The world of online marketing has swiftly become saturated with agencies, each offering different levels of expertise and a wide range of services. Some may specialise in specific tasks while some describe themselves as a full service marketing agency. For businesses unfamiliar with digital marketing and what they can stand to gain from it, deciding on the right agency to help promote their business can be a daunting prospect. So what should you be looking for in a marketing agency and in what ways can they help you to improve your business?
The first thing you should find out is what an agency can offer you. Most should be able to provide a clear list of services they are qualified to provide. Ideally, you should be looking for a full service marketing agency. This means they can supply the full package and give you the option of implementing new marketing methods at a later date, rather than you having to go to another agency for different work.
A good full service marketing agency should incorporate a full range of services, including:
1. Web design as well as full development
2. Marketing strategies and knowledge of how they can improve your business revenue.
3. Search Engine Optimisation (SEO), which will improve the ranking of your website on leading search engines and make it easier for more potential customers to find you.
4. Social Media Marketing. This is a growing area, does the agency have the skills to assist you with it?
5. Pay Per Click
6. Copywriting
7. Usability testing
8. Email marketing
9. Banner advertisements
10. Conversion rate optimisation
You may not need all of these services personally but the fact that they offer them and have strong background knowledge of all of these aspects of marketing sign is a sign of a reputable agency.
New services are being developed all the time and new marketing trends can be very important. It is also worth making sure the agency in question keeps abreast of these latest trends and is always trying to offer the latest services. Current trends include mobile device app development and the continuing popularity of social networking sites such as Twitter, YouTube and Facebook.
Make sure you do your research on any potential agency. Visit their website and look for previous clients and positive testimonials. It may be worth contacting other clients to find out what they think of their service, as agencies are not going to promote negative feedback on their site! Try searching for them online and in forums, if people have had problems with them in the past there will surely be evidence of it. If they do come up clean, and if they have an esteemed and varied portfolio, with examples of different services they have offered others, then they could well be what you are looking for.