How to Review the Capabilities of Your Marketing Agency

There’s no question that your marketing agency’s capabilities will have a major impact on the success of your marketing strategy. Investing time and money into a new partnership is a big step, so it’s important to evaluate your partners carefully to ensure they’re the right fit for your business.

Properly reviewing your marketing agency’s capabilities is no easy task. That’s why we’ve come up with a list of important qualities to consider when deciding whether an agency will help your business thrive. Consider the following criteria to set your business up for success.

Quick Takeaways

• About 87% of clients view marketing agencies as a valued business partner, but only when they are utilized to their full potential 
• In a recent survey conducted by the World Federation of Advertisers, 71% of leading global companies reported that marketing was key to their business’ growth 
• Both the right marketing agency and well-defined goals will help you maximize your marketing budget and efforts

Developing a set of criteria to evaluate your marketing agency’s capabilities is key to determining how well they will work with your company. Here’s what you need to know to review and select a marketing agency that’s guaranteed to grow your business.

7 Ways To Review Your Marketing Agency’s Capabilities

A successful digital marketing strategy increases lead generation, sales revenue, brand awareness and website traffic. But how can you tell if your marketing agency’s capabilities are aligned with creating an effective strategy?

Image Source: Hook Agency 

The truth is that there aren’t any cut and dry rules for evaluating your marketing agency’s capabilities. That’s because evaluation criteria pertains to your personal taste and the needs of your business.

About 87% of clients view marketing agencies as a valued business partner, but only when they are utilized to their full potential. To help you determine whether a marketing agency’s capabilities are a good match for your company, we’ve compiled a list of 7 factors you need to consider.

1. Agency Size

The size of a marketing agency can have a major impact on their ability to provide the level of service and priority your business needs.

If a marketing agency’s client portfolio is too large to prioritize your work, your marketing plan will likely fall short when it comes to strategic and creative thinking. Similarly, a marketing agency’s capabilities will also lack effectiveness if their resources don’t have the capacity to meet your business’s demands.

The speed of responsiveness is key to ensure your marketing plan is effective. Also, keep in mind that a full-service offering is more demanding than that of engagement in just one or a few channels.

2. Agency Model

When it comes to agency models, there are typically two kinds: digital full service and digital channel specialists. Partnering with a Digital Full Service agency offers tightly coordinated campaigns that touch on all marketing aspects:

• Creative
• Design & development
• Advertising
• Search
• Social

Although this can be ideal in many situations, this model often lacks the ability to curate your marketing efforts to the specific needs of your business. With marketing agencies that identify as digital channel specialists, you have the ability to carefully outsource and coordinate partners according to each area of your marketing strategy.

3. Data and Analytics

Understanding data and analytics is a fundamental part of your marketing agency’s capabilities. Whether it’s user engagement, campaign interactions or conversion analysis, it’s essential that your digital marketing agency can accurately measure and address your results.

Although it’s very important to know how your website traffic has been affected, be sure that your marketing agency also identifies how changes can be implemented to maximize your efforts. Providing potential partners with access to your Google Analytics account and requesting a review can be a great way to start analyzing a marketing agency’s capabilities.

Image Source: Indeed

A marketing agency that can confidently share insights about the history of your users, site content and traffic sources is a good sign.

4. Case Studies, Success Stories & Client References

A marketing agency’s history can tell you a lot about their ability to implement an effective marketing strategy. By assessing their past performance, client case studies, references and overall reputation, you’ll learn about the quality of work and types of projects they provide to clients.

Although many marketing agencies opt out of publishing client case studies on their website, they’re typically glad to share these upon request. Assessing client case studies are a great indicator of performance and effectiveness of strategy.

5. Professional Industry Accreditations and Affiliations

Relevant industry partners and professional accreditations are an indicator of a marketing agency’s investment in professional development. These kinds of relationships require an ongoing dedication to industry best practices and developing professional standards.

Don’t hesitate to ask prospective marketing agencies about their role in the industry and how they work together with other marketing professionals to develop their knowledge. Doing so can shed some light on their ability to help grow your business.

6. Innovation and Thought Leadership

A track-record of innovation and thought leadership shows that a digital marketing agency is passionate about client success. Although this can be more difficult to measure, there are a few key indicators you can look for:

• Recognized industry awards
• Speaking at high-profile marketing events
• Blog content
• Published articles in industry websites
• Credible profile and network presence

Choosing a digital marketing agency that doubles as an industry leader is a good sign of their ability to lead your business to success.

7. Alignment, Trust and Rapport

Last but certainly not least, considering the big picture is a major part of reviewing your marketing agency’s capabilities. Talk to prospective agencies about their direction, ambitions and potential for long-term partnership to uncover key information about your shared goals.

Long-term investments in agency-client relationships are often the reason behind meaningful work and impressive results. Nurturing, trust and rapport are key qualities to look for in your digital marketing agency. Success in sales revenue is great to see, but genuine support from your partners is comforting in challenging times.

Why Review A Marketing Agency’s Capabilities?

Clearly, reviewing a marketing agency’s capabilities is important before investing in a new partnership. But why hire a digital marketing agency in the first place? To learn about the purpose of a digital marketing agency, enjoy the short video below.

Video Source: Matter Solutions

In a recent survey conducted by the World Federation of Advertisers, 71% of leading global companies reported that marketing was key to their business’ growth. Hiring a marketing agency allows you to maximize your marketing efforts while utilizing the most cost-effective option.

With a marketing agency, you can avoid spreading in-house employees too thin and instead work with specialists trained to achieve impressive results. You can focus on other areas of your business that need attention, while your agency works on factors like:

• SEO
• Conversion
• Blog content
• Link building
• Landing page optimization
• User experience

Hiring a digital marketing agency can be a pivotal moment for the growth of your business. With well defined priorities and professional partners to help you achieve your goals, you can maximize both your marketing budget and efforts.

Review The Best Marketing Agency’s Capabilities Today

After evaluating your marketing agency’s capabilities, you can increase site traffic, enhance user experiences, improve engagement, and drive more conversions with one of the best digital marketing agencies.

Get started today with the help of Marketing Insider Group. Perfect your marketing strategy by checking out our  weekly blog content service today or schedule a free consultation now!

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