These days, it seems like more and more brands are beginning to outsource their online marketing campaigns to digital agencies. But how’s it like working with a digital marketing agency?
When your business outsources your marketing efforts to an agency, you basically give the agency the power to create, recommend and amend technical, strategic and creative strategies.
…. So where does that leave you?
Before hiring a digital marketing agency, make sure you check out our tips to ensure that you work harmoniously with them without making yourself redundant.
Working with A Digital Marketing Agency to Achieve Success
To Do
DO Set Clear Boundaries
As tempting as it might seem to entrust everything to a digital marketing agency and just chill, you do want to have clear boundaries as far as accessing confidential company materials are concerned. After all, you don’t want to be seen as redundant.
Furthermore, you don’t want another individual outside of your company accessing private information about your staff members.
Plus, it might get a little intrusive when you have an outsider making those business decisions for you. While it’s great to get some constructive feedback and insights, you need to be aware of your own roles as well as that of the agency’s.
The easiest way to create those boundaries is to plan ahead. Draft a marketing plan and mark out the agency’s responsibilities and processes you intend to have done in-house.
For instance, you might want to have all display ad creatives and copies approved before they are published on Google.
DO Check Out Reviews Before Coming Onboard
“My agency ghosted on me for months!”
“The agency I engaged with took a few months to do a simple task that I could have completed in minutes!”
You pay good money to have an agency up your digital marketing game. The last thing you would want is for the money to go to waste and the entire experience to give you a headache.
Sure, every rose has its thorns and it’s only human to err. But before you fork on the money and start working with a digital marketing agency, you would want to make sure they are credible enough.
Check out their Google My Business listing for positive and negative reviews.
Observe how the agency handles negative ones. Do they apologise? Do they offer any solutions? Are they empathetic towards the reviewer?
Keep these things in mind when looking for a digital agency.
DO Establish an Effective Communication Plan
It’s easy as ABC to send a text message thanks to platforms like WhatsApp and Telegram, and yet, it’s easy for messages to get lost in the thread and inaccurate information to be conveyed.
When it comes to working with a digital marketing agency, you’d want to adhere to a professional method of communication to ensure all data, agreements, and conversations and comprehensively documented.
For instance, record every WhatsApp conversation and request for the agency to send a recap email documenting each party’s next steps.
DO Trust their Judgement
Working with a digital marketing agency is all about collaboration. Sometimes, this means leaving it to the experts to handle tricky marketing campaigns.
Sure, every business needs to have a say in their campaigns. But always consult the agency whenever you are about to make big decisions about your marketing campaign. Get some feedback from them before making any bold moves.
To Avoid
DON’T Neglect Your Campaigns
Your job doesn’t stop just because you have decided to seek help from an agency!
The ideal agency should give you regular updates about your campaigns. But remember to also do your own due diligence just to ensure that everything is in line.
Try to set aside an hour each week just to do some checks. This also helps you stay on top of all communications and tasks.
DON’T Rush to Approve
It’s not happily ever after once your SEO tech comes up with a comprehensive list of keywords. You should assess if these keywords are in-line with your brand messages and business strategy. Ultimately, you know your own business and brand best.
Take some time to look through all the work that is being presented to you before giving the final approval. If something seems amiss or not in line with your branding, flag it to the agency and provide some feedback about what you envision for the campaign. This helps the agency better understand your expectations and business goals.
DON’T Be Afraid to Ask Questions
There’s no shame in not understanding certain concepts in marketing. Even the most experienced marketers don’t know the internet inside out!
Don’t be afraid to approach your point of contact whenever there are certain methods that you don’t quite grasp.
Not only can you broaden your understanding of the digital space, but taking the initiative to clarify your doubts also helps your agency get a better idea of your perspective.
DON’T Worry
It might be a wee bit nerve-wrecking to let a group of people (whom you’ve not met outside of this arrangement) take the reins of your marketing campaigns.
But trust in the agency that they know what they are doing and seek clarification wherever necessary.
“How Do I Know if Agency A is Right for Me?”
There are tons of digital marketing agencies in Singapore offering similar services from design to Google Advertising. But not all agencies function similarly or have access to the same digital tools.
Before settling with an agency, inquire about the types of tools they use and observe their business structure. Check out their social media pages and observe how their staff are being valued and treated. After all, happy team members are passionate people – and those are the types of marketers you would want to spend your budget on.
Finally, you would want to ensure the agency you are hiring provides the services your business actually needs. Zoom in on your business needs and find out whether the agency has the tools and the people to address them.