How to Choose A Digital Marketing Agency

Of the hundreds of digital marketing agencies in Australia, surprisingly few of them will actually meet your company’s needs.

Whether they’re too expensive, lack the necessary expertise, or simply fail to communicate or organise effectively – it can be difficult to find the right digital partner.

And, even higher than the cost is the opportunity cost. The best agencies will identify new digital avenues to grow your business. They become a vital business partner.

Making the wrong choice about an agency could prove incredibly costly, both now and in terms of your future growth.

To help you make an informed choice, we’ve highlighted some crucial tips on how to choose the right digital marketing agency that will play an active part in your business’s long-term success.

Know Your Ultimate Objective

Digital marketing might be a mystery to you, but your business goals aren’t.

With so many digital marketing agencies competing for your business, figuring out what you actually want to achieve is critical to choosing the right partner. 

Asking an agency to deliver a digital marketing strategy without a clear aim is bound to waste time, money and effort. If you want to onboard a digital marketing agency for SEO, or Google Ads Services, you can check out our comprehensive guides below.

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How to choose the right Google Ads agency for your business?

Work Out the Next Step

While a reputable agency like First Page Australia will identify potential problems from the start of the process, less trustworthy marketers might take an inexperienced business owner for a ride.

So before you hand over the reins of your digital marketing channels to an agency, it pays to be clear on the next step of your business growth.

Give the Business Challenge

Do you need customers to understand why it’s worth paying more for better quality? Are you struggling to highlight your point of difference to competitors? Do you have a great product, and just need more people to know about it?

With this guidance, a talented agency will work alongside your business to determine the smartest approach that achieves your objective within your budget.

Know Their Expertise

Managing your campaign’s budget is an important role for a digital marketing agency, but their work goes far beyond that. Can they actually deliver the capabilities you need?

You don’t have to sign a costly contract with the first agency that shows an interest in your business. Determine their core strengths and weaknesses to decide whether an agency makes sense for your needs.

The Agency’s Core Talents

Most agencies rely on a few core talents. Some agencies have refined their skills in content marketing, while others are experts in SEM advertising or web design. 

Most agencies offer other digital capabilities, but they will have a core area of strength.

You might even come across agencies who are entirely focussed within one area of digital marketing, such as working entirely within Facebook ads, graphic design or email campaigns.

Specialised vs Full-Stack

In the industry, this distinction is referred to as specialised vs full-stack digital marketing agencies. 

Specialised agencies are focused on a small selection of skills. Full-stack agencies are typically larger, more established agencies that can lead all levels of a marketing campaign.

If you’re looking for an agency with an in-house full-stack, First Page Australia’s experienced team has what it takes to deliver a comprehensive digital marketing solution.

PPC Experience

Badly conceived pay-per-click (PPC) campaigns can burn through your budget and hardly generate a sale. 

This means you have to choose a marketing team that specialises in platforms that reach your customers – as well as know how to use the detailed analytics, to target them effectively. 

As PPC campaigns should integrate closely with your overarching digital strategy, a worthwhile agency will explain how their approach can achieve your goals within your budget.

Skilled SEO

Many digital marketing agencies offer search engine optimisation (SEO) services. However, as the landscape of SEO is constantly shifting, you need someone who stays current with the latest trends.

High-quality content writing built around effective SEO practices will drive your business up the search results page.

When meeting with a potential digital marketing team, question them on the latest SEO news to establish how up-to-date they are, and find out whether they use any unethical methods to rank.

Data-Driven Practices Matter

In the modern world of digital marketing, using data-driven practices is key to success. 

Every relevant online platform used in digital marketing provides a wealth of informative statistics. To reap the full benefits, you need a marketing team that knows how to use this data. 

Data analytics help businesses identify emerging opportunities and dramatically improve underperforming strategies.

Only Do What Works

Backed by data analytics, a digital marketing agency in Melbourne has many of the answers needed to reach and convert a target market.

For example, social media metrics help brands to determine whether their marketing strategy is building an engaged following behind their brand, as intended.

Data-driven practices help businesses to design and execute a robust digital marketing sales funnel that skyrockets their conversions.

Find New Opportunities

With specialised analytics combined with thinking outside the box, the leading digital marketing agencies become your active partners in finding new ways to grow your business.

Never throw digital marketing strategies at the wall and hope something sticks. A detailed understanding of data-driven practices will save you both time and money. 

Make sure the agency you choose to work with is capable of handling data and incorporating data validation into your campaigns.

Review an Agency’s Reputation

If you decide to partner with a digital marketing agency, don’t forget to check their reputation amongst former clients and industry figures before signing on the dotted line.

Reviews

The easiest way to do this is to head straight to Google Reviews, where you’ll find past experiences that’ll help you make a final decision. 

This advice has the potential to pay off immediately, as you might discover a few red flags that you hadn’t previously considered.

Testimonials

Once you’ve checked out their online reviews, the next place to look is on the agency’s website for testimonials. 

Although it’s obvious that certain testimonials are highlighted because they reveal the positive aspects of an agency, you might just discover you can’t find any at all. 

This could signal a lack of experience with relevant businesses or even that no one has anything good to say about them!

Socials

The next place to review an agency’s reputation is on their social media channels. 

By delving into their profiles and seeing how they respond to comments – both positive and negative – you can feel out how they interact with clients.

Study Previous Experience

Having established an agency’s reputation and determined whether they offer the services you need, you must decide whether they have the skills to deliver the results they claim. 

As the importance of a refined digital strategy becomes clearer to more companies every day, there are always new agencies opening their doors. However, you don’t want to put your hugely important campaign in the hands of amateurs who will waste your investment.

Signs of Reputability

Reputable digital marketing agencies are more than happy to walk you through their previous experience and highlight their successes. 

A reliable company will also have complete confidence in their talents. Look for signs like a no-results-no-payment scheme and a clear policy of not outsourcing to contractors.

Past Clients

When you’ve made contact, ask about the clients they’ve worked alongside with similar goals to your own. Meanwhile, don’t be afraid to ask for detailed case studies that showcase what results you can expect. 

If you find that an agency isn’t willing to divulge this kind of information, consider moving on to another option.

Make Calls and Meet for Coffee

Your digital marketing partner definitely needs the technical skills to achieve your objectives. Having said that, you shouldn’t underestimate the importance of effective communication in executing a successful campaign. 

To gain sharp insight into how a marketing team will communicate with you, don’t feel shy about giving them a call or organising a brief meeting to discuss your company and its ideal objectives. 

If an agency takes the time to listen, address your concerns and explain their approach, you might just have found the perfect partner for your campaign. 

A red flag is if an agency simply wants to talk money and can’t wait to get off the phone. Any communication issues present at the start will be with you till the end. In fact, they could even worsen once you’ve handed over the cash.

Choose First Page for Your Campaign

When it’s time to find your next digital marketing partner, you can have complete confidence in the experts at First Page Australia. 

As one of the country’s top full-service digital marketing agencies, we’ve delivered stellar campaigns for literally hundreds of industry-leading companies both in Australia and around the globe.

Across comprehensive Ecommerce SEO campaigns, high-quality content marketing and Facebook advertising campaigns that generate unmatched conversions, our talented team will help your business reach the next level. 

We work alongside our clients to design and implement highly effective campaigns that drive precise objectives. You’ll begin to see the results of our work from the get-go.

Ready to find out more? Get in touch with our expert team to discover how we’ll establish your business as the biggest player in its sector.