It is more important than ever for a business to have an online presence. Apart from a few rare business types, I would go as far as saying it is non-negotiable to be successful.
With so many different types of digital marketing to manage, many companies turn to a digital marketing agency to strategise, manage, and accelerate their growth.
However, with hundreds, if not thousands, of digital marketing agencies offering similar services, choosing the right partner can feel overwhelming and represents a significant investment for any business.
While the wrong choice can have costly consequences, the right agency can be truly game-changing for long-term growth.
This article talks through simple tips to apply to help you confidently choose an agency that aligns with your goals and genuinely supports your long-term success.
1. Define Your Goals Clearly
The first thing to do before starting the process is to discover exactly what you want to achieve.
For agencies to be able to advise the right strategies, they need to understand your overall business goals but also your priorities, for example, is brand awareness more important to you, or generating qualified leads?
The clearer you are, the easier it is for the agency to make the right suggestions to start with, and also to complete the work with the right objectives in mind.
Along with helping the strategy, clear goals also help to establish measurable KPI’s.
These don’t have to be definitive, but even more general ones, such as improving your search ranking for specific keywords, can be really useful.
By knowing your own goals, this will help you with the process of attracting agencies that have the most expertise in the area of your goals.
2. Look for Proven Expertise and Industry Experience
An easy and effective way to check out an agency’s expertise and experience is by reading through its case studies.
You can use these to assess what types of businesses they’ve worked with and how they achieved the results.
It is good to find an agency that has worked with businesses similar to yours. You can consider factors like size and industry.
If an agency has worked with a business in the same industry, it cuts out a chunk of the process as the agency will already have a good understanding of the industry.
Something to be cautious of is agencies making promises without any real examples to back them up.
Another thing to be aware of is that not all agencies have the same specialisms; they may offer a range of services, but it is likely they will specialise in specific areas.
Some may focus purely on social media management, while others specialise in SEO.
Choosing an agency whose strengths align with your goals will make the most of your digital marketing budget.
3. Assess Their Communication Style and Culture Fit
You will work very closely with the agency, and it will feel like they are an extension of your team. Therefore, it is important to hire an agency as you would an employee, by making sure they will fit in with the team.
The best way to find out is to closely observe how the agency communicates during the tender process.
Some things to consider include how promptly they respond to messages, how clearly they explain things, and whether they are transparent about their experience and pricing.
While pricing does not need to be shared upfront, the agency should explain that this is because they need a clear understanding of your needs before providing accurate quotes.
Pay close attention to how deep they go when asking questions to get to know your business. More experienced agencies will dig deep into things like your goals and challenges, whereas weaker agencies will ask very top-level questions.
4. Check Their Technical Capabilities
It is very easy to forget about assessing technical capabilities when it comes to looking for a digital marketing agency, as you tend to focus on creative abilities.
An agency’s ability to use tools like Google Analytics or CRM integrations is key to tracking performance accurately and, therefore, be able to execute a strategy successfully.
In addition, something that is often missed in the hiring process is checking if agencies have the ability to troubleshoot technical issues to ensure campaigns are kept running smoothly when issues do arise.
These can be things like fixing tracking errors or resolving pixel discrepancies.
5. Evaluate Their Creativity
It is important to review real examples of the agency’s work and not just go off results.
When looking at past campaigns, look out for good designs that demonstrate original ideas that spark emotion.
An indicative factor of a good agency is its ability to explain why a particular visual or message works for your audience and how it supports the wider strategy.
A final point to consider on the topic of creativity is assessing whether they stay current with trends. With the digital world moving so fast, you want to hire an agency that is always up to date.
Missing news on things such as social media algorithms can make a huge difference to the effectiveness of their work.
6. Understand Their Onboarding Process
A clear onboarding process says a lot about an agency. Green flags shown in the early stages often translate into positive outcomes further down the line.
A strong onboarding process typically begins with a discovery session to gain a clear understanding of your goals, as well as your audience and brand.
The next step should include a clearly defined roadmap covering at least the first 30 days, and often extending to 3–6 months if you are committing to a longer-term contract.
This roadmap should outline initial audits and the overall strategy.
At this stage, the agency should also clearly establish who your main point of contact is and provide all the information you need to communicate with them effectively.
A good onboarding experience should feel smooth and include setting up access to essential tools such as social media accounts and analytics platforms.
A smooth setup often leads to a smooth working relationship.
Pay close attention to the level of detail involved: the onboarding process reveals a lot about how much an agency cares about long-term success.
Conclusion
The main takeaway you should take from this article is to definitely not rush the process of hiring the right digital marketing agency for you.
It is a decision that takes a very clear understanding of your goals and a lot of thorough research.
When you take the time to ensure the process is completed properly, you will be in a far better position to find the right agency for you, which will be a great extension to your team and help you achieve your clear goals.
