Top Questions You Need to Ask When You’re Selecting a Digital Agency

So, you’ve decided to employ a digital agency to help with marketing, creative, development or something else. This is a big decision, and can have a major and long-lasting impact on your brand. The digital agency you choose should reflect your own brand, or at least deeply understand it; what your office culture is, how you and your employees communicate with clients, what connection your audience has to your brand.

Just as your company differs wildly from your competition, each digital agency is unique in size, capabilities, culture, and much, much more, so it’s hugely important that you choose a digital marketing agency that isn’t just a good fit, but the perfect fit.

Some agencies are fairly basic in what they offer, and focus entirely on one or two services. You’ll probably come across agencies that strictly do design work, or others that will just help you create a new website. There are some that will optimize your ecommerce platform, and others that will entirely revamp your social media marketing efforts.

But how do you know which agency is the best choice? You start by asking questions, of course. Let’s run through the top questions you should ask before selecting your digital agency.

How Can They Help Me?

In other words, what services do you offer? This is truly the first question you should be asking. If you’re looking for an agency that offers a full suite of services, one that can recreate your entire website, start from scratch with your marketing efforts and integrate your entire brand, a small agency that simply redesigns your logo isn’t going to be a great use of your time or your money.

Ensure the agency you’re considering offers the tools you need and employs strategies that make sense to you, or this partnership is only going to end in disaster. Don’t forget to ask for demos and samples, and examples of this agency actually putting their tools to use.

How Often Will I Receive Status Updates?

Here’s where communication matters most. If you prefer a hands-off approach and you’d rather set expectations and then forget about it until deadline, you’re going to get quickly irritated by an agency that prefers lots of approval. However, if you want to be involved in the process and if you prefer to know exactly where your dollars are being spent, you’ll feel frustrated and anxious with an agency that operates quietly.

No matter what you prefer, transparency is your friend. Before you sign a contract, make sure your agency has given you a solid timeline that indicates what’s happening when and sets clear expectations.

What Success Stories Can They Share?

You wouldn’t make a new hire without looking at their resume, right? Don’t make that mistake with your digital agency. You’ll feel much more confident if you can see other work this agency has done with companies similar to your own, and you’ll have a better idea of what your own work with this agency will look like in the end.

Can They Work Within My Budget?

This is the question that can be tough to ask, but it’s just as important as the others. Decide ahead of time what your budget can and should be, and don’t deviate from it. Be honest in initial talks with your agencies. You never know; your budget may get you further than you think.

More Questions? Blue Laser Has the Answer.

Whether you’ve only just begun budgeting to work with a digital agency or you’ve already sat down with more than you can count, drop us a line. We’ve worked in industries of all kinds, and we’re all about solving the tough problems with creative thinking and strong partnerships.