Selecting a Digital Marketing Agency: What to Ask?
Choosing the right digital marketing agency is a difficult decision. With so many options to choose from, it can be hard to know which one will work best for your business. You need a digital marketing agency that meets your needs and wants – but how do you find the perfect one?
We’ve curated 8 questions you must ask when selecting the best digital marketing agency for your business, as well as tips on what to look to make the best decision possible.
1. “What is your agency’s process for selecting a client?”
Whenever you are working with a new company, it is important to know what their process looks like.
Some agencies may have certain criteria for clients they select. Others might take on any project that comes across their desk.
Knowing this will give you an idea of how flexible the agency is in terms of scope – especially if your business is ‘very unique’…
(*slurps remaining droplets from cup of coffee*)
…which leads us to the next question.
2. “As digital marketing agency, what are the best services do you offer?”
The services your agency offers can vary depending on what you are looking for.
For example, if your small business needs SEO help, then finding an SEO agency will most likely provide you with an affordable solution.
If you’re in desperate need of leads who isn’t?), then finding a Direct-Response Agency (like us) is going to be your best choice.
And what about you and your hope-filled online shop?
Well, that’s another type of ‘animal’ all together. If you’re in eCommerce, finding an eCommerce specialist with a proven track record is crucial for your success.
But it’s not only growth services digital agency’s offer. They offer graphic design, web development, copywriting, blogs and – here’s a new one – AI-led content marketing.
And yes, you heard that right. AI-led Marketing. The Robots are coming!
3. “What are the costs associated with your services?”
A digital marketing agency’s fee will depend on the services they offer, your business size and what country you’re based.
For example, Australian companies may pay more for U.S.-based campaigns than local campaigns because of the exchange rates.
Some companies offer fixed-rate services so clients know exactly what they’ll get. This means no sticker shock when the bill comes due!
Agencies usually charge a monthly fee plus project-specific charges. These fees are applied on a per hour or total project basis. Watch out if it’s hourly – things can get a little hairy!
At Owendenny, we offer different levels of commitment to support all sorts of growth.
From low-cost, flat fee campaigns right to ‘Pay-Per-Result’ campaigns, we have something for your goals and budget.
4. “Who will be my point of contact at the agency, and how often can I expect to hear from them?”
How often they keep in touch will depend on the needs of your business and how much reporting you need.
Some Agencies may only give you monthly reports while others will contact you daily to discuss your account.
It’s up to each individual company and the agency to determine what’s best for the campaign.
At Owendenny, we contact our clients weekly. Our clients are in constant communication with Dean, and you’ll be able to reach him via phone or email most days.
A question we get from customers when hiring an agency is “How often can I expect my Account Manager to reach out?”
Here’s our thoughts:
If they’re not reaching out once a week, it’s likely too infrequent for your business.
If they’re reaching out more than three times per week, tell them to spend their time doing the marketing instead! Get them to slow down or update their approach so the frequency suits your needs better.
5. “How many clients does your company serve, and what is their average budget size?”
The number of clients they serve can often inform you about how they handle your business.
Here’s a rule of thumb:
If the company has a lot of clients (>15), expect templates and a standardised service.
If the company has few clients (<15), you’ll be in for a treat! These agencies offer a bespoke, considered approach to your campaigns. You’ll get custom creative for starters (among a lot of other things), and you’ll form much deeper bonds with your agency team.
At Owendenny, we provide bespoke digital advertising campaigns and build them from the assets you already have.
**Spoiler Alert: We don’t do templates **
We’re responsive and work on anything from small projects to enterprise campaigns. You’ll get our undivided attention – even if we’re working with other clients at the same time.
But here’s the caveat to all the above: Budget Size.
Agencies playing with bigger budgets (>$10K per Month) will have different media buying skills to those who run smaller budgets.
Ensure you ask when choosing the digital agency that you ask about the size of client they deal with. It’s crucial to ensure the agency is capable enough to take you on.
At Owendenny Digital, we work with Businesses doing anywhere between $1 Million to $5 Million in annual revenue.
But, our new ‘Pay-Per-Result’ offer is helping SME‘s the same opportunity as our bigger clients paying as much as $10K per month. Book a discovery call today to see whether your business qualifies where you only pay for the results you get!
6. “Can you provide references or testimonials from past clients that I can speak to directly about their experience working with you on digital marketing campaigns?”
If the digital marketing agency you plan to use isn’t providing you with proof of their results or client’s contact details, stay the f*ck away.
At the end of the day, you aren’t wanting to pay a team to feel good. You want results. And we all know the saying: seeing is believing.
If they don’t have a case study PDF, that’s cool – ask to see inside one of their ‘typical’ campaigns. If they won’t let you do that, it’s time to find another agency.
7. “Do you have any examples of work in our industry that we could review together before deciding whether to move forward with a proposal for an engagement agreement between us as potential partners in business?”
If the agency doesn’t have any examples, then it’s time to reconsider this digital marketing agency as a potential partner.
If they do offer up case studies or campaigns like what your business is looking for, take a look and see if you like them.
Don’t jump on board because the price seems good. Check out who they’ve done work with firsthand before signing anything!
8. “Is there anything else we should discuss before moving forward with this conversation further?”
This final, open-ended question is a beauty as it may reveal the speed at which your digital marketing agency will work. This will get them discussing their processes, payment terms, management and how they’ll get your campaigns going.
Asking this question will also usually give you an idea of how they might handle your business in the future. They’ll be able to show off their experience (I, myself am guilty here). If you’re happy with what they have to say then it’s a win-win situation!
Conclusion
In summary, selecting the right company to work with is crucial. It’s also worth taking a few extra steps to ensure you’re doing your due diligence and selecting the best agency for your needs.
If you need help determining what services your business needs right now, we’d be more than happy to help. Book a 15-minute chat with Dean to get an idea of what your business needs to succeed online.
