When hiring a digital marketing agency to help you with your SEO campaign, it is important to choose the right company. Use the tips below to find the perfect partner to help guide you to success:
1. Schedule appointments with multiple agencies
Ideally, you should set up meetings with more than one agency – two at a bare minimum, and three if at all possible. By doing so, you have a better chance to compare the services and the overall experience offered by each company. During these meetings, you have a chance to discuss any questions that you may have and to get a sense of how well you and the company communicate and work together.
Setting up an initial meeting will also give you a chance to see their operation in person. When you meet with them, pay attention to your surroundings, making sure that the office environment is professional and that it seems like all of the team members work well together.
2. Look for an agency with experience
Ideally, you should hire a digital agency that has a strong portfolio filled with satisfied customers. Experience counts when it comes to online marketing. Be sure to ask for case studies and examples of work that they have done in the past.
3. Choose a company that is capable of helping you meet your goals
When evaluating marketing agencies, look for a company that is well-established and that has the technical know-how to help you achieve your objectives. For instance, if you are focused on getting your company more exposure online through SEO, you should find out what steps the company takes to help their clients achieve this goal. Don’t be afraid to ask for real-world examples of how the work they have done in the past has benefited their clients.
The best time to ask questions or to address potentially uncomfortable subjects is before you hire the company. For instance, make sure that you find out who will own the work if you decide to terminate your contract in the future.
4. Look for a company that does creative work
Creativity is key when it comes to marketing according to a top search engine firm in Phoenix. You should look at some of the past work that they have completed to make sure that it is unique and effective. Do all of their advertising campaigns look the same or do they help each client take a unique approach to their marketing? Have they worked with clients in a variety of different industries or do they tend to focus on the same types of businesses?
Ideally, you should look for a company that doesn’t use a cookie-cutter marketing approach. All of the finished work that they do for their clients should be quite different, showing that they design each marketing campaign based on the unique needs of the client and the industry that they are working in.
5. Get to know the people who will work on your project
At some agencies, when you set up a meeting, you sit down with a salesperson to talk about your needs. It is equally as important, however, to meet the actual people who will be working on your project. If nothing else, you should at least try to make contact with the project manager. These are the people that you will be interacting with as the project goes forward. It is important to make sure that you are comfortable talking to them and that you get a good feeling about their skills and qualifications.
When you initially discuss your project with a digital agency, find out how the work will be handled. Some companies choose to outsource the work to companies in other countries. This may or may not fit with your standards and objectives. Learn as much as you can about the people who will be doing the actual work. That way, you can choose an agency that is a good fit for your preferences and your business.
6. Think about the location of the company
These days, the vast majority of communication can be done online, through text messages, or over the phone. Because of that, you can work with an agency that is located anywhere in the world. There are some advantages, however, to choosing an agency that is located in your area. Sitting down to meet with a marketing team in person can often give you better results than communicating with them remotely. If nothing else, at least find out how each company you are considering handles meetings so that you know what to expect.
7. Ask for references
Most marketing agencies will be happy to provide you with a list of references that you can contact. Typically, these references include business associates as well as customers that they have helped in the past. This can be a good way to get an outside perspective on the company.
8. Get a timeline for your project
It is important to have an idea of how long the marketing project will take and how quickly you may be able to see results. You should also find out how much time you need to commit to the process. During the initial phase of the project, you most likely will need to meet with the marketing team regularly to provide them with the information they need to help your company succeed.
9. Make sure to state your budget upfront
When you meet with an agency, be sure to let them know exactly how much money you have to commit to the project. That way, they can give you a more realistic idea of how they can help your company. At first, it may seem like talking about money upfront is a bad idea. In fact, however, it can keep you from wasting time, ensuring that both you and the agency are on the same page from the start.
10. Pay attention to the company’s proposal
After meeting with an agency, they should come up with a proposal for you. This document should be highly detailed and should be designed in such a way that it gives you a clear picture of how they plan to proceed.
From a practical standpoint, the proposal that they present you with will dictate the terms of your agreement with the marketing agency. Because of that, you should read it carefully to make sure that you agree with everything in it. The proposal should also clearly state the amount of money that they are charging so that you don’t have any unexpected surprises when you get your final bill.
The marketing world is filled with agencies of all sizes. It is important to carefully evaluate all of your options so that you can choose a company that is a good fit for your online objectives.
Although most of these agencies are similar in a lot of ways, there are unique differences that set them apart from one another. It is worth spending time evaluating these differences and getting to know each company a little better so that you can choose an agency that is capable of helping your company grow.
