16 Questions You Need To Ask Before Hiring A Digital Marketing Agency

Let’s face it; we live in a digital world. A quick search online and instantly, 100s of companies, brands, and services are available at your fingertips. So, how to cut the clutter and stand out from the crowd?

It’s simple, hire a digital marketing agency. But before you do, here are 16 questions to ask before taking the plunge!

Q1: Who Were Your Past Clients?

A digital marketing agency with a roster of reputed clients is an excellent indicator that they know what they’re doing. Ask for clients they’re working with currently and in the past. Knowing the companies who have stuck with them signifies satisfied clients.

Additionally, ask if they’ve worked with clients in your industry. An agency with experience working in your niche is better equipped to help you with your marketing goals.

For example: Say you’re a cafe owner in New York. Hiring an agency that has worked with restaurants in your neighborhood is better than one that hasn’t.

So, make sure their client portfolio has testimonials and case studies from these clients.

Q2: How Many Years Of Experience?

There are many digital agencies in each city, but a significant deciding factor is the years of experience they’ve worked in the industry.

Consider this; a younger company may have a fresh perspective on online marketing trends. However, agencies with years of experience under their belt are proficient with intangible elements such as problem-solving, reaching goals, and managing client relationships.

Also, ask how many years of experience they have in your company’s niche. As with any industry, there are specific laws, trends, demographics, etc., that marketing experts rely on for successful campaigns.

So, an agency with this existing knowledge is beneficial.

Q3: How Will You Help My Company Meet Our Goals?

Agencies will put their best foot forward in the initial consultation, and many will ensure success. However, before you hire an agency, ask them to specify the road map they’ll be taking to attain those goals.

It’s natural for them to say they’ll create a marketing strategy. However, question them on the exact details.

A professional agency will give you clear information about automation tools, tracking systems, methods, and processes. They will outline precisely how they plan to take your company forward.

An agency may not divulge all its marketing secrets at the first meeting. However, consider it a red flag if they fail to offer proper actionable steps towards achieving your specific goals.

Q4: Who Will Be Working On My Account?

Before you sign that retainer, you must know who is assigned to your account. Many agencies will bring out their highest-performing experts for the initial consultation. Yet, when it comes to the daily running of the campaigns, your company’s account could be handed over to others.

So, ensure that the people appointed to your account are a mix of senior and junior-level executives.

A helpful tip: ask the agency to set up a meeting with the team responsible for your campaign strategy. During the meeting, ask questions that focus on their credentials, temperaments, and whether they have the skills to achieve your company goals. That way, you’ll know if they’re a fit for your company.

Q5 What Is Your Communication Style?

The building block of a successful client and agency dynamic is communication. The last thing you want is to be chasing the agency for updates. Their team has to work together with your company employees to create content, map KPIs, and more.

Therefore, you want an agency that takes the initiative and communicates its needs. Whether it’s monthly in-person meetings, weekly video calls, etc. The agency should specify its exact way of communicating.

Ask them whether they have an account manager for direct contact on progress reports or any other marketing requirements. Transparency and clarity in communication are vital, so asking these questions before signing a retainer is crucial.

Q6: How Much Of The Work Is Outsourced?

Outsourcing work to third-party SEO specialists or content writers is common in the digital marketing community.

However, let’s say you’re re-doing your whole website or revamping your entire branding. Then you’ll want access to people working on these internal projects to get the work done efficiently and quickly.

If the agency is outsourcing the majority of the project work, it can lead to hiccups with deadlines. Plus, should issues arise, it’s easiest to problem-solve with an agency that has experts in-house.

So, ask the agency about how much is outsourced. Then, look at the core elements of your marketing needs, ensuring that the agency has expert staff to work on them.

Q7: What Tools Do You Use To Track Campaign Success?

No matter how good an analyst is, they prefer to use sophisticated tools to get insights and reports. Every agency has its preferred tools and it’s vital to ask which they use.

Listen out for tools such as Ahrefs, Moz, Yoast, and Google Analytics. Those are the most widely used ones essential to your SEO and marketing strategy.

However, follow up the question by asking if they have subscriptions to any platforms mentioned above. The free features offered are a good starting point for any analyst, but any digital marketing agency worth its weight will invest in data-driven strategies. And, that means having subscriptions to automation tools.

Q8: How Much Will It All Cost?

Let’s say you’ve narrowed down two or three agencies located in your city. On paper, they look similar in terms of expertise. In times like this, it’s best to let the numbers do the talking.

Here are a few things to ask about costs:

1. How much will your marketing requirements cost? Each campaign has a budget and an agency should be upfront about the costs.
2. What are the agency fees and billing structure? Do they charge an hourly rate, a monthly fee, or per project? Also, do they require payment upfront or after completion?
3. Ask for an estimated return on investment from the campaigns.

All these numbers will help you decide which company fits into your budget.

Q9: What Are The Contract Terms?

Every agency has a list of terms and conditions, as does your company. So, when hiring an agency, it’s natural to look at the proposed contract.

Unlike traditional marketing, which has a firm period before you see results, digital marketing doesn’t.

When it comes to inbound marketing and SEO strategy, it’s a long game, and results take time. That’s why agencies offer a minimum 6 – 12-month contract. This means you have to pay them for six months minimum, even if you don’t see results.

Therefore, it’s important to stipulate monthly deliverables. After all, you’re hiring an agency to get actual results. So, adding these actionable steps in the contract can keep the agency accountable and you on track.

Q10: Are You Equipped To Handle A Company Of My Size?

Sometimes the more important question to ask isn’t about industry experience but about the size of a company.

For example, say the agency only has large multinational corporations on its roster. They may not be a great fit for your local plumbing business, which may need a more personal approach to marketing.

The client, its people, and its backstory are essential elements of marketing strategy. Therefore, an agency that can’t assimilate brand knowledge and data for a company of your size may not be the best choice.

However, if you see potential in the agency, then figure out your goals and ask whether they can create tactics and strategies tailor-made for your company.

Q11: What Digital Marketing Elements Are Your Specialty?

A well-rounded marketing strategy is dependent on many things such as local SEO, mobile optimization, user experience, review management, etc. That’s why it’s important to ask about their specialty.

Let’s say your company is only looking for regular blog content.

Then, it’s better to hire an agency known for content marketing services. Yet, it’s beneficial to retain an agency that covers many marketing areas. That’s because you may think your company only needs blog content. However, after an audit, the agency might uncover the real issue that existing blogs aren’t SEO-friendly.

Therefore, an agency specializing in many marketing services can offer SEO and content marketing services.

Q12: Can You Get Testimonials And References?

It’s natural to look at reviews when you want to eat at one of the many restaurants on Main St, in Fort Worth. And, the same policy applies when selecting digital marketing agencies.

Asking for testimonials and references shows that you’re interested in hiring them. So they should be open to giving you those details and setting up a call with past clients for references.

As an added insight, ask for testimonials and references from clients in your industry. These add more credibility to the agency. Plus, they signify whether the agency could achieve the client’s goals – all great indicators of what you can expect when working with them.

Q13: What Do Your Online Ratings Look Like?

Let’s say you’re impressed with an agency’s initial consultation. However, you find their online rating is low, indicating that something’s amiss. Therefore, it’s good to research the agency’s rating score and ask about it.

Additionally, it’s a huge red flag if the agency hasn’t claimed its listings on Google My Business, Bing Places, and Apple Maps. The nature of digital marketing – to have an online presence. If they don’t have listings on these reputed directories – it indicates they don’t practice what they preach.

So, how can they possibly help you achieve your goals if they don’t implement the practices on their brand?

Q14: How Does Your Agency Keep Up With SEO Trends?

To get more perspective on this question, let’s consider these options.

Which would you select:

• A – an agency that foresees how an algorithm update will impact your company and implements changes to protect your marketing campaign.
• B – an agency with little knowledge that tries to course-correct after the algorithm update has slowed the process of your campaign.

You’d choose option A, naturally!

That’s because the most crucial component of digital marketing is SEO, which keeps changing. Google and other search engines are constantly updating their algorithms or rolling out new rules that impact how you market your brand.

That’s why you need to ask whether they keep up with SEO trends.

Q15: Tell Me One SEO Tactic That Is Best For My Company

Questions like this help gauge how fast the agency thinks on its feet. Some might offer their favorite tactics, such as claiming listings or keyword research.

However, an experienced agency will tell you there’s no single SEO tactic. That’s because digital marketing strategy has many elements that work together to get results.

For example, the best SEO tactic for an electrician might be to create a website with individual pages dedicated to their services. However, a manufacturing company might benefit from optimizing its website for mobile users and creating how-to videos.

An enthusiastic agency that understands your company will offer multiple tactics. They’re the ones to hire.

Q16: What Are My Deliverables?

Even if you’re looking at a comprehensive digital marketing package where the agency takes care of it all, there are still some requirements that you as the client have to deliver.

Let’s say you want to create a social media launch for your latest product. The agency’s content writers, web developers, and SEO experts will require images, information, and details about the product. You are responsible for furnishing these requirements, or it will stall the launch.

So, ask the agency how much involvement is required from your company. Outlining deliverables and standard operating procedures will make it easier going forward. Plus, it’ll benefit the progress/success of the campaigns.

FAQs on Hiring a Digital Marketing Agency

Q1: How Do Digital Marketing Agencies Measure The Success Of Marketing Campaigns?

There are many metrics that digital marketing agencies use. Most are dependent on the type of campaign. However, here are a few common ones:

1. Campaign conversions
2. Traffic
3. Sales
4. Social shares, etc.

Q2: What Services Do Digital Marketing Agencies Offer?

Every agency has a specialty. However, digital marketing involves various elements working together to yield the best results. Therefore, the most common services are:

• SEO
• Local SEO
• Content marketing
• Competitor analysis, etc.

Q3: Should I Hire A Digital Marketing Agency?

Yes, leave digital marketing and SEO to the professionals. That’s because it’s a fast-paced industry dependent on algorithm updates, best practices, etc. It’s time-consuming work for a business owner, who should spend time growing the company.

Q4: What Services Should A Digital Marketing Agency Offer My Company?

The main service any agency should provide is SEO because it’s a vital component of inbound marketing. Here are a few more you should look for:

• PPC ads
• Email marketing
• Social Media Marketing
• Influencer outreach, etc.

Q5: How Does a Digital Marketing Agency Set KPIs And Goals For Your Company?

Agencies will create a marketing strategy for your company after an initial consultation and marketing audit. Based on those results and findings, they will plan actionable steps and techniques that outline KPIs and goals beneficial for your company.

Key Takeaways

1. Ensure the agency has worked in your industry niche.
2. Understand their communication style and meeting schedule before hiring.
3. Negotiate a contract based on your company goals and industry best practices.
4. Meet the team responsible for your account before hiring.
5. Ask about SEO tools they use to track and monitor campaign results.
6. Call references mentioned by the agency to verify their work ethic.
7. Review the agency’s budget and billing structure before hiring.
8. Read the agency’s case studies of clients in your industry.
9. Ask for clear deliverables on how they plan to reach marketing goals before hiring.

About the Author

Deshawn McNeil is a Content Marketer at Red Houston SEO Company, bringing over 12 years of expertise in writing SEO-driven content. He is passionate about storytelling and he continuously adapts to industry trends.