What is a digital marketing agency?
Digital marketing has been defined as anything that is electronic or online.
Digital marketing agencies deliver:
- Websites and Online Marketing
- SMS and mobile
- Kiosks and presentations
- Multimedia CD Roms
- Desktop applications
Digital marketing requires a broad range of skills and attributes. As such it has spawned niche service providers.
How to spot a good digital marketing agency?
As a marketer it is important to spot the right agency for your particular job. Every digital marketing agency has different strengths and production abilities. Generally if you hire an agency without a particular in-house speciality they will need to outsource the job and charge you a big premium. In these cases it might be better to hunt down an agency with more specialised skills depending on how broadly or frequently you will be running this type of campaign. If you are just running a once off SMS campaign and you have primarily focused your marketing online it may just be worthwhile sticking with the same online marketing agency.
Not all digital marketing agencies have the same things in common. Each have their intricacies that differentiate them. Typically it is best to look at their portfolio work and meet their team to determine if they have the in-house skills to cost effectively deliver your projects. When looking for a longer term project ask the principals of the agency if they will work with you across a diverse range of fields if required. Sometimes the hassle of finding a reliable and trust worthy agency can outweigh the cost savings of working with a niche provider.
What to look for when online marketing?
If your focus is online marketing it is best to look for some of the following skills:
Online Marketing Strategy - If you are looking for extra ideas and campaign strategy, work with an agency that is strong strategically. Good online marketing agencies will come up with ideas, strategies and tactics to enhance your campaigns. If you do not want input from your agency from a strategic perspective then work with a production house.
Online Marketing Production - Coupling strong strategy with delivery is the strongest way to create a great online marketing campaign. It is important that your strategists on your agency side can have input into the production of the campaign and actual creative as this ensures the ideas are delivered in the end result. A disconnection between strategy and production can be quite costly in terms of reworks and change requests.
Developers and designers - Always meet the designers and developers of a digital marketing agency specialising in online as these are the people who will actually do the work. It always good to ask them about something small that is happening in the field such as AJAX for developers or online branding for designers.
Reporting and Tracking - Ask to see the agency's tracking system. Poor tracking can be devastating to a campaign as you cannot determine its effectiveness.
Online Media - A bonus to a digital marketing agency is if they can buy your online media as well. Smaller media agencies can buy just as well as larger ones as many of the buying discounts do not apply for channels like affiliate and search marketing. Also smaller agencies can negotiate better with niche websites and databases as they will not get charged a premium.
Search Marketing - Any digital marketing agency you are working with for online marketing must have a strength in search engine marketing. It is critical that they can build search engine friendly websites and buy and manage your paid search marketing.
If you are looking for a digital marketing agency which specialises in online marketing perhaps contact Freestyle Media for a private credentials presentation.
Call Fred Schebesta on 02 9339 6747 and arrange an initial appointment
