As a business owner or manager, it is vital to have an understanding of what digital marketing means for your business and how an agency can help you increase your online presence.
Services offered by digital marketing agencies
A digital agency offers services including SEO, paid ads management, blogging/content creation, social media strategy & execution, web analytics analysis, conversion rate optimization, eCommerce advice & implementation among other things. The nature of the service required will depend on the type of business being run as well as its size and target market. A large corporation with complex needs will require a different level of service compared to an SME running an e-commerce site selling products online.
A digital agency can provide services for all of these areas, but the way in which it does this will differ. The following are three broad categories that agencies fall into (1) full-service agencies (2) specialized agencies and (3) web design/development agencies.
Full-service digital marketing agencies
Such companies offer a range of services including SEO, paid ads management, blogging/content creation, social media strategy & execution, web analytics analysis, conversion rate optimization, eCommerce advice & implementation among other things.
Specialized digital marketing agencies
Rather than offering a full suite of services this type of agency takes one element and provides it in depth. An example might be paid ads management.
Web design & digital marketing agencies
This type of agency specializes in creating new websites from scratch, optimizing them for usability and Google rankings before passing them back to their clients with advice on how best to maintain them moving forward. A company that understands your business enough to create the site itself will be able to give you valuable insight into what is working well and what isn’t when you take over management of the site.
How to choose a digital marketing agency for your business
The first step is understanding why you need an online presence and what you hope to achieve from it. Once this has been established you will be able to approach different agencies with a better idea of what each one can offer as well as its potential cost.
Once you have compiled a list of prospective agencies, as well as key questions that might help find yours, it is time to research them further by conducting due diligence on them.
Benefits of working with a digital marketing agency
Aside from the obvious benefits like increased online sales and advertising revenue, there are other less tangible ones including greater access to expertise, the option of taking advantage of wider services offered by some agencies such as design or PR and becoming part of an established, supportive network. If you’re looking for additional support in your business it might also be worth considering whether an agency can offer any assistance through its contacts book, especially if there’s something that’s not standard to its service offering but is relevant to what you do.
The support aspect may be particularly pertinent for start-ups yet to build up their networks or for owners who want to benefit from the knowledge of others without feeling they have to pay for it.
In conclusion, a digital marketing agency can provide a variety of services depending on what you need from them and your wider business aims. The key is to find one that can offer you something unique as well as be able to support you going forward, whether this involves more detailed advice or simply finding new opportunities by expanding its network of contacts.
