There is no one-size-fits-all answer to this question. When it comes to business, there are no blacks and whites, but many shades of grey.
Maybe you are a one-man business owner or you have a person in charge of marketing and customer relations at your company. Maybe you rely on the services of a traditional marketing agency to carry out certain specific tasks. Whatever your case, in this post we ask you a series of questions that will help you define whether hiring a digital marketing agency is what your business needs right now.
How much weight does the online component have in your business strategy?
While it is true that any company must have an online presence today, the weight within the business strategy is not the same in all cases.
For example, if your company is an e-commerce business, it is clear that the digital component is essential for the success of the business. On the other hand, if your business is an explosives factory, the weight is different: digital marketing will help you expand your customer base, but it will not be essential for the success of the business.
The more important the digital component is for the success of your business, the more necessary it will be to have a team of people specialized in the different aspects, techniques and tools of digital marketing.
This doesn't mean that if the digital component hasn't been important so far, there isn't potential for growth. That's why you should carefully evaluate how your potential customers or buyer personas behave online : are they making decisions or taking actions that can benefit your business?
If the answer is yes and you still don't have a defined digital strategy or a team dedicated to doing so, the option of hiring a digital marketing agency starts to gain points.
How important are new customers for your business?
If your business's success depends on serving a large, churning customer base, you'll need to invest more in marketing than if you're a B2B company with a small customer base.
What this means is that depending on the focus and nature of your business, marketing efforts will be different .
For example, if your company is dedicated to manufacturing turbines for hydroelectric power plants, the focus will be on maintaining a close and trusting relationship with the companies that may need this equipment. So, rather than uploading an infographic on your website with the “ 5 signs that indicate that your turbine is about to fail ,” you need to have a person who can stand up to these companies and transmit confidence to them.
On the other hand, if your business's success comes from constantly attracting new customers and extending their customer lifecycle as long as possible, then you'll want to invest in tactics that grab attention first and then get those customers to come back.
What have you done so far and what do you want to achieve?
To answer this question you will have to be very honest.
Go to the numbers: what is your website's conversion rate? How many of the interactions, visits, etc. with your different digital channels end up materializing in a sale? Are you earning more than you are investing?
Carefully review all the actions you have taken and what the results of each have been, as well as how they have impacted sales. Are you satisfied?
Now look to the future, how much do you want to grow? How many new clients do you need to do so?
The further your results are from your expectations, the more necessary it will be to have a group of specialized people to get you closer to the results you expect. If you think you have gambling data vietnam weaknesses in only one aspect of your strategy, for example, that you only need to strengthen SEO, you may not need to hire a digital marketing agency.
But make sure you do a thorough evaluation before making the final decision. You may think you're saving money by hiring one person instead of going through an agency, but you may also be spending less to earn less .
And speaking of spending, what is your marketing budget?
Generally speaking, if you fall on either extreme of the budget spectrum, chances are you can do your own marketing.
If your marketing budget is practically non-existent, chances are you are a one-man band type. To be successful in this way, make sure you invest your time, money and efforts in those actions that bring the most benefits to your company. Forget about making funny memes for social media, even if everyone does it, if this does not bring any kind of return to the business.
On the other hand, if you have a huge marketing budget, say more than $12,000 a month, you'll probably want to build your own marketing department. Having an in-house marketing department will allow you to take faster action, as this team will be able to develop specific and in-depth knowledge over time. If you're still working on building a robust department, it's best to hire an agency, as this will serve as training for the people who currently make up the team.
Now, if you are not in either of these two extremes, and you want to improve the effectiveness of your digital efforts, you will probably need to hire a digital marketing agency.
A digital marketing agency will provide you with creativity, experience and a team of people who are up to date with the trends and tools of a rapidly evolving discipline.
And here it is important to make a clarification…
When digital marketing, and especially social media, first emerged, the idea was that it was a free alternative to traditional advertising. While it is true that a Facebook ad is much cheaper than a 20-second TV commercial, that doesn't mean that what you do on social media or a blog is free.
Digital marketing work pays off in the best of cases with time. Time that we are not using to call clients or to carry out any other action that makes the business grow. In addition, if the person carrying out these actions is not familiar with the digital environment, all the time invested in research, creating content, etc. may end up being a wasted effort.
By hiring a digital marketing agency, we ensure that professionals specialized in each of the aspects related to our strategy invest their time in implementing it efficiently.
Now it's your turn...
Answer each of the questions we have asked you carefully. If necessary, take a pencil and paper, open a document or whatever you prefer.
Make sure that whatever you decide, you are taking into account all direct and indirect costs, the speed at which you need to achieve results, and the particular needs of your company.
And if you are considering hiring a digital marketing agency, do not hesitate to contact us and we will make you our best proposal.
