Outsourcing Your Digital Marketing: How to Choose the Right Agency
Outsourcing your digital marketing to an agency is a decision that can make or mar your business. In the right hands, digital marketing outsourcing is seamless and leads to profitable returns. However, choosing the wrong agency results in poor communication, losses, and time wasted without tangible results. However, you can avoid all of that by following the approach we will explain in this article.
Start with Assessing Your Business
When outsourcing your digital marketing, understanding your business guides you in the right direction. For example, critically assessing your business will help you identify what needs outsourcing. In most cases, you don’t need a full-service agency but a specialist for specific tasks. When assessing your business, there are three key factors you should consider
Business & Marketing Goals
Why do you need digital marketing services? Is it to boost sales, traffic, online reputation management or run a short brand awareness campaign? Having a specific and clear goal sets the stage for your search and selection process. For example, if your goal is sales, you should consider hiring a digital marketing agency with a track record of generating sales. This will also demand you outsource your digital marketing to an agency that offers full-cycle campaign management, from analysis to conversion.
Business Structure
Another aspect you should assess is your business structure. How is your company’s marketing team structure? Do you have an in-house digital marketing team or just a specialist content writer with marketing experience? The answer to these questions will determine how you approach hiring an agency.
For example, a digital marketing agency with a specialist focus will be best if you have a fully functional in-house team but require expertise in skills like SEO, paid advertising, or social media. These types of agencies offer a service like SEO or content marketing so you can get the best results. Also, you might not need a complete agency if you have an in-house team but one offering staff augmentation service to fill that role for a short period.
Marketing Skills needs
Do you have an ineffective section of your digital marketing strategy? Or do you lack the expertise to scale your campaign strategy, leading to budget allocation losses? These issues or skills gaps are another vital aspect to consider.
Understanding where the issue originates helps you decide on the type of digital marketing agency to hire.
Search For a Digital Marketing Agency
Once you have assessed your business and established clear goals, you can start searching for agencies. The assessment helps you set clear selection and filtering criteria and shortens your search time. Also, you waste less time interviewing agencies.
When searching for the right agency, you can start by asking for recommendations from your network. Other options include a Google search for a digital marketing agency in your location, a LinkedIn search and asking on forums. Don’t forget to include your set criteria when searching so you always get the best fit.
Evaluate The Digital Marketing Agency
This stage is as critical as assessing your business needs. Since you already have a clear picture of what you want, it should be an easy ride. When evaluating the digital agency, you want to measure them against your set parameters. The goal is to see which agency ticks off more boxes on your criteria list.
During evaluation, there are some critical sections to prioritise
Expertise & Industry Experience
Firstly, check if the agency has experience in the skills you need. You should also confirm if they have experience working with clients in your industry.
Although agencies are supposed to have a wide range, some specialise in working on projects from selected industries.
This information is essential as it means they understand what to do and can generate results with minimal testing. In contrast, an agency without experience working in your industry might need longer testing time, which is costly.
Services offered
Digital marketing agencies offer different services based on their specialisation. Some offer full-scope services—market research & strategy creation, content writing, ads, reputation management, SEO, and more. Others might offer growth or lead-generation strategies only. Compare the services with your needs and choose the agency that best suits you.
Portfolio of Projects & Case Studies
Digital marketing project portfolios and case studies help you understand the process, timeline, and expectations, especially if it’s a similar business. Most digital marketing agencies have this information in their case study page, so you can review it. If they don’t have any, you should request one. Their inability to provide one might be a sign of poor customer experience or that they are just starting out.
Testimonials & References
With the sophistication of digital tools, it’s easy to add fake testimonials to a website. You should evaluate the testimonials and references. Check if the business exists and ask to reach out to the owners. Find out as much information as possible about their experiences and the authenticity of the results.
Team structure
Confirm the team structure to be sure it aligns with your goals. Some agencies provide an account manager, while others will allow you access to the entire team. You should select an agency that fits into your company structure to avoid friction and delays in communication.
Pricing and Contact options
Pricing varies between agencies. Some offer flexible pay-per-result, monthly retainer and contract payment.
Some agencies require a minimum retainer contract. This type of contract makes it compulsory to commit to at least 3 to 6 months before you can terminate the contract. You should choose based on your needs. If you want flexibility or are just testing a digital marketing strategy, a monthly retailer is ideal. Else, you can choose any other plan that suits your needs.
Project Process
Lastly, evaluate how the company’s project works. Do they provide daily, weekly, or monthly updates? Is there a dedicated communication channel for all conversations? Consider these factors when choosing.
For example, if you are hiring an agency to augment your in-house team, they should have a dedicated channel for real-time conversations with the team. This approach ensures everyone is working in synergy, leading to faster implementation.
Red Flags to Look Out for when Hiring a Digital Marketing Agency
Besides positive alignment markers, you should also be on the lookout for red flags when choosing a digital marketing agency. Here’s some
- Guarantees of unrealistic results
- Lack of clear communication
- Unwillingness to share past work or references
Hire Digitezz for Your Digital Marketing Needs
When hiring a digital marketing agency, you should focus on the critical factors we’ve highlighted in this article. Start by assessing your business and defining clear markers and needs. You should also research companies and then evaluate their expertise, services and other information. Ask the right questions about their methods, pricing, and how they measure success. Finally, ensure there is clear communication and alignment with your vision.
Ready to hire a digital marketing agency for your business? Book a free consultation with Digitezz to see how we can help you achieve business goals with tailored digital marketing strategies.