By teaming up with a digital marketing agency, you can refresh and refocus your company’s brand-building strategy while also opening the door for long-term growth.
Like any savvy business owner, you probably wonder what a digital marketing agency really thinks about your organization and what the marketing gurus are saying when you’re not in the room.
Rest assured, most of what they discuss will be positive. After all, they are focused on helping you achieve your business objectives. Here’s a look at the behind-the-scenes conversations every good digital marketing agency has about its clients.
Your Business Goals Are Always Front and Center
After a digital marketing agency gets to know your brand, they will spend a lot of time talking about how to align their strategy with your big-picture goals. Their understanding of your brand, its values, and its unique selling points will influence every aspect of their strategy, from the choice of keywords to the design of ad creatives.
That’s why the best agencies don’t just talk about clicks and keywords. They discuss how to align those concepts with what you want to achieve and how to get you there.
What you need is a marketing partner who is not just focused on the present, but also frequently discusses the end game. They understand the importance of breaking your long-term objectives into smaller, more attainable milestones, and they ensure that all efforts are directed toward the greater good of your business.
With that in mind, it’s essential to be upfront and honest about your objectives. Share what you want to achieve and why. A digital marketing agency will ask these questions anyway. However, you need to make sure you have clear answers in mind so you can make the most of the partnership.
Here are a few other ways you can help ensure these behind-the-scenes conversations are productive.
Regularly Revisit Goals
A good SEO and PPC agency will continually revisit your goals to ensure strategies stay on track. This isn’t a one-and-done conversation. Your agency might discuss quarterly or even monthly objectives. More importantly, they will adjust strategies as needed to respond to market changes or new opportunities.
This ongoing alignment ensures every dollar you spend gets used toward the outcomes that matter most to your business.
Be Realistic
Set attainable objectives. If you are a relative newcomer to search engine optimization (SEO) services, it’s unrealistic to think you are going to earn the top spot on Google within a month. Work with your marketing partner to make sure your objectives are ambitious but realistic.
Set Measurable Objectives
Every goal you set needs to be measurable. Don’t only say you want to increase web traffic. Identify the percentage increase you’d like to achieve and discuss a timetable for hitting that milestone with your agency. A good marketing partner will help you choose relevant metrics to gauge your progress, giving you a clear understanding of your marketing strategy’s effectiveness.
They’re Talking About What Isn’t Working
A digital marketing agency will also spend a lot of time talking about your past advertising and SEO efforts. They will be particularly interested in what has yet to work. Keep in mind that your marketing partners aren’t being critical for the sake of it. Instead, they want to know what sort of content will resonate with your target audience.
By looking back at your past efforts, and particularly any underperforming campaigns, they can avoid making the same mistakes.
They will use their experience to diagnose and fix the underlying issue, which may be the messaging, the channels you used, or even the timing of the campaign. No matter what went wrong, they will get to the bottom of it. You can help in a couple of ways.
Be an Ally
Your marketing agency will make targeted suggestions to refine your strategies. Be open to feedback and criticism, as it comes from a good place. While you should definitely voice your opinion, make sure you are also willing to explore new ideas and ways of doing things. Remember, there’s a reason you hired a digital marketing agency.
Don’t Take It Personally
Hearing someone criticize a campaign you poured your heart and soul into can be disheartening. Don’t let it get you down, and don’t take it personally. They are sharing their observations so you can get on the same page. Instead, focus on what you can do to be a good client and prioritize collaboration.
Competitors Are a Hot Topic
You may be surprised to learn that your marketing agency will spend a ton of time discussing your competitors and what they are doing. Other businesses in your service area and niche need to be part of the conversation.
Agencies may conduct a deep dive into your competitors’ digital strategies to understand what works for them and where they might be vulnerable.
By analyzing your competitors’ strengths, such as high-ranking content or successful PPC campaigns, agencies can find ways to emulate their success. They also look for weaknesses in your competitors’ strategies — gaps your business can use to its advantage.
Think about your company’s current position and who your stiffest competition is. Are there any businesses you would like to model or overtake in terms of market share?
Your marketing agency will help you achieve these goals by obtaining inspiration from competitors and building on their winning strategies. They will do this in several ways.
Analyzing Competitors’ Strengths and Weaknesses
Marketing can involve quite a bit of trial and error. However, you don’t have to make all of the mistakes yourself. A digital marketing agency can help you learn more about your ideal audience without running experimental campaigns or wasting precious advertising dollars.
Benchmarking Against Industry Standards
Agencies will also benchmark your performance against industry standards. They will compare your key metrics with those of other businesses in your sector to see how you stack up.
Are your conversion rates higher or lower than the industry average? How about your cost-per-click? These benchmarks provide context for your performance, helping the agency tailor strategies that position you as a leader in your market.
Money Matters But Not Like You Think
It’s no secret that budgets are a key part of your marketing process. What might surprise you is that agencies need to talk about how to spend your money. They want to make sure they are making your dollars count.
Top agencies meticulously plan budget allocations to ensure your money is invested in the channels and strategies most likely to deliver the highest ROI. This might mean shifting funds from one campaign to another based on performance data or doubling down on a high-performance tactic.
Here’s a look at how the money conversation differs between a search engine optimization (SEO) team and a pay-per-click (PPC) agency.
A PPC Agency Focuses on Budget Allocation
Paid ad campaigns are more costly than SEO-centric marketing efforts. With that in mind, your PPC agency will focus heavily on making every dollar count. They will identify keywords and platforms that help you powerfully impact your target audience without placing unnecessary strain on your budget.
If you are already running paid ads, your marketing team may recommend redistributing your budget based on performance trends. They want to identify and prioritize the channels that will have the biggest impact on your long-term growth.
An SEO Agency Prioritizes Long-Term Returns
Search engine optimization and achieving a high organic ranking require a long-term strategy. You must continually invest in quality content and target the right keywords to climb the rankings and hit your brand-building goals.
An SEO agency will look for ways to help you achieve sustainable growth and a robust online presence.
While they may supplement your organic efforts with paid ads, they will make SEO content the foundation of their strategy. This way, you can consistently draw in high-quality traffic to your websites without consistently planning for fluctuating paid advertising costs.
The Best Agencies Look for Missed Opportunities
Digital marketing is a dynamic field, which means some doors are constantly closing while others are opening. One of the things agencies talk about most when you’re not in the room is what you’re not doing — but should be. They identify gaps in your current game plan that could be filled with new tactics.
Think of this process as a brainstorming session. They will map out your current digital presence and what channels you are using to connect with prospective customers.
Let’s say a sizable chunk of your target market consists of younger consumers under the age of 24. However, many of your marketing efforts focus on Facebook, Google Ads, and traditional digital channels. They may suggest incorporating Instagram into your campaigns to expand your reach among younger consumers. Or, they may adjust their content writing approach to appeal more to your specific target audience.
Here’s what a good agency will do once they’ve identified missed opportunities.
Propose New Tactics for Growth
Once your team has identified opportunities, they will meet with you about how to approach them. They will help you determine which areas are worth exploring and which may not deliver a sizable return.
Realign Your Marketing Strategy
A great agency will also help you connect with underserved demographics. While you may not be able to create personalized content for every niche all at once, you should be filling in gaps your competitors are overlooking. A few campaigns that speak to underserved populations can go a long way in achieving short and long-term growth goals.
All Chats Circle Back to Success
No matter what your marketing agency is talking about when you aren’t around, you can bet they will circle that conversation back to how they can make you successful. After all, that’s their primary goal. They want to help your business thrive in the digital space so you can win more customers and achieve your growth objectives.
Every time your marketing team achieves a win for your business, you can bet they will be as happy about it as you are. They know that every victory for your brand speaks to the agency’s effectiveness and ability to deliver for clients like you.
Agencies love to showcase these successes by creating case studies or asking for materials. These materials not only help the agency market itself to new clients but also give you something to celebrate — a tangible proof of your business progress.
A case study can also help get your brand in front of new audiences and may even earn you more customers in the process.
Internally, agencies also celebrate their team’s achievements when they see your success. However, you should also do your part to show appreciation for a job well done. Provide your agency with positive feedback and build on the relationships you’ve forged to keep the momentum going.
The Importance of Clear Communication
While not one of the headline-grabbing topics, clear communication is something agencies always emphasize. Marketers discuss the best ways to keep communication lines open and efficient. They might schedule regular check-ins or create shared dashboards.
Make sure you are meeting your marketing partner halfway. For example, if they create a shared dashboard, make sure you and your team are regularly using that tool to monitor campaign progress and provide feedback.
As part of their efforts to make communication easier, your agency will also explore ways to simplify complex digital marketing concepts.
They know that not every client will be familiar with PPC and SEO industry jargon or technical terms. That’s why they will translate this information into straightforward, actionable insights. This effort ensures you feel confident in the decision being made and can fully engage in the process.
From day one, you should establish clear expectations regarding communication channels and frequency. Ask questions and let your marketing partner know you are prepared to do your part to start the relationship off on the right foot.
Stay in the Know With Dagmar Marketing
As a leading digital marketing agency, Dagmar believes in a transparent, collaborative approach. Our dynamic team assists with both paid ad campaigns and search engine optimization.
Whether you are looking for a standalone PPC agency, a forward-thinking SEO agency, or a do-it-all marketing partner that can expand your digital presence along all fronts, we have you covered. If you’d like to learn more, contact us online or give us a call at 877-753-0050.
Madison Stevens
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