Questions to Ask Before Hiring a Digital Agency

Bringing on a marketing agency can be an effective, and economical, alternative to building out your own internal It is also very common to bring on multiple agencies to cover various niche needs within an organization: content, SEO, video, etc. In the United States alone, there are over 13,000 agencies to choose from! So how should you go about qualifying potential agency partners? 

Here are some questions to ask an agency for potential hire:

What do you specialize in?

Agencies typically have specific niche markets that they serve. While some agencies offer a large array of services, some only specialize in a select few. What you are looking for and your business goals will narrow down your search on who would be a good fit. Those services could be: Digital marketing, email marketing, paid search, podcasts, social media, search engine optimization, or web design. 

What is your experience in this particular vertical?

Some agencies have a niche client base, whether it’s small businesses, non-profits, business to business, or business to customer. Experience in a particular vertical is great, but it’s also important to understand what type of projects and results they’ve yielded in these areas. Are they innovative? Are they producing riveting campaigns that leave a lasting impression? 

Also, you’ll want to ask if they are working for any of your competitors? If they are, bear in mind there could be some creative overlap and potential conflict of interest. 

Who will be working on this project?

Creating and executing effective campaigns is an intimate and complex process. It requires a cohesive team environment. Therefore, you should know the team that you will be working and interacting with on a regular basis.

You should also know if your agency also uses and hires outsources, such as freelancers, contract workers or even another agency! Are there people on that team who will be doing multiple tasks in that retainer, instead of someone who’s specialized? 

What do your monthly reports include?

Agencies typically offer monthly reports, which give insight on a campaign or strategy, giving you the opportunity to review progress and identify areas of improvement. In addition to a report, an agency should take out the time to share, discuss and address your concerns from the report. What do the numbers mean and are the efforts in line with the KPI’s established at the start of the engagement? Even if you do your marketing homework, your agency should take out the time to answer any of your questions or concerns and walk you through the process of any explanations.

What’s your process like?

Your organization and your agency should agree on how and how often you will communicate (weekly, bi-monthly, monthly?) and the preferred method of communication (email, texting, Slack?). You should also ask what the agency would need from you. Is it time? Resources? Information on your brand? Understanding what you would need to provide will make ongoing interactions much easier and more productive.  

When it comes to marketing, overnight solutions or fast results don’t exist. On average, big results will not show up until months later. The most important thing is to establish a mutual understanding KPI’s that are important and maintain transparency along the way on what is in place to achieve those goals..