An Online Marketing Agency (OMA) is an organization tasked with driving sales for a brand, product or service online. They often specialize in SEO, content creation and social media management.

These agencies may work with clients to develop and implement digital marketing strategies, which may include SEO, content marketing, social media marketing, and paid marketing. Marketing managers may also require assistance from a digital marketing agency to gain and maintain an in-house marketing team’s expertise.

What Do They Do?

Generally, an OMA will collaborate with the client to identify the primary platforms on which they desire to engage with potential customers and build an actionable plan to achieve their goals. They will also create relevant and compelling content for web and social media channels. Some of the activities that an OMA may perform include:

• SEO ((Search Engine Optimization))
• Content Creation ((Content Marketing))
• Social Media Marketing ((Social Media Marketing))
• Affiliate Marketing ((Pay-Per-Click Advertising))
• PPC Management ((Pay-Per-Click Advertising))
• Email Marketing ((Email Marketing))
• Inbound Marketing ((Inbound Marketing))

Why Do You Need One?

You may need an OMA if you feel that you are not utilizing the available online marketing tools to reach your full marketing potential. The world of digital marketing is constantly evolving, and it’s important to be able to work with a company that is updated on the latest platforms and techniques.

Having a team of experienced marketers that can take your digital marketing strategy to the next level is important, especially if you are running a business from home and do not want to overload yourself with the responsibilities of running a marketing department.

The Roles of an OMA

Depending on the size of your operation, you may want to assign specific responsibilities to different team members of the agency. Here’s a typical workflow that an OMA may follow, when working with a marketing firm:

• SEO: Search Engine Optimization is a process of improving a website’s ranking in organic search engine results for specific keywords. It involves analyzing competitors’ websites to identify keywords that they are not using and then using those words and phrases in the building and optimizing of your own website. While many companies offer SEO services, you must remain vigilant in ensuring that your website does not become over-optimized or using dubious techniques that may damage your website’s health.
• Content Creation: Creating compelling and informative content for web and social media platforms is a critical step in the growth of any business. Having an experienced team of writers, journalists and content marketers that can deliver compelling content on a regular basis is crucial for the growth of your business. Sometimes, content may need to be created from scratch (e.g., a newsworthy event), which can be extremely challenging for a small business.
• Social Media Marketing: Marketing through social media is all the rage these days, and for good reason! With a few simple steps, you can have a presence on multiple platforms, allowing you to connect with your customers and potential customers on a more individual level. Your social media strategy should consist of relevant content that will keep your followers entertained and interested in your brand or company. Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and other social media platforms are all important tools for any business, but especially for a marketing agency that aims to gain sales.
• Paid Marketing: When you decide to go the paid route, you are usually investing in advertising to gain exposure to the right audience. To ensure that you reach your target audience, you will need to create ads that are compelling and highly relevant to your target group. There are many different paid marketing platforms, such as Google AdWords, Facebook Ads, and LinkedIn’s paid advertising platform. LinkedIn’s advertising platform allows you to target specific groups of people based on industry, job role, and even hobbies. Although not always the case, you may prefer to work with a digital marketing agency that has experience in using various paid marketing platforms.
• Affiliate Marketing: When someone clicks a referral link (or affiliate link) and then makes a purchase (or another affiliate purchase) after seeing a persuasive advertisement, that business earns a commission. Typically, you only qualify for affiliate marketing when you’re referring customers to a product or service that you’ve promoted (e.g., via social media, blog posts, or websites). When you promote a product or service on social media, you may need to check the affiliate program for that product or service to see if you qualify. For example, if you are referring someone to Audible, but they don’t have an account with Audible, then you may not qualify for the affiliate program. It’s important to keep in mind that most affiliate marketing programs require you to make a certain number of sales (usually between 20 and 100) before you’ll be eligible for commission payments. Affiliate marketing is a great way to earn a passive income stream, without having to rely on a single product or service from a single vendor.
• Analytics: If you’re looking to gain a deeper understanding of how your website is performing and where you can make improvements, you should look into hiring an analytics expert. There are many free tools that you can use to get started (e.g., Google Analytics, Mixpanel, and Kissmetrics), but it’s important to keep in mind that the data they provide is only as good as you make it. It’s also important to remember that the more you know, the more you can do. With analytics, you will have access to a treasure trove of data, which you can use to inform your decisions and actions.

While many businesses can benefit from the services of an OMA, not all situations are created equal. You need to understand what you’re getting into before you make a decision.