You want that next product launch to hit the ground running. Unfortunately, you can’t do it alone. You need help. The right digital marketing agency can provide invaluable support, while providing that all-important roadmap to getting your product in front of your audience. The wrong agency will leave you hanging, looking for answers and needing to start over.
So, how do you choose between a long-term partner versus one that’s only in it for themselves? To answer this question, here are some of the critical building blocks that your digital marketing company must have.
1. A Complete Solution
Steer clear of a digital marketing agency that is unwilling or unable to provide a total solution. If your goal is to improve your go-to-market strategy, then work with a digital marketing company that can take your product through market introduction all the way to market adoption. This means choosing a digital marketing firm that can redesign your website, optimize separate landing pages, improve your social media footprint, launch engaging email marketing campaigns, make your website mobile-friendly, and perhaps, most importantly, one that can create a content marketing plan that engages and motivates your audience.
- Review Their Portfolio: These should be clearly visible on their website. You should be able to review what the agency has done for other companies. Focus on how they’ve taken a concept and turned it into an actionable plan that led to results.
- Ask for references: Ask to speak to some of their customers. Avoid trying to speak to competitors and look for companies in similar situations to yours. How did the digital marketing agency work with them? What was the plan and how was it enacted? Finally, how were results measured?
- Match Their Value Proposition to Your Needs: It must make sense for your company. Avoid working with a marketing agency that forces you to adopt an approach they’re comfortable with, but you aren’t. There are several agencies that want to shorten the time it takes to bill your enterprise. This means they stick to what they know best and not necessarily what’s best for your company.
2. A Clear Vision for Your Company and Market
The best agencies understand that they must be actively involved in each aspect of their clients' digital marketing plan. The goal is to provide a clear vision for your company.
How does all this fit together? How will a website redesign help your company? Will search engine optimization (SEO) strategies be required? Are you looking to increase website traffic and grow your business through paid search, or solely by organic search? Do you only want to focus on this one product, or do you want to revamp your entire approach to market and improve your company's online reputation?
Your digital marketing company should show you how each part of the strategy will lead to increased returns. Ultimately, it’s about having a customized solution, one where the focus is on improving your returns with a strategy that increases customer engagement. Success means your chosen agency lays out an inbound marketing plan and then takes you through that plan step-by-step.
3. The Ability to Adapt and Change
Digital marketing works because altering course is so much simpler and faster than strategies of the past. As time goes by, circumstances, goals, and plans may also change. Adaptability must be a hallmark of any digital marketing agency you choose to work with. In fact, change is expected. Digital marketing is a continuous process, one where strategies are launched and feedback gathered. That feedback and data is disseminated and analyzed to confirm if the strategy is working or if changes are required. Data enrichment is one part of the solution, but knowing how and when to alter course is another.
By all means, insist on key performance indicators (KPI) and discuss how you'll track click-through rates (CTR) and conversion rates - but don't get bogged down in the "here and now". Instead, insist on a go-to-market strategy you can track and choose a long-term partner who can lay out how that strategy will work.
Are you looking to better understand your competition, your customers, your market, and most importantly, your own position in your market? If so, contact us now and request an assessment.
Written By: Doug Milnor
