6 Questions to Ask Before Hiring a Digital Agency

There are many reasons why you might be considering hiring a digital marketing agency—perhaps you’ve decided to switch from your current agency, or perhaps you’ve reached a growth point where your in-house team can’t handle all of the digital marketing aspects you want to have in place and you’ve decided it’s time to outsource. Or, perhaps you’re looking to imbue a new creative direction into your brand.

Whatever the reason, it’s a big decision to make and it’s important to find an agency that aligns well with your company’s business needs. As you’re meeting with a variety of digital marketing agencies and getting quotes from them, there are several questions you can ask to get a better perspective on their talents and how they will work and mesh with your company.

Here are some questions you can ask the digital agency before hiring them

1. How will your agency help me meet my goals?

Though this may sound very broad, it’s important to make sure your agency of choice understands your core goals and challenges. Usually, there is a longer strategy process that you’ll go through to address how goals will be met, but it’s good to establish a baseline of understanding right off the bat.

Learn about the benefits of outsourcing your marketing to a digital agency

2. What will my account team look like?

Here’s a question that really digs into the internal workings of a digital marketing agency. First off, you really need to know who your account manager or main point of contact will be. This will help streamline tasks and approval processes. It’s also good to know who will be working on your account. If you are trusting the agency with a large monthly retainer, you want to make sure experienced writers, graphic designers, strategists and developers are on your team.

3. What are the costs?

There are many facets to think about with this question. If you’re signing on to a monthly retainer, find out what activities and support are included and what will be considered out of scope (extra costs for you).

4. What role will my company play?

If you have an internal marketing team, think about what they will be doing versus what you need an agency to do. Be sure to ask what will be expected of you, as well. There’s a big difference between hiring an agency to plan and implement an email marketing strategy and hiring an agency to write content for your emails. In the latter scenario, the responsibility of implementation falls on you.

5. Our company is small compared to your other clients. Will we still get the attention we need?

We hear this question a lot when working with potential new clients. You’re large enough that you need to start outsourcing, but you’re small compared to some of the larger companies an agency might work with. It’s important to be assured that your account will receive the attention it deserves, in a timely manner. Just because you’re paying less than the big guys doesn’t mean you don’t deserve top-notch deliverables.

6. How do I know what is working and what isn’t working?

A lot of agencies are great at strategy and implementation but lack a bit on the follow-up. But for you, the follow-up is the most important aspect for calculating your ROI. Ask questions about how the agency does reporting and analysis. What processes do they have in place to evaluate and tweak your strategy to ensure your success?

The most important advice we can give you when “interviewing” digital marketing agencies is to be sure to ask all of your questions. Don’t be afraid to ask dumb questions. The goal of these meetings is to walk away with a good understanding of how the agency works and how they will work with you. At the end of the day, you want to make sure this isn’t just an agency you can live with, but one you can grow with.

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Updated: Nov 15, 2024