Hiring the Right Digital Marketing Agency
The day in the life of a retail business is a busy one: from shelf restocking to fulfilling orders to inventory management, retail entrepreneurs surely have enough on their plate to keep them busy! One priority item on their to-do lists, however, is product marketing. For those without a background in this discipline, digital marketing can be an intimidating task for business owners who already feel overextended. It might be time to hire some help.
Digital marketing is a vast umbrella, under which falls a number of subcategories. Think content marketing, social media marketing, email marketing, video marketing, and paid advertising, among others. Based on 2018 data, businesses need the most help with generating traffic and leads and proving a solid return on investment in marketing activities. Here’s where hiring a pro can really help you take your business to the next level. Whether you decide to enlist an agency or freelancer to help, your new PR partner can help you with a range of services, from redesigning your e-commerce site to launching a national marketing campaign.
Take the case of digital agency Poly & Co., for example: via paid marketing, audience building and refinement, campaign development and growth planning, their client maintained a more than 10:1 return on investment spending (ROAS) on Facebook during the first quarter of last year. The client also saw an increase in direct revenue from paid channels of 175%, and an increase in new users by a whopping 259%. Hiring help can be a daunting task, so a good course of action is to look for an agency with case studies of work with past clients that they are willing to share. Stick to partners that have already worked with businesses like yours, including agencies who have retailer experience or even other sellers in your niche.
Further, check that their marketing specialization aligns with your own business goals. If you want to boost your company blog, for example, look for a digital marketing agency that offers content writing, SEO services, and blog expertise. If their primary focus is paid social media ads, they’re not the right choice for you. Just because an agency has an impressive track record does not mean they’re going to be the right fit for your business. In the same way, make sure that the agency you decide to work with has transparency. A lack of transparency is a major red flag. When you look at an agency’s website, make sure it includes its address, client list and a comprehensive “about” page. If the agency feels like it’s hiding something, you’d be better off looking elsewhere.
Ultimately, it is vital that you view your work with a digital marketing agency as a strategic partnership that will sow the seeds for your brand’s long-term growth. Finding the right digital marketing partnership can take some time, but this is a far better route than hiring an agency that doesn’t understand your business needs.
