As you may recall, we designed and dedicated a blog all about what a digital marketing should be asking in order to provide you the best service possible. Now, we have a blog entirely dedicated to you and what questions you should be asking of your digital marketing agency. With certifications and technology that can bring your company advantages that other agencies can’t, it’s imperative you get all the information on what exactly they can provide and how this benefits your business.
Question #1: Has your digital team earned any digital marketing industry certifications or recognition?
The landscape of digital marketing is constantly changing, therefore it is important for digital marketing agencies to stay current on trends and tools. Paid search advertising is a powerful form of online marketing. Search advertising channels such as Google and Bing offer certifications to agencies that use their channels, and there are multiple reasons for this:
- They want advertisers to have positive experiences when advertising on their sites so they continue to use them on a regular basis. A negative experience can cause companies to stop using search ads, and therefore miss out on the value of search advertising.
- They want to make sure that agencies acting on behalf of advertisers are using all features available to deliver the highest ROI.
- Digital marketing can be overwhelming to companies, and certifications are an important way to establish trust between an agency and advertiser.
Recognized industry certifications:
Google Partners – Offers multiple certifications and even specializations for agencies to display their expertise in the many tactics that Google offers for PPC advertising. Fun Fact: Squid Ink is a Google Partner!
Bing Partners – Accredited Professionals must renew their accreditation on a regular basis to maintain their credentials.
Interactive Advertising Bureau – Membership guarantees the agency is up-to-date on the latest trends and ins and outs of all things digital trends.
Individual Certificates – Individuals within an agency can hold special accreditations such as Google Ads Certifications in Search, Display, Video, Mobile, Shopping advertising and Mobile Site Optimization through Google. If an agency claims that individuals have certifications, make sure that the appropriate team members that will be handling your needs have these certifications. Unfortunately, some agencies will make unrelated staff take exams or keep active the profiles of team members no longer under their employ.
Question #2: Do you work with any technology vendors?
Hope is not a strategy (well, at least not a good one). You should never launch a digital campaign without a way to track it. Every tactic you use should come with data on how well it worked compared to your goals and objectives, which should always be created before a campaign is launched. Transparency of data is one of the major advantages of digital marketing. For everything you need to track, there is a technology solution that has been created for that purpose. Many of these solutions work with agencies, who deploy the technology on behalf of their clients. Some advantages to this include:
- You don’t have to learn the software
- You can often save money on a monthly subscription
- An agency has the resources to tailor a package to your unique needs
- You can be informed of trends that affect your industry before your competition
- A long-term plan that includes technology packages can introduce or improve discipline in your digital marketing so you don’t abandon digital marketing before it has time to generate a positive return
- Agency expertise most often gets you more transparency and more reliable data faster than if you tried to do it yourself
BUT
Adding marketing technology into your marketing toolbox is not a decision to be made lightly. Here are some things to consider when asking a digital agency about their use of these tools:
- There is a time & labor factor for implementing and integrating solutions into your marketing workflow. These fixed costs must be factored into your acquisition costs, and can extend the time it takes for your digital marketing to have a positive ROI.
- Technology vendors often pay an agency a commission in exchange for client referrals or subscription sales. An agency may offer a standard bundle that consists of multiple vendors that they have created to be deployed in as little time as possible, thereby increasing the amount of money they can make from the relationship. Make sure you know what you are paying for, why you need to pay for it, and what you will get in exchange.
- Digital marketing offers the ability to turn a campaign off on short notice, without minimum buys or time commitments. Adding marketing technology means that you have to be ready to stick with a campaign even if it starts slow.
Ready to jump head-first into digital marketing campaigns with an agency that employs all the right techniques and then some? Squid Ink Creative provides businesses the guidance and support they need while utilizing the most advanced forms of digital marketing technologies. Digital marketing is not something to discount and needs just as much planning and strategy as your daily enterprise. Schedule your free appointment and come see how we plan to make your digital marketing dreams a reality.
