Searching for the right digital marketing agency partner is a daunting process. It can be difficult to find, evaluate, and narrow down the agencies that are the best fit for you. That’s why we’re here to help you break down the 30 essential questions to ask when choosing a digital marketing agency and help you discover the right partner for the long term. In this blog post, we’ll explore:
- Experience and Expertise: Look for an agency with a proven track record in your industry and a deep understanding of the latest marketing trends.
- Communication and Collaboration: Open communication, transparency, and a collaborative environment are essential for a successful partnership.
- Analytics and Reporting: A data-driven approach ensures your efforts are measurable and optimized for success.
But first, we must look inward.
Before You Begin
Before you start interviewing agencies, take a step back and define your own needs and goals as a client. Defining your high-level objectives sets the direction for your marketing efforts and guides you through the process of choosing an agency partner.
Don’t settle for vague goals. “I want more brand awareness” is great and all, but how are you going to measure that? We need to make it more specific. Conducting a review of your internal needs will allow you to better understand how an agency can help you, while also making sure that your progress can be easily tracked and understood.
Questions to ask yourself:
- What are the goals we want to reach with a digital marketing agency partnership?
- What is our budget?
- What are our current biggest pain points?
- What are our customers’ biggest pain points?
- What platforms do we utilize most?
- How are we currently measuring our success?
- What does our time frame look like?
- What initiatives are essential to reach our goals?
Once you’ve answered these questions, you can move forward with your search for a digital marketing agency that will help you achieve your goals. Use the information you collected to make informed decisions for your business. Gathering a comprehensive understanding of an agency’s experience (which goes beyond the number of years they’ve existed) is extremely important.
Experience and Expertise
Asking questions about a digital marketing agency’s experience helps you understand how they can help you. A portfolio that showcases projects in similar industries gives insight into how the agency may approach your business's specific needs.
Don’t be afraid to explore an agency’s track record. Bigger agencies don’t always mean better results. Large agencies bring a wealth of knowledge and experience to the table, making them a strong choice for complex marketing needs. However, if you prioritize agility and personalized attention, a smaller agency might be a better fit. While experience matters, boutique agencies can be full of energetic creatives and inspired ideas, so don’t overlook these up-and-coming rockstars!
Experience and Expertise Questions to Ask an Agency:
- What specific digital marketing services do you excel at?
- Can you share success stories of past clients in similar industries, and how did you achieve those results?
- Do you have experience working with companies of our size and growth stage?
- What type of clientele do you usually offer services to?
- What does the creative process within the agency look like?
Just as critical as experience is the agency's ability to communicate with the client. Communication between you and the digital marketing agency you choose to work with ensures that everyone is focused on the same shared goals.
Communication and Collaboration
Clearly defining objectives and regular communication allow an agency to understand your priorities and how they can tailor their strategies to fit them. Create a relationship that goes beyond transactions by establishing a shared vision for your brand’s marketing journey with the agency, ensuring that they develop a cohesive strategy that resonates with your target audience.
We know that consumer behavior can change rapidly, so making regular optimization to reflect trends is important to staying ahead of the curve. The communication between you and a prospective agency should be transparent, fostering trust and accountability for both parties.
Digital marketing agencies that promote transparency will keep you informed about their thought process while decision-making, allowing you to understand the “why” along with the “what” and “how”.
Communication and Collaboration Questions to Ask an Agency:
- How often do you typically communicate with clients?
- How do you incorporate client feedback into the process?
- What is your preferred method of communication?
- Who is our primary point of contact at the agency?
- Do you have a client portal to access reports and data?
- What types of reports do you provide clients with?
- Can you describe a situation where you had to adjust a campaign strategy based on new data or market trends?
- How do you typically handle any disagreements regarding strategy?
- What is your process for addressing any poor performance?
Effective communication and collaboration pave the way for a successful partnership. This is where it is helpful to know what is and isn’t working. But how do you find that out? That’s where we turn to analytics and reporting.
Analytics and Reporting
With so many digital marketing channels and tools out there, measuring the effectiveness of your efforts can be a complex task. A comprehensive digital marketing agency utilizes an array of analytic tools to track the performance of campaigns across various platforms. Developing a basic understanding of the data you want to focus on helps you decide where to point your marketing strategy.
Website analytics track metrics like page views and the source of traffic (where those views are coming from). If your needs are website-focused, you’ll want to work with the agency to improve your website’s performance by optimizing it for user experience. If social media is your battleground, analyses of engagement can show you how well specific campaigns resonate with your audience. If you’re looking to make waves in people’s inboxes, metrics like open and click-through rates help you refine your email marketing strategy for improved lead generation. Maybe you’re looking for a digital marketing agency to focus on search engine optimization, refining your content to improve organic search ranking. Don’t think it’s important to rank high on search engines? My friend, you are sadly mistaken. Learn more about SEO and why it’s so important to develop a comprehensive understanding of it by reading our other post that dives into all things SEO.
Once the data has been compiled, it needs to be translated into actionable insights. A strong digital marketing agency goes beyond providing you with raw data by creating customized reports that present the findings. Reporting is regularly scheduled so that you can tailor your approach if you aren’t seeing the results you want.
Analytics and Reporting Questions to Ask an Agency:
- What analytic platforms do you typically track campaign performance on?
- How does your approach vary between clients?
- How do you define key metrics?
- Do you present complex findings in a way that’s easy to understand for someone who is not a marketing expert?
- How are reports delivered?
- How do you translate data into actionable insights and recommendations for my marketing strategy?
- How do you use the data to identify areas of improvement?
- Do you have expertise in a specific analytic platform that is relevant to me?
Choosing an agency that utilizes data to guide action and can translate it into recommendations that empower you is key to achieving desired outcomes.
Making the Right Decision
Finding the right agency is not a decision you should rush. Ask as many questions as you need, express your goals clearly, and don’t be afraid to ask for examples of success or case studies. Beyond qualifications, consider the agency's culture and team dynamic. It's important to feel comfortable communicating with the people who will be managing your brand's online presence.
Ultimately, the right decision is about feeling comfortable in your choice. A digital marketing agency should be a natural extension of your marketing team, that acts as a trusted partner and shares your vision for success.
Ready to Find Your Perfect Match?
Learn more about what a digital marketing agency can do to skyrocket your online success by exploring the Trailblaze Marketing website. Have any questions? Send us an email or shoot us a message on one of our social channels!
