How to Choose the Right Digital Marketing Agency for Your Business

Aug 17, 2021 | Business Advice, ES Version

Agencies. You may not like them, but you can’t live without them. So, what makes for an agency worthy of your time and money? Let’s dive in.

As of 2021, there are 5,585 Digital Advertising Agencies in the U.S., which is a 13.1% increase from 2020. With more providers on the market, researching your top options can make or break your success. Like any other industry, there are scammers and hard workers, and it’s your goal to find the latter for your business.

When it comes to digital marketing, finding extra help for your local business is crucial if you want to be competitive and successful. But, in a sea of service providers, how can you know which digital marketing agency to choose for your business?

What to Look For When Choosing a Digital Marketing Agency

1. Beware of Binding Contracts

If an agency wants to lock you into a long-term contract from the get-go, it’s a good idea to reconsider working with them. A good agency will give you the freedom and control over how long you want to work with them. Rather than binding you with a contract you can’t get out of, they’ll focus on earning your trust and delivering the best results for your business so that you decide to keep using their service.

When talking with a potential agency or reviewing their website, always look for the fine print and ask about the conditions of their service. That way, you’ll know exactly what to expect. Focus on finding a digital marketing company that offers no-contract solutions.

2. Not All Experience Is Relevant

Industry experience can be misleading. Just because an agency has years of experience in digital marketing, it doesn’t mean it has worked for clients in your specific industry. Look for companies that have worked with businesses like yours, both in terms of size and niche.

If an agency boasts decades of experience advertising businesses across the U.S., you may be tempted to assume they’ll know how to help you as well. But, what if that agency has never worked with a small, location-based business like yours? What if they don’t know how to help small cleaning or landscaping companies? That experience suddenly doesn’t seem all that relevant, does it?

To make sure you’re entrusting the success of your business to the right agency, you need to speak with their representative and inquire more about their specific experience and the types of customers with whom they’ve previously worked.

3. Look for Experienced and Specialized Team Members

Although you should take the information about their experience with a grain of salt, it’s still important to make sure they have worked for clients within your niche or industry before. How can you know that aside from asking?

If their website doesn’t include an About Us page with more details about their team members, you can try their social media. A quick online search should ideally offer you the agency’s LinkedIn profile, where you can check its activity and the profiles of the people who work there. The skills and experience they have listed will help you get a better idea of the type of people who will be working on taking your business to the next level.

4. Credibility Is Important

We’ve all been there. Trying to choose the right service and company and wondering which one is the most credible and trustworthy. So, how do you judge that? You can do several things:

  1. Go through review websites and see the feedback customers have for this particular digital marketing agency
  2. Go through its social media accounts to see how the company interacts with its audience, as well as the number of its followers (keep in mind that it doesn’t necessarily mean they are credible if they have many followers)
  3. Review the online presence of the businesses they have already worked with. Nothing speaks louder than results

5. Are They Transparent and Can You Track Your Progress

Often, when we start looking for a service, we get too focused on finding the best price based on the quality we need, and we forget that there are other important factors to consider. One of them is transparency.

Ask the digital marketing agencies you’re thinking of choosing how they approach new customers, what their practices are, and how they will report the results and progress back to you. Two companies may offer the same price, but that doesn’t mean their services are identical. Some may do things openly where the client can see where their money goes, and others can only try to scam you.

As for reporting, it’s always a red flag when a company doesn’t do regular reporting meetings with you to discuss what has been done, what’s to come, and what’s currently happening. Even if there isn’t always much to report, it’s still important to keep the conversation going with your agency.

6. Realistic Expectations

Digital marketing takes time. SEO is a long-term game, and results don’t come overnight. So, if a company is promising quick gains and results, you’d be right to question their expertise. No matter how experienced and professional the agency may be, its team cannot boost your business in a matter of days. It takes months and years of consistent effort and hard work to build your brand and establish it as a local authority.

How to Search for and Find the Best Digital Marketing Agency

Searching for digital marketing agencies can happen through a variety of channels. For example, you can:

  • ask your friends for recommendations
  • turn to your business network for referrals
  • do a basic online search
  • even go through paid ads

Word of mouth is always a safe way to find reliable companies and service providers, but it’s not the ultimate solution. Word of mouth doesn’t guarantee you’ll find the best agency out of your options.

Speaking with the agency’s sales and marketing representatives will ideally give you the outline of their experience and service, but it’s not enough for you to form an overall opinion. Feel free to ask the agents to show projects they have previously worked on, so you can get a better understanding of what to expect for your business as well.

We Have You Covered

Over the last 14+ years, we’ve worked with more than 40,000 small businesses across the U.S., helping them get the local exposure they need to succeed. Our customers range from plumbers and landscapers to beauty salons and law firms. Our promise is simple: we will work tirelessly to get you more LEADS, more CALLS, and more BUSINESS through digital marketing.

If that sounds like something you’d be interested in, we’re always here to talk. Schedule a call with 411 Locals’ representatives today and let us explain the details of our service. We have you covered!

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