How to choose the best digital agency for your company in 2023

If there's one thing we can all agree on in these difficult times, it's that the business world has changed dramatically. But whether it's for the good or bad depends on your perspective. Of course, thousands of UK businesses have suffered due to the various consequences of the pandemic. But if we look at the positive side of things we can see many glimmers of hope for the future.

The coronavirus outbreak has brought people together like no other event in recent history. The way people and brands have stepped up to offer help and alternative ways of living our lives has been inspirational. There are so many examples over the last year of brands launching innovative, helpful and inspiring digital marketing campaigns that make a difference.

Take the Scottish beer company BrewDog for example. Noting that the UK was in short supply of hand sanitiser during the pandemic, they pressed pause on their brewing process and started producing their own branded bottles of hand sanitiser. They then distributed them for free around the country. The toy manufacturer Lego is perhaps not a brand you would associate with a nationwide health campaign, but they stepped up to the plate in a similar way. Lego used
their colourful characters to create an animated video for children comforting them throughout the early stages of the pandemic as well as providing advice for keeping themselves and others safe.

The point here is that digital marketing is more important than ever. The internet is the best place to reach your customers right now. A digital marketing strategy is essential to ensure your business can survive these turbulent times, and you are still able to give your customers the products and services they need.

But there are so many ways to market your business online – website design, web development, software development, social media, SEO… the list goes on. How do you know where to start? Hiring a digital agency can help you solve that difficult problem. A team of digital experts who know their stuff can help you to reach your key customers more effectively while freeing you up to focus on the areas of your business you know best.

How to choose a digital marketing agency?

1- Know your business goals

Deciding to hire a digital agency in London -or wherever you are reading this from- is an easy decision, but getting the desired results is a lot trickier. Before you even start to make contact with agencies, you must know what you want to get out of the partnership. You should have clear-cut objectives that are SMART (Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Relevant and Time-Sensitive). These goals could be anything spending on your business, including:

• Number of customers
• Social media followers
• Search engine ranking
• Leads per month
• Digital revenue

Whatever your objectives, presenting clear goals for your digital partners allows them to tailor their strategy more effectively to your business, and gives you a clear metric for judging their success.

2- Determine your budget

The most common obstacle for businesses embarking on a digital marketing strategy is cost. Now that you have defined your business goals, you need to establish whether they are achievable within your budget. How much are you willing to put behind your digital marketing campaigns? Contact different agencies to get an idea of how much they charge, and this should give you an initial idea of whether they are the right partner for you. If they charge too much, they may be beyond your budget. But it's also prudent to be wary of agencies that charge low prices as they may deliver low-quality results with little incentive to go the extra mile.

3- Interview different agencies

The most effective way to decide whether a creative agency is right for your business is to interview them. You can find out a great deal about an agency with the right questions and a little investigation of their work. Here are a few things to look for in a top-quality digital partner.

4- Case studies

If you want an agency to overhaul your marketing output and achieve your business goals, you need to see some evidence of former successes. A comprehensive case study will give you an idea of what to expect from your new partner and how successful their digital marketing campaigns have been in the past. Customer testimonials will also tell you how satisfied past and present clients have been with their work.

5- Experience

Experience matters. Before you bring in a team, you want to know you are dealing with experts who have both the technical know-how and industry experience to back up their promises. Some pointed questions and an investigation of their online presence should help you confirm this.

6- Digital presence

The crucial question to ask when you are trying to hire digital agency services: do they practice what they preach? Investigating how well the agency markets themselves will help you to determine whether they are right for you. Check their website, social media channels, domain authority, and Google rankings to see how successful their own marketing is.

7- First impressions

And remember, no matter how good an agency looks on paper, don't underestimate the importance of first impressions. Perhaps they don't seem a good fit, or you suspect they won't mesh with your core values or corporate culture. Don't be afraid to walk away if something doesn't feel right.

8- Seek out a tailored online marketing strategy

Every business is unique, and the best -and professional- agencies work with this in mind. You shouldn't have to accept a bog-standard template digital marketing strategy that the agency rolls out for every client. Not only will this be less effective than a tailored strategy, but it shows the agency isn't committed to putting in the time to understand your business. A creative agency will put the work in to analyse your competitors, understand your business objectives and create a highly-customised strategy that meets your needs.

In conclusion, finding the right digital marketing agency for your business can be challenging, but knowing what to look for makes the job a little bit easier. If you are looking to upgrade your digital marketing in 2023, we can help.

iCentric is a creative London agency with years of experience across the full remit of digital marketing services.

Bottom Line

Finding the right digital agency with the right level of expertise for your business can be challenging, but knowing what to look for should make the job a little easier! If you are looking to upgrade your digital marketing strategy, or require managed software development outsourcing, we can help.

iCentric is an approved digital agency with many years of experience across the full remit of digital technology services.

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