Choosing the right digital marketing agency is a critical step toward reaching your business goals. However, it’s important to understand an agency's qualifications and processes before you engage with them.
Throughout our time operating as a Diamond HubSpot partner agency, we've met with countless business owners and answered many questions to help them identify the next steps for their companies.
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Today’s businesses face a perpetually changing landscape. When you consider the dominance of data-driven decision-making strategies and the power of omnichannel marketing, companies need relevant experience and expertise. The recent influx of AI and machine-learning technologies has added new capabilities—and new challenges—for online businesses. Wisely choosing a digital marketing agency can empower companies to put these capabilities to work for them.
Not all agencies are created equal, and it's essential to find the right one that will help you achieve your goals. Here are some ideas to consider as you search for the right agency.
What to Look For in a Digital Marketing Agency
When hiring a digital marketing agency, you’ll want to seek specific traits and skills.
1. Experience
Past work examples and successes validate a company's credibility and help you determine if the partnership will be a good fit for what you're trying to accomplish. Experience is the most important quality to look for when you’re hiring a digital marketing agency.
We specifically recommend that you consider technical experience as you begin to evaluate agencies. In many ways, this can be one of the most crucial factors to consider.
Technology is a critical component of digital marketing. As a result, you should identify agencies that have experience working with your preferred platforms. This factor can help you differentiate between one-size-fits-all agencies and those that benefit from relevant experience.
2. Open Communication
Consistent and open communication is the foundation for successful relationships—both personal and professional. When evaluating agencies, we recommend asking how the team will communicate about deadlines, deliverables, and metrics.
Be sure to clearly state your goals upfront so that agencies understand what you're trying to achieve. If an agency keeps you in the dark about its methods or experience, there’s probably something they don’t want to tell you. The best digital marketing agency will schedule regular updates so you can track progress.
3. The Team
Do you feel positive about the people who answer the phone or reply to your messages? We know this one sounds like a no-brainer, but in reality, gut feelings can go a long way when evaluating agency credibility. Keep track of the interactions you have throughout the evaluation process, and ask yourself if you would enjoy working with this type of company.
Overall, you need to trust the team you hire to transform your business based on your goals. That's a great deal of responsibility, so make sure a prospective agency makes you feel comfortable.
4. eCommerce Platform Expertise
Your agency should have the necessary experience and expertise across different eCommerce platforms. You need a team that you can approach with questions about these platforms so that you can confidently choose the one that fits you best. The team should also have the skills required to develop tailored strategies on platforms like Shopify and BigCommerce.
5. Data Analytics and KPIs
Dashboards help businesses quickly evaluate what agencies have done to optimize their content and the progress they’ve made. With a real-time dashboard, your team can log in at any hour and easily assess a marketing agency’s performance.
A powerful dashboard should be equipped with helpful KPIs like:
- Return on Ad Spend (ROAS)
- Conversion Rate Optimization (CRO) metrics
- Customer LifeTime Value (CLTV)
Armed with this data, you can identify where your company has begun to excel and where work still needs to be done.
6. AI-Driven Personalization
Artificial intelligence and machine learning have become big buzzwords in marketing because of their powerful capabilities. They could ensure that your business reaches customers with the right information at the right time.
These capabilities help you figure out what buyers want to see. By analyzing enormous amounts of data, they predict what people need to encourage them to convert. You need your digital agency to make these AI capabilities work for you.
When your team puts AI to work, you can establish campaigns that send messages to people based on precise triggers. You’ll know what type of content they want to read and the moments when they’re most interested. This is a recipe for greater engagement and success.
7. Customer Data Platforms (CDPs)
Shoppers interact with your business across countless channels. With a customer data platform, you can bring all that information together to create a single profile that enables you to better understand your lead’s motivation and behavior.
Agencies with CDP experience can help you build better targeting systems that further enhance personalization. All your interactions with customers through different channels will be unified. Omnichannel campaigns have never been so powerful.
What to Avoid in a Digital Marketing Agency
When choosing a digital marketing agency, there are also several red flags that you’ll want to avoid.
1. Lack of Experience
This tip pretty much speaks for itself. An inexperienced team can't provide top-notch service. By contrast, agencies that know and understand the market will be able to give advice on the best steps you can take to achieve your goals.
In our experience, seasoned professionals are more consistent and provide more reliable returns on your marketing investment. Be sure to ask prospective agencies what makes them qualified to work on your marketing projects.
2. The “Fix Everything” Claim
If it sounds too good to be true, it likely is. Agencies that claim they can fix all of your problems probably can’t. There is no silver bullet when it comes to digital marketing, but there are effective ways to move the needle.
Remember that there is a difference between a quick win and long-term success. A dependable agency will help you identify opportunities for both outcomes and plan accordingly.
3. The Generalist
If an agency guarantees that they are amazing at everything, run the other way. Although this is ideal in theory, businesses will see better returns when they choose agencies that clearly align with their platforms, verticals, or industries.
Remember that there is a difference between a generalist and a full-service agency. In a full-service model, different individuals on a team perform specific tasks. This structure truly helps businesses succeed because they streamline communication with one dedicated partner while enjoying a large breadth and depth of experience under one roof.
4. Only Looking at Awards
Don't get us wrong—awards can be very flattering, and we've received a number of them through the years. However, not all awards are created equal. If you're looking for an award-winning agency partner, do your research and make sure the awards are credible.
Additionally, consider that awards are mostly a vanity metric for agencies. We strongly recommend evaluating the above-mentioned factors before letting awards sway your decision.
5. Vanity Metrics Over Results
Some agencies promote random metrics as evidence of their performance. If these statistics don’t translate into more revenue or increase your market share, what is the value of the effort?
Statistics should be secondary to proven eCommerce impact and success. Avoid agencies that cannot tell you precisely how their work will affect your bottom line.
6. Outdated Tools or Methods
Effective eCommerce techniques and tools continue to change and update at lightning pace. Your marketing firm should be able to keep up.
If a prospective agency doesn’t employ major eCommerce tools and platforms like Klaviyo or offer advanced analytics, that is a red flag. Make sure your agency can help you navigate these tools and maximize your potential success.
Mapping Your Budget
Begin by setting a clear and measurable goal for your digital marketing agency services. Here at Groove, we like to set SMART goals—those that are Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Realistic, and Timely. These types of goals clearly define an agreed-upon timeline and a measurable outcome.
Then, work backward to identify what you'll need to invest to achieve it. In many cases, ambitious goals come with large budgets, so be prepared to scale your funds based on what's realistic for your business.
As you build out your budget, keep flexibility in mind. When you test new tactics and prepare your strategy to respond to market shifts, you’ll want to allow yourself some degree of flexibility to scale expenses up or down as needed. This will empower your business to react appropriately and continue to experience success.
Projects vs. Ongoing Engagements
The two major ways to work with an agency include projects and ongoing engagements. You’ll want to consider both options when hiring a digital marketing agency.
Projects are one-time efforts and have quick turnarounds. For example, designing a website is a project. Ongoing engagements take longer, typically a year or more, and they usually take shape as marketing partnerships.
Ultimately, this difference will reflect whether you're looking for a quick win or lasting growth. Ongoing engagements require active tech and marketing support, so be sure to consider what you're trying to accomplish before signing up.
Key Digital Marketing Services for eCommerce
Digital marketing agencies should include some key services that will power your business.
Email and SMS Marketing
Agencies should have ample experience with tools like Klaviyo that can help them create and drive personalized email and SMS marketing campaigns. These ad campaigns allow you to directly connect with customers on their mobile devices, but success largely depends on relevant messaging.
Search Engine Optimization
SEO continues to mature as customers and technology evolve. Quality SEO revolves around matching users with content that meets their needs.
For the modern company, this means businesses should focus on a few key areas to optimize in their digital marketing strategy for eCommerce. An agency should help you with:
- Mobile-first optimization, since most buyers now use mobile devices as their primary online shopping tools
- Voice optimization, because the rise of voice search has changed how customers phrase their search queries
- Product page SEO, as Google Shopping and intent-based SERPs mean that your product pages play a larger role in search results
Social Media Advertising
Social media networks continue to have a major impact on people’s daily lives, and your brand needs to take action accordingly. Digital marketing agency services should include expert retargeting campaigns so that you can reach people who have previously considered buying your products.
Paid ads on platforms like Meta and Google could enhance your targeting and help you reach new leads as well.
Conversion Rate Optimization
Finally, your agency should have experience with optimizing on-site experiences to drive conversions. This includes looking at all the steps involved in the checkout process and the types of content that people encounter as they navigate your site.
Trends Impacting eCommerce Marketing in 2024
As you look toward the coming years and think about choosing a digital marketing agency partner, here are a few trends to watch and discuss with potential vendors.
AI and Predictive Analytics
Artificial intelligence’s ability to almost instantly compute mountains of data means that it offers valuable insights and the potential to target customer interests like never before. Businesses can use this technology to reach buyers with answers to their questions or send precisely the right content at the ideal moment.
Omnichannel Marketing
As customers become increasingly sophisticated in their ability to navigate across multiple channels while interacting with brands, companies need to prioritize omnichannel campaigns like never before. Omnichannel capabilities, which focus on creating a unified experience across different digital platforms, make interactions more personal and build relationships with leads. Unifying experiences across channels like email, SMS, and social media is now essential in a digital marketing strategy for eCommerce.
Sustainability Marketing
Customers care about the values and priorities of the brands they buy products from. Consequently, your marketing messages should authentically highlight your company’s values. Make your priorities known to your audience to help you lay the foundation for strong, lasting relationships with leads.
Conclusion
Hiring a digital marketing agency offers tremendous benefits for your eCommerce business. That being said, it's important to find the right partner that aligns with your goals. If you have any questions about hiring an agency or would like to learn how Groove could help your brand create a custom experience and drive revenue, contact us today. You can also secure a free audit to discover how your business could take immediate steps to optimize its eCommerce website. Learn what sets the best digital marketing agency apart from the rest. Our team will be happy to help!
