In today’s digital age, digital marketing is a must-have for small to mid-sized businesses. Without SEO, email, or social media, you may never scale your business or make meaningful connections with your target audience. However, you can’t just post a blog or send an email to your full file and hope for the best. To ensure you’re digital marketing strategies are effective, you’ll want to consider offloading some of your digital marketing initiatives to an agency.
There are many benefits to working with a digital marketing agency. Not only will they be there to help you fine-tune your approach to digital marketing, but they’ll also help you stay innovative and strategic.
If you’re ready to take your digital marketing initiatives to the next level, we’re here to help. Here’s how to choose the right marketing agency and some benefits you can look forward to.
What is Digital Marketing?
Digital marketing is online-based marketing tactics and techniques. This includes paid media, search engine optimization, social media, and email marketing. A digital marketing strategy is vital to increasing brand awareness, generating leads, and growing your online presence.
A marketing agency is a company that specializes in digital marketing. Every digital marketing agency has its own specialties. When looking for one to work with, consider your unique marketing needs and goals and which channels you want to focus on the most.
How to Hire a Digital Marketing Agency
It’s no secret that the digital marketing landscape is saturated. There are countless agencies and companies that claim they have the talent and resources to help you fine-tune your strategies.
When looking for one to partner with for your digital marketing efforts, consider working with a smaller agency with more time to be hands-on with your projects and initiatives. While big agencies may seem like a better idea on paper, they typically don’t have the time and energy to stay at the forefront of innovation for your marketing strategies.
Other characteristics to look for when learning how to choose the right marketing agency include:
- Data-driven and results-oriented
- Transparency and clear communication
- Client-centric strategies
- Experience with various marketing channels
- Personable and friendly
- Innovative tech stack
When learning how to choose the right marketing agency, you’ll also want to look at case studies, online reviews, and businesses they’ve worked with. Platforms like Clutch for transparent reviews, awards, and more.
Benefits of Working With a Digital Marketing Agency
There are many advantages to learning how to hire a digital marketing agency and offboard some of your marketing initiatives to the pros.
1. Cost Saving Advantages
Many cost-saving opportunities come with hiring a marketing agency rather than a full-fledged in-house marketing team. Hiring an SEO agency is a great way to reduce overhead costs and ensure the strategies implemented are developed by individuals with years of experience. Instead of paying for an SEO Manager’s salary and benefits, you can outsource the services and get more expertise for a fraction of the cost.
2. Access to Cutting-Edge Tools and Technology
Digital marketing agencies have a suite of advanced technology to conduct research, measure data, and stay ahead of trends. These tools can be a pricey investment for an in-house digital marketing team. If you decide not to use these tools, your marketing team will struggle with research, content creation, link building, and more.
Some of the popular tools we use at Kanbar Digital to help our clients include:
- Opteo
- Optimizely
- Semrush
- Screaming frog
- Moz
- Ahrefs
Many businesses only opt for one or two of these tools for their in-house team. When you learn how to hire a digital marketing agency, you can feel confident they have the most advanced tools on the market to provide you with in-depth analysis and more.
3. Stay Ahead of Trends and Industry Updates
The world of SEO and marketing is constantly evolving. While an in-house team may better understand your products and services, they can’t always have time to conduct research on the latest trends and updates you need to know to maintain your competitive edge.
The employees at digital marketing agencies devote their time to growing their professional skill set. They are constantly reading into industry updates, trends, and tools that can help you further your marketing strategy.
4. Measurable Results and Open Communication
Digital marketing agencies value transparency, openness, and honesty. They work for you and have your best interest in mind. They won’t focus on irrelevant metrics or fluff numbers. Because your success is their success.
In the first few weeks after solidifying a contract with a new digital marketing agency, they’ll help you set clear, measurable KPIs that align with your bottom line. Throughout the duration of your contract, these KPIs will be used to drive weekly check-in discussions, discover challenges, and find new opportunities to scale your business.
The results will always be measurable and relevant. If something is down or not working, they’ll call it out with a client and find a way to take action to fix it.
5. Marketing Expertise from an Entire Team
Engaging with a digital marketing agency means you’re not just hiring an individual, but gaining the collective expertise of an entire team. This team is comprised of professionals specializing in various fields such as web design, graphic design, content creation, and SEO. The diversity of skills and experiences brought together means that your marketing strategies benefit from a multitude of creative ideas, informed perspectives, and a depth of knowledge. Each member’s unique background contributes to more innovative decisions and strategies, providing a well-rounded and effective approach to your marketing efforts.
Comparing Prices: How Much Should You Pay a Digital Marketing Agency?
There are a lot of factors that go into the overall cost of hiring a digital marketing agency. The pricing structures can also vary. Some agencies offer hourly pricing, project-based pricing, monthly retainer pricing, or a la carte style. According to SEMRush, the hourly cost of hiring a digital marketing agency can be anywhere from $50 to $500.
The cost will also vary depending on the services you need. According to SEMRush, search engine optimization can cost a business anywhere from $10K to $200K/month. This will depend on the size of your business and the scope of your project.
When looking into pricing, don’t go with the absolute cheapest option you can find. Instead, compare pricing, ask questions, and find a digital marketing agency you feel comfortable offboarding your marketing efforts to.
How to Choose The Right Marketing Agency
When learning how to choose the right marketing agency, you’ll need to consider your goals and budget. Every business is different. What might work for someone might not work for someone else.
At Kanbar Digital, we understand that no two businesses are the same. Our team has hands-on experience building innovative strategies for businesses of every size across various industries. Our team is here to help you develop a custom marketing plan that aligns with your needs. Whether it’s paid media, SEO, or social media – we’re here to help.
