“Find us a digital marketing agency.” A daunting task, right?

Whether you have a clear vision and just want help with execution or need a team of capable strategists to map out your marketing goals and how they can be met, it’s important to ask the questions that will help you make the right choice.

Agencies have unique personalities, processes, and platforms. Asking the right questions upfront will help you narrow down your choices to a company that understands your needs best and will suit the working style of your business and its marketing team.

We’ve listed 5 important questions every company should ask their prospective agencies and why.

Questions to ask a Digital Marketing Agency

  1. Who will be managing my account? Can I meet them?
  2. What are your set-up requirements? How will they help? Why are they necessary?
  3. How will you manage communication and collaboration? How much say do I have vs. the agency?
  4. What KPIs will you be measuring and reporting on? How do you report on data?
  5. When should we expect to see measurable results?

Who will be managing my account? Can I talk with them?

Most marketing agencies have convincing sales associates, but they are rarely the people you’ll be dealing with long-term. It is important to know who you will be working with on an ongoing basis. The account manager will be directly responsible for the success of your campaign so it is reasonable to ask to meet them…  Having a conversation with the individual or team of individuals with whom you will be working can provide valuable insight into an agency.

Many companies will request that the individuals who will be involved with their campaign be included in the pitch meeting. If this is not possible, take the time to meet the team before making a final decision.

What are your set-up requirements? How will they help my business? Why are they necessary?

While ongoing services are the bread and butter of the services you can expect with your agency, set-up services are likely required to ensure ongoing services have maximum impact. Website evaluations, content strategy development, technical SEO elements and event tracking may all be necessary services an agency will want to complete at the start of the relationship. It is completely reasonable for you to understand the purpose and benefit of each service. The team members or account manager should be able to explain these services in detail, how they align with your goals, and how they will prepare ongoing services – content marketing, social media management, paid advertising – for success.

How will you manage communication and collaboration? How much say do I have vs. the agency?

If you prefer phone calls and an agency prefers emails, this could cause potential communication frustration and long-term roadblocks. Know your needs and preferences before you start the process, so you can make it clear how you would like your communication handled.

Working with an agency should be a collaborative process. Find out how often they will be providing you strategy status updates and how frequently they will be needing input from you. Discussing the cadence of communication and the expectations from the beginning will give you a good sense of how well organized the agency is and allows you determine if the collaboration level is right for you.

In general, if your agency is strategic and data-driven, they’ll be able to tell you what’s best for your strategy, but your opinion should be welcome. An agency should always encourage and provide opportunities for you to offer information, thoughts, and feedback. Open lines of communication create a positive, results-driven partnership that can adapt, even as your company’s goals evolve over time.

What KPIs will you be measuring and reporting on? How do you report on data?

Since there are so many Key Performance Indicators (KPIs), it’s important to understand how your potential agency plans to measure and report on those KPIs. For SEO campaigns, unique visitors, keyword rankings, and time on page could be helpful; while for paid search you’ll want more information about cost per click and conversions.

Make sure they know what matters to you, and that they have a way of measuring and reporting the results in a transparent way. Hard numbers, visual reports, and clear conclusions should be part of the reporting process.

When should we expect to see measurable results?

While you may not be able to see large-scale results within the first quarter (if it’s SEO, there’s a longer wait time to see the desired impact), an agency should be able to give you an idea of when things will start to change. They should be able to identify which KPIs will see improvements first and which may take longer.  Identifying a level of honesty and transparency in the response to this question is important.

So ask the questions that will help you find a good digital partner, the questions that help you find someone who will make your job easier, continue to innovate, be a strategic partner, and meet your business objectives.

If you’re interested in learning how Mad Fish could help your business, feel free to contact us and we can chat about meeting your goals.