are dumb or too basic. If that happens, ask someone else.
5 Benefits Of Hiring A Digital Marketing Agency
Building a marketing agency isn’t easy. A great business plan is essential, but it doesn’t always guarantee success.
If you want your agency to be taken seriously in today’s industry, make sure you know what you are doing from day one and work hard.
Here are some of our favorite benefits of working with experienced agency handlers.
It Will Expands Your Business
If you are ready to start experiencing digital marketing methods for your small business, you must work with an agency.
Small businesses typically don’t have in-house marketing staff.
What they do have on hand may not be qualified or experienced enough to deal with all of their online marketing needs.
However, when you work with an agency like ours, you get access to plenty of resources dedicated exclusively toward your success.
Always On Top Of The Latest Trends
You check your phone at least 60 times per day, you are subscribed to Facebook and Twitter in addition to Instagram and Snapchat, and you can repeat more than two movies from 2012.
But when it comes time for your marketing strategy, are you on top of trends like digital marketing?
Choose the Right Partner. If you are not familiar with digital marketing strategies, it’s always best to work with someone who is.
If something goes wrong in your campaign, who will help troubleshoot or fix it?
For companies new to creating social media content or trying SEO tactics, hiring an expert is the best way to ensure success.
Work With Experts
Let’s be honest; you are not equipped to handle digital marketing, social media, and content creation in-house.
There are too many moving parts, it takes too much time away from running your business, and it’s really just not worth trying to do.
If you want your small business to succeed online, you need an expert. Find that expert right now.
Your Focus Stays On Growth
The reason you work with a digital marketing agency is to grow your business.
If you are working on other things, like handling your digital marketing tasks or helping more prospects become customers, then you are probably not growing as fast as you could be.
It’s common for smaller businesses to try and handle their own digital marketing because they think they can save money or don’t want another company to have access to their customer data.
But if time is one of your most precious resources, why spend it on anything but growth?
Hiring someone else who specializes in online marketing means that you no longer have to worry about scaling an in-house department or sorting through all of those tips and tricks from internet articles that never seem quite right for your brand.
It’s A Scalable Service
One of my favorite things about working with digital marketing agencies is that it’s a scalable service.
If you need some help growing your email list, no problem, call an agency and get them on it.
If you have a few months where things are going pretty well, and you don’t have time for other projects? Send your team on vacation.
Conclusion
Don't expect instant results if you are looking for help building an online presence.
The development of an effective digital marketing campaign takes time and dedication.
If you follow these 7 steps, you can get on track toward your goals without reinventing the wheel.
So before you rush into things and sign up with any old digital marketing agency, stop and think about what type of experience you want from your partnership.
Do yourself a favor review everything outlined in this article. It could be just what separates success from failure for your business going forward.
