How to Choose a Digital Marketing Agency to Help (and Crush) Your Startup Business’s Marketing Goals

Choose a digital marketing agency to achieve your business marketing goals. 

Okay, but it’s easier said than done with so many out there. When choosing a digital marketing agency, don’t just settle for any old fish in the sea – make sure you reel in a big catch that can help you reach your business marketing goals. Look for a team with a proven track record, diverse skills, and passion for helping businesses like yours succeed in the digital landscape. You’d put your budget and branding at stake by partnering with the wrong digital partner. 

We are here to ensure that doesn’t happen and that you choose an agency that fits your brand and marketing goals. Let’s begin.

Choosing the Right Digital Marketing: Goal Setting Questions to Ask Yourself

You want to find a marketing agency that is the right fit for your business, not a mismatch.  Company-agency mismatch is just like the issue of tissue rejection most of us have grown up studying in our science classes—not choosing wisely is either ineffective or destroys what you have already built. 

Finding the right match starts with asking the right questions yourself, which are:

1. What Marketing Outcomes Am I Expecting from this Partnership? 

There’s usually a reason why start-ups hire a digital marketing agency. What’s that reason for you? Knowing why you want to partner up with an agency can help you clearly understand the marketing outcomes you expect and help you choose a marketing agency that specializes in achieving your intended goals. (Side note: even full-service marketing agencies are limited to one or two specialties)

Quick Scenario: 

Bob has spent a lot on a fantastic SaaS start-up. Six months in the business, generating nothing—he has not yet acquired the first 20 customers he has already identified. He aims to hit 100k monthly in the next 12 months by partnering with a digital marketing agency. With that in mind, he starts looking for agencies that can demonstrate that his desired outcome is achievable in a specific timeframe with inbound and outbound marketing strategies. (Focus on the word demonstrate). Bob gets a no-bullshit boolean yes/no evidence-backed answer from marketing agencies because he knows what he wants. 

2. What’s My Budget?

There’s no fixed price when it comes to digital marketing—while the real marketers know what tactics and strategies will generate meaningful results, there are always some tweaks and experiments required to reach the end goals. However, a good marketing agency can work with any reasonable budget and help you set your expectations accordingly. You should understand your budget and communicate it to the agency you want to partner with.  

Green Flags to look for in a digital marketing agency 

We want to jump on the bandwagon of the green flag/red flag narrative of millennial and Gen z cusp because these flags should genuinely be a cornerstone of any relationship, even a company-agency partnership. So, what are some green flags you should look for in a digital marketing agency before onboarding it?

1. They have a demonstrated history in the field. 

Seeking social proof of an agency’s credibility is important. The risk is much less if someone else has already taken the plunge, hired the agency, and made it to a marketer’s client list. You can easily find the list of past clients on the agency’s website—indicating that the agency is safe, trustworthy, and of good value.

 If you still feel you aren’t ready to rest, you can ask the agency for client references. In addition to talking with clients with positive reviews, speak to the clients who weren’t satisfied with their partnership with the agency. It would give you an idea of how, if the partnership faced some dips, how it was handled. 

2. They have relevant experts on “the team of experts.”

“We have a team of experts”—sure, and we have three Bugatti Chiron Super Sports. 

It’s crucial to see if there are specialists on the team that can help solve the problems you are facing and reach your marketing goals. For example, you’d (ideally) not want to hire an agency that doesn’t have an SEO expert if your goal is to lead the snack pack. An expert web developer or an experienced content marketing strategist wouldn’t be able to do much in that scenario since it’s not the expertise you need. So it’s important to check if the agency’s team of experts has the experts you need. 

The About Page is a good place to see the list of the team members with their roles and responsibilities. If they are not listed there, you can check the agency’s LinkedIn profile and see the “People” who work there. If you don’t see a specialist relevant to your problem and goal, confront the agency (or don’t—you have a free choice here).

3. They make realistic promises. 

Some agencies make funny promises, like guaranteeing # 1 rankings or top results overnight. Okay, wizard of digital lands, can you please tell us your magic?

For one, this is not how effective digital marketing works. You can rank on SERP over a few days, but the keywords you “win” might have no monthly volume or are irrelevant to your business. The rank in such a case is pretty useless. In short, the agency has trolled you. 

So you see, It’s important to closely watch the kind of commitments digital marketing agencies make–you can easily differentiate between transparency and exaggeration if you know about the industry you are working in. 

4. They practice what they sell. 

Good digital marketing agencies practice what they preach (sorry, sell). For instance, if an agency offers web development or design services, an excellent way to check its skillset and credibility is to check its website. If their website is unresponsive, has generic 404 pages, cluttered and slow, contains content mistakes, etc.,–you are better off with another agency. They couldn’t help their business; what makes you think they will help yours?

Also, check for the agency’s online presence. Usually, great marketing agencies have a great online presence. They frequently post bite-sized educational content, case studies, tips, tricks, etc., on their socials. 

5. They speak your “language.” 

It doesn’t matter what arbitrary language they use as long as the communication between you and them is effective. But it does matter that the agency speaks the language regarding your values and opinions. Why is it important? Because the digital marketing agency would become your extension and representation online. You can not let it propagate values, views, and practices you do not endorse through your business. For example, an old-school, conventional marketing agency might not be a good choice for a dating start-up, while a young agency with a sassy outlook could have an ideal brand voice for such a business. 

A good way of getting to know the agency’s voice, values, and general outlook is by paying attention to its website’s overall design, blog post topics, writing style, vocabulary, graphics, and headlines. Ask yourself if these things resonate with your brand’s vision, approach, and goals. 

6. They are one touch away, quite literally. 

Digital marketing agencies that know their stuff know the pain of a poor navigational experience. They know if the prospect can not quickly access them, they will leave and find someone who is easily reachable and contactable. This is why you’d see that websites of “good” agencies have clear call-to-action buttons placed strategically with clear commands regarding the prospect’s next step: book a free consultation, contact us, learn more, etc.

Putting it All Together 

Finding the right digital marketing agency for your business takes time, research, effort, and implementation of the tips we have shared above. Once you’ve found your true match, you’d see the leads, the installs, the revenue—or whatever it is that bothers you currently—skyrocketing beyond your imagination.