With the ever-expanding market here in Raleigh, it’s easy to get lost in the pack. An innovative digital marketing strategy helps to set you apart from the competition. Maintaining a relevant online presence has never been more important to the success of your business than it is today.

Maybe your company is just getting started and you’re looking for an agency to increase awareness for your brand. Maybe your corporate marketing office is getting swamped and you need to outsource some of the workloads. Whatever the case may be, it can be challenging to select the right agency that will represent your brand in the most beneficial way.

If you’re considering bringing on an agency to help you grow your business, you’ll want to make sure you’ve selected a trustworthy partner who will deliver results. Here are a few questions to ask any digital advertising agency in Raleigh to ensure they have your business’ best interests in mind.

How Can You Grow My Business?

This is the big one and it should also be the most obvious. Any agency worth it's salt should be able to describe its value to you. They should speak to achieving different goals using specific tactics that will increase traffic to your website, drive conversions, and boost awareness for your brand. This question should be the stepping stone by which the rest of the conversation develops.

How Do I Beat the Competition?

You expect your agency to have knowledge about how to successfully advertise within your industry. In much the same way, it’s important for you to have done your homework on your competitors. The more specific information you have to give the better. Be sure to tell your agency exactly who you would like to outperform and if there are any distinct elements in the competition’s marketing strategy that you would like to mirror. Your potential agency should be able to effectively describe their ideas for placing you a step above the rest.

What Digital Marketing Services Do You Provide?

You definitely want to get a good understanding of the capabilities of the agency you may hire. A single, comprehensive digital marketing agency is going to be more efficient than dividing up your needs amongst multiple providers. Ensure that the agency can manage your needs and that they have the necessary resources to handle the scope of the plan you set in motion. If you have a specific tactic in mind, like geofencing, for example, confirm that your agency can provide it. The agency should be able to provide information about their ability to execute your marketing strategy. Full-service agencies such as Red Shark Digital have a wide range of digital marketing tactics to help you reach your goals.

You’ll also want to make sure the team supporting your campaigns are qualified to be handling the tasks required. For instance, if you’re hiring someone to run an Adwords campaign, you’ll want to make sure the agency is a Google partner. This is key because it means that the team members have earned certifications and campaigns have been operating past a minimum performance level. Don’t be afraid to ask questions that qualify if an agency is equipped to deliver any tactics they propose. Most agencies should be able to reference numerous past projects where they can show off their experience.

How Will My Budget Be Allocated?

Investing in a digital marketing agency is just that, an investment. Understandably, you will want to know how your money is being spent. Your chosen agency should have solid explanations for why one tactic deserves more spend than another. Your understanding of how the budget is being used can help you make informed decisions about the implementation of your strategy. An agency should be able to let you know the various costs associated with the different tactics so that you can collaborate on designing an effective game plan.

How Do You Track Performance?

Of course, you want to see results. Before you commit to anything, it’s important to know that your agency has the appropriate methods in place to track the progress of your marketing campaigns. Hopefully, the agency you speak with has already asked you about your goals and how you want to measure success. You may want to track how many people visited your website, how many phone calls you received, lead form fills or some other specific action. During this conversation, you should insist on seeing certain metrics if you have any preferences and you can gauge the agency’s response. Your chosen agency should provide you with detailed reporting and provide an opportunity to answer your questions about performance.

What Digital Advertising Results Can I Expect?

It’s a good idea to expect realistic results. Your agency should be able to provide you with rough estimates for a limited number of metrics even before the launch of the campaign. However, it is important to note that digital marketing results do not follow any rule of thumb regarding a timeline. Some campaigns can turn results right away, while others may take months. It can take some time to gather enough data to track, analyze, and then make adjustments to an existing campaign. Organic growth can take even longer to cultivate. Be patient with your results, but also insist on a transparent process with clear, regular reports.

Who is My Point of Contact?

Lastly, you’ll want to iron out the details surrounding contacting your agency. Over the course of your marketing campaign, you are bound to have questions or want to make changes to your plans. Agencies are typically balancing a fairly high quantity of business. You’ll want to make sure that you don’t get lost in the crowd. It’s a good idea to identify an individual who will be available to take your calls and answer your emails. You never know what might come up and you want to be able to contact the team.

So Who is the Right Digital Advertising Agency?

At Red Shark Digital, our mission is to connect consumers to brands using innovative solutions. We put in the effort every single day to keep up with the constantly evolving world of digital marketing in order to implement the most beneficial tactics available. Get in touch with us today and let the team at Red Shark Digital take your business to a whole new level.

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