If you are starting a small business or have been running one for a while and are ready to grow, it means you’re more than likely doing more than you can handle. Growing a small business has never been easy. It’s stressful. Professional help from a digital marketing agency can free you from the heavy burden of trying to market your business.
The key to growing your small business in today's complex and competitive market is a powerful digital presence. Because your clients are likely to Google your company and compare you with your competition, they tend to look more closely at your competitors if you’re not on the Internet or you have a weak online presence. Creating content, sharing it on social media, and managing your website takes expertise and plenty of time.
Unless you have enough time to do all of it, you can’t do it justice or get much value out of it. For a powerful and effective online presence, you might choose to partner with a digital marketing agency. While it can be hard to find a digital marketing agency that aligns with the budget of a small business, I want to provide you with a list of things you can look for in a digital marketing agency.
3 Things to Look for in a Small Business Digital Marketing Agency
They Have Good Reviews From Previous Clients
When you do your research on the success of the small business marketing agency, you should be able to find reviews or testimonials from previous clients. You can find this information by Googling the agency's name + reviews. You might find a plethora of third-party websites that include positive and negative reviews about the agency with whom you wish to partner with.
Testimonials on the agency's website are another sign of its success. These testimonials highlight happy clients' enjoyable experiences with the agency. If they have hundreds of clients, be sure they have a proven track record of success.
Transparency Is a Core Principle
Your future digital marketing agency partner should be transparent about both their results and prices. Small business marketing agencies that guarantee top placements and substandard pricing shouldn’t make it out of your research phase.
Unfortunately, many parts of digital marketing take time to develop and work. Bottom line buyers, beware of those that promise dramatic traffic or top-level rankings within days to a few months.
You should also avoid any agency whose pricing isn’t clear. Some but not all reputable agencies will list prices on their website; these should not be misleading, and if there is confusion, you should definitely inquire.
They Have Good Communication Skills
The best digital marketing agencies for small businesses are skilled at communication, and it starts the moment you contact them. If you submit a quote, consultation, or contact form, they must contact you as quickly, within one business day at the latest.
Communication is essential to every successful business relationship. You need to make sure, and they need to make sure you understand precisely what you are getting and what they will do to help your small business grow.
Before signing a contract, you should have a phone call with them at least. An in-person visit may be preferable for both you and them, or thanks to the pandemic, a video call may suffice. A meeting such as this will allow you to understand the contract and terms of service and prevent excessive expenses.
They should also keep you updated on your content plan and where and how you are ranking on the search engine results pages. If an agency starts ghosting you, then you need to be back on the hunt for another agency ASAP!
Final Thoughts
While this post is shorter, it is packed with valuable information about what to look for in a digital marketing agency. If you are a small business looking for a reputable agency to help you with your small business marketing, reach out to us for a free consultation. We will be glad to talk with you about your needs.
