Digital marketing has come to the forefront of businesses in today’s world. Finding a digital marketing agency can be tough as there are plenty of “snake oil” SEO or marketing agencies out there. These agencies are going to promise the world along with charging a hefty price tag for their services. The agency might try to confuse a client by having them focus on numbers they have improved and ignore those where nothing was accomplished. Certain agencies will attain the promised goals, although promising results is quite dangerous in digital marketing. The following are what you should avoid and look for when trying to find a quality digital marketing for franchises agency to partner with.
Avoid: All Payment Up Front
Do not pay up front for a new campaign with a company that has very little in terms of background. Half payment up front then half on completion is a popular option. If the agency demands up front payment, they could be behind on their finances or never plan on doing the actual work. An agency that refuses to work with you on the first month’s payment terms likely will not be a flexible partner you want to work with. There are online payment options like PayPal that protect the customer, although getting this money back can be nothing short of a nightmare.
Avoid: Agencies that Constantly Rebrand
Agencies that are constantly rebranding every year or two might be a problem. These agencies might have garnered some bad press or want to distance themselves from their previous business practices. An agency that gets caught buying backlinks can ruin your business by causing your company’s website to be deindexed from Google, or drop sharply in rankings in terms of search results.
Look For: Agencies Happy to Show Previous Results
Agencies that are more than happy to show you the results of a previous relevant campaign. Make sure that these are recent results as agencies that have not adapted might be left behind when it comes to best practices for SEO. The number one result that you want to boost is sales or leads garnered due to marketing. Happy clients are also more than happy to endorse an agency as everyone wants a valued partner to flourish in terms of overall revenue.
Look For: All-Inclusive Agencies Rather Than Partnering with Multiple
All-inclusive digital marketing agencies that can help you handle everything from the design on your website to setting up PPC campaigns. Web design trends need to be as SEO-friendly as possible and these trends change over time. Agencies that can help with all forms of marketing can easily integrate strategies. The last thing you want to do is to hire multiple companies that might vastly differ in opinion on how the campaign should be run. The amount of ego in digital marketing is staggering so dealing with one company is likely the best choice.
Finding the right digital marketing agency that can help grow your business will be a process. Do not settle for the first agency that pitches to you, as you will want to compare offerings as well as pricing. The markup that some agencies justify are due to huge startup costs rather than the services they are providing. An agency where you never have to wonder if the monthly investment is worth it are the best. Take the time to see which agencies have had success with a similar business as they likely have relationships that can be leveraged almost immediately.
