It’s important to take your time and consider your options carefully when you wish to enlist the services of a digital marketing agency. Make the wrong decision and it could have disastrous consequences for your business, resulting in a great deal of time and money being wasted. The best marketing agencies are the ones that work hard to gain an in-depth understanding of your specific needs and requirements and use their skills and experience to create an affordable package that meets your objectives perfectly whilst making the most of the technology and other resources available to them.

Maximise your reach

Marketing a business involves attracting new clients and customers whilst retaining existing ones, heightening brand awareness and enhancing your reputation. A reputable and reliable marketing agency will work hard to convince your target audience what your unique selling points and why they should choose you over the competition when they need the kind of products and services you are offering.

Why outsource your marketing efforts?

There are many reasons why the vast majority of companies and organisations outsource marketing to specialist firms rather than keeping such activities in-house, including objectivity, expertise, and cost. It’s generally far cheaper to outsource your marketing efforts to a dependable firm with an excellent track record. When you work with a reliable marketing agency, you can benefit from the services of an entire team of professionals, who will work alongside each other and combine their skills and experience to deliver the outcome that you desire. High calibre marketing teams can use a range of tactics and strategies to help you achieve your aims whilst you focus on your core business duties. Many successful entrepreneurs are not natural marketers and are unable to gain an objective perspective, whereas first-class marketers are able to adopt a more clinical approach. Removing the marketing burden from your shoulders and handing things over to more experienced professionals can be all that is needed to achieve the results you are striving for.

A passion for progression

Leading marketing and advertising agencies treat their clients as they would like to be treated and are always seeking to develop and improve the way they do business, building upon their existing skills and constantly acquiring new ones. Continuity is also a key factor to consider when it comes to choosing a marketing agency, with contracts always being handled by directors from start to finish rather than being passed down to junior team members once agreements are reached. When directors remain fully responsible for the execution of your project, you can benefit from indispensable analysis, insights, and recommendations that mean you constantly remain in the loop and are always able to benefit from expert advice. The best marketing agencies always provide their clients with a primary point of contact to prevent confusion and misunderstandings whilst delivering as much clarity as possible.

An objective approach

Objectivity is also incredibly important when it comes to choosing the right marketing service for your needs. The agency you choose should never hold back when it comes to offering alternative opinions and suggesting improvements. They should adopt a meticulous approach and should leave no stone unturned when it comes to identifying the most suitable and relevant methods of assistance. Don’t be afraid to ask for evidence of past successes. Agencies must be able to provide robust evidence to support any claims they make about their quality and efficiency, even putting you in touch with former clients to deliver a further insight into their operations and how they achieve their goals.

Keeping track of developments

Your agency should always keep you informed on how your campaign is developing and work as closely alongside you as possible to get the best results. When agencies and their clients collaborate closely, problems can be shared and resolved more effectively, with trust and respect being continually strengthened. Another thing to ask when you are considering signing up with an online digital marketing agency is how they measure their activities and achievements. Robust strategies must be in place so the agency can analyse and assess its performance and find out whether it is surpassing, meeting or falling short of its targets. This is where a marketing strategy plan is a must. It’s also advisable to meet in a face-to-face environment before you sign on the dotted line with a marketing agency as this can create trust, establish rapport and help you make a more informed decision on whether the service is right for your specific needs. You shouldn’t be charged for the meeting and it should come with no obligation to proceed.

Transferable skills

It’s not essential to work with a marketing agency that works with companies in the same sector as yours. In fact, it’s often beneficial to do the exact opposite. Great marketers have valuable transferable skills that can be applied to all kinds of businesses. What’s more is that agencies can not only become more versatile but avoid conflicts of interest too when working on marketing campaigns for a diverse range of clients.

Avoiding mark-up charges

Some less than scrupulous agencies charge mark-ups for goods and services that are vital to your campaign in order to increase their bottom line. These agencies are generally best avoided. It’s always best to opt for a results-driven agency that never applies mark-ups and takes no backhanders from providers of such goods and services. There’s always a chance that changes will be required during your campaign, whether it’s because something has failed to deliver the right results or because you simply wish things to be done differently. Reputable agencies are happy to make as many changes as needed without charging you more and aim to keep prices as competitive as possible without compromises being made on quality and efficiency. If they decide more work needs to be done after your budget has been spent, they will be happy to go the extra mile to achieve the required results.

Transparent payment terms

It’s also essential to look for clear, transparent and mutually acceptable payment terms and costs when acquiring the services of a marketing agency. Make you sure you have a complete understanding of the contract you are signing and be clear when it comes to ownership of assets. Many SMEs only have modest marketing budgets, which means every pound they spend on creating exposure for their business must be justified. It’s often possible to make alternative arrangements if you can’t quite raise the capital you need to launch a suitable campaign. You may be able to secure the right deal by agreeing to make payments only when results have been delivered, or by offering shares in your enterprise in exchange for quality marketing services. Some marketing agencies are incredibly flexible and will make all the allowances they can in order to deliver the right campaign for your business.

Find a virtual marketing agency to partner with

From time-to-time, you may only need assistance with a few ad hoc marketing projects as opposed to a comprehensive campaign. Not all agencies offer this kind of service, so you may need to shop around to find one that can accommodate your requirements. Your chosen marketing agency should have the experience and resources needed to act as your virtual marketing partner, develop a digital marketing strategy and prioritise your best interests in everything they do for you, acting with integrity at all times, priding themselves on accuracy and delivering the right outcomes in a swift timeframe. What works for one company or organisation won’t always be effective for everyone, so it’s also vital that a bespoke strategy is developed to suit your specific requirements.

The value of rapport

The better your rapport with your agency is, the more successful your campaign is likely to be. Your agency must make you feel comfortable enough to express any concerns you have about your project and take everything you say on board when creating your strategy. It’s essential that their values mirror yours and that they are able to deliver quality results from the start of your campaign right to the end. They should be able to provide all reports and analysis for free, explaining figures and developments to you in plain English to help you gain a detailed understanding of how things are progressing, enabling you to clearly see the positive change their work has generated. They should also be able to adapt their strategies when necessary in order to optimise results, whilst deriving as much value as possible from the technological advancements available to them. It’s also wise to opt for a trustworthy marketing company that has worked and continues to work with a series of discerning, prestigious and well-known brands.

Compete with the biggest brands

When you work with the right marketing experts, you get the valuable opportunity to dramatically enhance your reach and compete with your biggest competitors. The evolution of digital marketing has made it much easier to create powerful and effective campaigns even on a tight budget, enabling you to connect with your customers via a range of media channels. When your campaign is expertly planned and executed, you can make the most of the possibilities available to you and achieve things you may have never previously thought possible, whilst emphasising the value of your products and services.

Keep in touch

The world of marketing is changing all the time. You can keep on top of the latest news by following us on social media – Twitter, Facebook and LinkedIn. If you would like to have a chat about anything to do with marketing, please contact Stephen Brown, our Head of Strategy & Planning, at Abacus marketing agency London on 020 3858 7836 – or email him at stephen.brown@abacusmarketing.co.uk to discuss a project brief you require some assistance with. You can also visit our website at www.abacusmarketing.co.uk to find out more about who we are and what we do.

Please email portfolio@abacusmarketing.co.uk if you would like us to send you a selection of case studies relating to our client work. We are also more than happy to meet up for a chemistry meeting at a venue of your choice for up to two hours without cost or obligation to discuss your business needs and marketing goals in more detail.