What to Look for in a Digital Marketing Agency

Many enterprises choose to enlist the help of a digital marketing agency because of time constraints, cost-effectiveness, and the ability to bring in external expertise. If you’ve decided that hiring a digital marketing agency is right for you, you need to know where you should start looking. There are a few characteristics that you need to look for to hire the digital marketing agency that will work best for you.

1. They know the tools

You need a digital marketing agency that can make the call on the right tool to use. Or, they need to determine which tools integrate best with your current systems. Agencies that have worked with a variety of clientele and a variety of CRMs, marketing automation systems, and project management software can steer you in the right direction every time.

2. Clear and concise communication

Misunderstandings cost money. Communicating effectively is a key necessity in a digital marketing agency. You’re relying on an external group to execute programs as though they are part of your internal team. To be on the same page, you need to communicate consistently. So make sure the agency you go with has a great team of communicators who reiterate exactly what their plans are, how they will achieve them, and who will be taking on which portions of which projects.

Weekly or bi-weekly meetings are a great way to confirm your internal marketing team and digital agency are on the same page. When you’re considering an agency, ask about their usual meeting cadence. This will give you good insight into how much the agency values communication.

3. Proven execution

Before you hire a digital marketing agency, you need to be sure they’re able to execute the things you need them to. Ask the agency about past projects and how they handle deadlines. Can they provide specific examples for you? It’s important that you feel confident the agency you’re working with will provide the missing pieces your internal team can’t.

Part of execution is running A/B tests within your campaigns. Choose an agency that is committed to experimentation. This shows they’re dedicated to optimizing performance and finding the best ways to communicate and reach your audience.

4. Reporting

How does your digital marketing agency do their reporting? Is it consistent? Do you have a single report you can refer to? Are they providing the analytics you value most? Advanced reporting allows you insight into the campaigns your digital marketing agency is running so you don’t have to be totally hands-off. And, this is your company. You shouldn’t be totally hands-off.

5. Flexibility

Finally, you need a digital marketing agency that is flexible. Things don’t always need to be their way when it comes to the software you use or the decisions you make. They should be willing to use the tools your team is already comfortable with.

While they may make recommendations for best practices based on their experience, ultimately everything should be a conversation. After all, nothing in marketing works the same every time. You need to experiment. And you can’t experiment without being flexible.

DemandZEN is a digital marketing agency that values flexibility, reporting, execution, communication, and experimenting with various software. Talk to us today.