Hire the Right Digital Marketing Agency for Your Small Business





The Art of Finding A Digital Agency to Help You Thrive Online

digital marketing agency PPC
Digital marketing is a continually evolving field, so your agency must stay abreast of the latest trends.

Small business owners are faced with a critically important and monumental task when trying to choose a digital marketing agency that’s just right for their organizational goals. There are hundreds of digital advertising agencies in California alone, which would be overwhelming enough without the additional fact that continually evolving technology allows digital marketers to telecommute and respond to clients anywhere in the world.

To top it all off, online advertising is a rapidly changing art form in a field of industry defined by subtle nuance and replete with highly technical jargon. What hardworking small business owner isn’t thrilled with the thought of discussing PPC, SEM, and CTR with a skilled professional? You’d have to do a plethora of research to even begin a meaningful conversation.

Forging a Collaborative Partnership with a Top Digital Marketing Agency

If you want to focus on building your team and run a successful startup, you likely won’t have the time for internet marketing on your own. Since digital advertising is absolutely critical to success in the online marketplace, finding a digital agency is a challenge is of the highest importance. This doesn’t mean that your search for a new digital agency needs to be complex, frustrating, or even difficult.

We could all use a touch of simplicity in our fast-paced modern lives, so here is Emergent Digital’s 5-step process for finding a skilled digital marketing firm you can trust. This is the minimalist’s path, so leave your worries at the door and focus on the goal of selecting an online advertising partner that can take you to great new heights of success.

1) Set Internal Goals & Define Your Ideal Digital Marketing Agency

This first step is 100% necessary for conducting a proper search for anything in this life, not just hiring a new digital marketing team. Before even looking into the top-rated digital agencies in your area, ask yourself the following:

Partnership with a digital agency is meant to be for the long haul, with substantive gains and sustainable online growth that won’t happen overnight. Throughout this process, continually ask yourself: can you envision your company associated and aligned with this digital agency for years to come?

2) Perform Digital Advertising Due Diligence

Due diligence will save you a massive amount of headache down the road if you take this ever-important step in finding a digital marketing agency that’s right for you. It’s a good idea to do your own research into digital advertising and potential digital agencies in your area. Here are a few topics of interest that can provide insight when performing this task:

Beware of lofty claims that cannot be verified, overly cheap pricing, and anyone who makes grand promises with regard to digital campaign performance. If a digital firm has substantially lower pricing than the competition, they could very well be “offshoring” or outsourcing important tasks to less qualified freelancers overseas. Be wary of price points that seem suspect and, when in doubt, ask the agency point-blank about their offshoring activities. Furthermore, ff a digital marketing agency tells you they can get you 1,000 organic social media followers per month or use minimal SEO tactics to take you to the top of the first Google SERP (Search Engine Results Page) for a competitive target keyword, run for the hills!

3) Request Proposals from Your Digital Marketing Firm Shortlist

Once you’ve done enough homework to develop a shortlist of 5-10 digital agencies impressive enough for serious consideration, it’s time to make them enthralled with the idea of working alongside you. This is done by explaining your vision to prospective candidates, then asking for a digital advertising proposal based on your needs and goals.

The top digital marketing agencies in our field typically turn away more work than they accept, so you’ll want to convey your earnest ability to work collaboratively in mutually beneficial growth. The majority of elite digital agencies that deliver on their promises and produce high levels of customer satisfaction are creative, innovative, and engaged in the art of storytelling.

Clearly explain your goals, needs, and describe your vision for the future of your young startup or small business venture. The most well-suited digital marketing agencies will incorporate this overarching idea into their proposal and your ideal firm will be inspired to work with you.

4) Interview Your Top 3-5 Digital Advertising Agencies

Digital marketing meeting
When interviewing digital agencies, make it relaxed and social to learn what the team is really all about.

Your last task should narrow down your shortlist to about 3-5 qualified, excited digital marketing candidates. It’s finally time for the interview, which can be done in person or via teleconference with the decision makers in your business. To discover all you need to know about hiring your next digital agency and partner in online growth, ask:

5) Be Patient, Look at the Big Picture, and Trust Yourself

A steady paycheck is usually enough to guarantee delivery of services, but finding the right digital marketing agency is a more complex task than finding a reliable water delivery service. You will stake your online reputation and the success of your business on the relationship with a digital advertising agency, so take the time to define your ideal candidate, do background research, and ask the crucial questions in a relaxed atmosphere to find out which candidate is truly the best fit for you.

However, if you have any doubts, if you’re uneasy with the idea of a long-term partnership, if your gut tells you to hold off – listen.

Any further questions, comments, or do you have your own tips for finding the right digital marketing agency? Please leave a comment below! If you would like further consultation regarding online growth or success in the digital marketplace, the friendly Emergent Digital team is always just a call or message away.

Posted in: Business, Digital Marketing, Digital Media, Online Advertising Tips, Purposeful Enterprise, Social Enterprise

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Ujwal PanditemergentdigJarrett WashingtonDennis Sanchez Recent comment authors
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Dennis Sanchez
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I was interested in learning more about the digital marketing industry. You mentioned that some agencies actually turn away more work than they accept and you have to convey your willingness to work together. I hadn’t fully understood how in demand digital marketing was, but completely understand why an agency would want to work with someone equally invested. Thanks for the fascinating read.

Jarrett Washington
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In need of digital marketing assistance, can you help? Please browse my website and tell me what you think?

emergentdig
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Hi there Jarrett! Sorry for the late response.

I like the design of your site, high-quality content with a nice mobile-friendly layout. I would probably suggest trying to cut down on the number of words and increase your use of images for the modern user.

If you would like further assistance, please contact us anytime!

Ujwal Pandit
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First of all, being bored at work does pay well if you have a smartphone and you browse through blogs. Amazing information with facts thoughtfully incorporated within. Definitely going to come back for more! 🙂