Digital marketing agencies offer several different services—enough to satisfy their customers, but also enough to make the choice on which agency you’ll choose difficult.
The Denver digital agency market is an example. There are lots of different firms here, so a bit of research and understanding of the service you’re hiring for is essential.
In this article, we’ll look at what a digital agency traditionally does for its clients, then give you some tips to pick the right firm for your business.
What Is Digital Marketing?
In short, the marketing of products on the internet. This means putting businesses out there, whether through social media, blogs, or Google to spread awareness and grow a customer base. Here’s a bit more on each:
- Social media marketing: Growing a following and engaging with potential customers on Instagram, Facebook, or other platforms.
- Affiliate marketing: Many bloggers put affiliate marketing links from Amazon or other websites in their posts. If someone clicks on a link and buys, the affiliate company owes you a cut of the sale.
- Email marketing: Growing an email list is one of the only ways to ensure your platform won’t go anywhere. You have direct access to your customers, and there’s no chance of losing your audience if something changes (there is on social media, for example).
- Search engine optimization: Curating content that ranks high in Google. The higher you rank for a particular keyword, the more people will click on it and potentially do business with you.
What Does A Marketing Firm Do?
Just like traditional marketing (newspaper ads, signs) used to dominate the landscape, digital marketing has completely taken over. It makes sense, seeing that one study found Americans spend over six hours on their digital devices each day (yeah, that is a lot—at a job that’s enough time each week to qualify you for health insurance).
A digital marketing firm works with its clients to pick a strategy that makes sense for the business. Using tools and analytics, they enlist their strategy and measure the progress—usually to generate new leads, grow brand awareness, or sell products.
Now, let’s talk about how to choose the right agency for your needs.
Communication
It’s easy to gloss over this step when you’re looking for a digital marketing agency in Denver. But it’s crucial. Digital marketing is hardly a “one-off” or set-it-and-forget-it service and requires plenty of back and forth between you and the company.
Look to see if the companies you’re considering are attentive to your needs and good listeners. Also read testimonials and online reviews (another form of digital marketing, by the way).
Explains The ‘Why’ On Strategy
There are plenty of Denver marketing options, so don’t settle for someone that doesn’t educate you along the way. The particular strategy you choose for your digital marketing campaign should make sense for your business.
(For example: growing a social media following on Instagram makes sense for a food home-delivery kit service. People want to see the food. Alternatively, affiliate marketing for your business doesn’t make much sense if your product isn’t 100 percent online.)
Education is a key element of communication. It shows your agency is serious about your business and knows what they’re talking about.
Niche
This one’s simple, but important. Many digital agencies specialize in between one and six different industries. For example, one might do digital marketing for dentists, doctors, and lawyers.
Others take a more general approach, and usually, have the research team in-house that allows them to get results for a wide variety of clients.
If your business is part of a larger industry, you can likely find an agency in Denver that caters specifically to it. If you’re still growing or occupying a smaller space, you’ll probably wind up working with a more generalist company.
Length Of Project
Like it or not, the best marketing strategies take, well, as long as they take. Digital marketing is not an overnight solution no matter what you choose.
Therefore, you should be wary of any company that promises results in a week or even a month. There may be some, but a total transformation is unlikely and most likely means they’re just trying to get your money. Ask about the length of the project and compare this to other businesses as you shop around.
Team size can also dictate how fast your project can be completed. So if you do want results as quick as possible, you’re probably going to want a bigger team.
However…
Price
You’re running a business, so the price of the service has to factor into your decision. It’s not the only detail that matters, but similar services may span thousands of dollars in differences. Best to know your options and let the amount you’re spending factor into your final decision.
The one-time payment or monthly installment plan isn’t the only information to consider, though. Ask about ROI for previous clients, or if their portfolio has helped any businesses similar to yours (and what the outcomes were).
Again, doing your homework and checking with other businesses first can save you a lot of time and money.
Denver Digital Marketing Agencies: Wrap Up
As you can see, there’s a lot to consider when it comes to selecting a digital marketing agency for your business. Fortunately, the Denver digital scene is pretty robust, so you’re likely to find a solution that works for you (and your budget).
Communication, the type of business you run, the strategies the agency prefers and has the most success with, and price are the factors you should consider most when selecting an agency.
For more info on digital marketing, check out the 10 best digital agencies in Denver.