If you’re looking for an online marketing agency to help grow your business, then it’s important to consider a number of things before making a decision. One of the most important factors to consider is quality of work.
You should expect a team of marketers that are experts in the field, and who have the experience to back it up. Hiring the wrong agency could damage your business, so it’s important to do your research before committing.
Here are some of the things to consider before hiring an agency.
Credentials
You should expect to see some sort of accreditation from an agency you’re considering working with. This should include having a website with a privacy policy, as well as marketing materials such as business cards, letterheads, and social media profiles.
Check the agency’s LinkedIn profile, and look for any testimonials or case studies about previous clients. You should also do your research into the agency’s reviews, as this will give you an idea of how others feel about working with them.
Experience
The amount of experience an agency has in digital marketing will determine how successful they can be for your business. The more experience they have, the more likely they are to be able to offer expert advise on what platforms to use for your marketing, and which ones to avoid.
It’s important to consider the size of their team, and how many years they’ve been in the industry. Agencies with a lot of experience typically have a large enough team to take on large projects, and have been around long enough to know what works in digital marketing and what doesn’t.
Reputation
It’s important to do your research into the reputation of the agency you’re considering working with. The better the reputation they have, the more likely you are to be satisfied with their work. Check their reviews on websites such as Avast, Trustpilot, and Google, to get an idea of how others feel about working with them.
There are a number of reasons why someone might write a bad review of an agency, but oftentimes, this is because they weren’t satisfied with the results they got. Do your best to look for feedback from customers that had a good experience, and work with an agency that has a solid reputation.
Portfolio
It’s important to look at the portfolio of the agency you’re considering working with. This way, you’ll be able to see examples of their previous work, and get a good idea of what to expect. If possible, get a sample of the work to look at, and don’t just take their word for it.
This isn’t always possible, but doing your best to look at their previous work will give you an idea of what to expect. Are they experts in SEO, PPC, or content strategy? How about social media marketing, email marketing, or display advertising?
License Agreement
One of the biggest concerns for any business is protecting their intellectual property. It’s important to put in place a license agreement with any agency you’re considering working with, to make sure they don’t steal your intellectual property, and instead, use it for the purpose it was designed for.
It’s also important to look for an IP licensing agreement that is acceptable to you, and that will protect your business’ intellectual property worldwide. If possible, ask the agency for a copy of their license agreement, and read it carefully before signing.
Samples Of Work
Of course, none of this is possible if you don’t actually have any samples of their work to look at. It’s very rare that any agency will agree to give you samples of their work, especially if you’re not buying a pre-existing project from them. However, it’s important to ask, and try to work with an agency that will provide you with samples of their previous work.
This will at least give you some idea of what you’re getting into. It’s also important to read reviews of the agencies’ previous work, to see what others said about their services. This will give you a good idea of what to expect, and hopefully, make you feel more comfortable working with them.
Follow Up
It’s important to follow up with the agency after you work together. This should include checking in with them at least once a week, to see how things are going. It’s also important to do this during the first month or so that they are working with you, to make sure that everything is going according to plan, and that they haven’t missed anything .
Many times, customers will hire an agency, work with them for a while, and then realize that things aren’t going according to plan. At this point, they’ll either give up on the project or ask the agency to come back and fix things . This is why it’s important to follow up with the agency, and make sure everything is going smoothly.
Overall
Once you’ve considered all of the above, you should have a good idea of what to look for in an online marketing agency. Make sure to contact them directly, and ask about their costs and terms of service. This should give you a good idea of what to expect , and hopefully, make you feel more comfortable working with them.