How To Know If A Digital Agency Is The Right Fit For You And Your Brand – 10 Yetis Insight

Never has the digital landscape been as competitive as it is now. To increase exposure brands are hiring digital agencies to implement a campaign that will (hopefully) get them in front of their target audience. Finding the right agency for your brand though can be like finding the right lead for that old gadget you have; all those leads are perfectly fine, but they aren’t quite right and don’t do the job that the one lead/agency does. To help, I am here to share my thoughts on how to know if a digital agency is the right fit to carry out your dream campaign...

Previous work

When you are debating whether to use a digital agency or not, one of the first factors that you should consider is who have they worked with previously. When looking at their previous work, you should be considering if they have worked on similar clients and campaigns in your sector. If an agency has a range of previous clients in different sectors it would be advisable to look more specifically at the clients that are more relatable to you and your brand, or similar to the campaign you are hoping to run.

If you have found an agency that ticks the box of previous experience in your sector, it is important to look at the sort of numbers they got. We all know that links are gold dust in the digital PR world, and if you can find an agency that works in your sector and has proof that they’ve got good results, then it may be worth reaching out to them.

Work out what you want to achieve

When you are beginning discussions with an agency it is important to have a clear idea of what you want from your campaign, in terms of results. This will not only make it easier for you to keep track of how the campaign is doing throughout, and if there is cause for concern, but it will also outline what you consider a successful campaign to be and to be able to compare your campaign to your original KPIs.

Depending on what you want to achieve, whether that is controversy or just increase brand awareness, different agencies will specialise in different areas, so it is important to have a good understanding of what your perfect marketing campaign entails.

Don’t fall into the trap of guaranteed coverage

Always be cautious when a perspective digital agency promises you a certain amount of coverage, or coverage on a specific website; such is the nature of PR that it is near impossible to guarantee you are going to get a certain number of pieces, follow links and mentions, or even inclusion on specific publications – unless of course they’re footing the bill for an advertorial.

A big thing from an agency point of view is letting your results from previous clients and campaigns do the talking. We all want a successful campaign – the digital agency and the client – but anyone who over promises should be approached cautiously.

Transparency

It is so important in the industry to be transparent; as the client, more often than not, you will be investing a lot of money into a digital agency to run a campaign for you and you are well within your rights to know where that money is going. Not only for an overarching campaign, but things like weekly updates are always a good way to gain a great understanding of what has been going on with your account, regular calls and meetings should be offered and more.

Clash of personalities

Have you met them face to face? It is always good to have a face to face meeting to gain a greater understanding of the agency, the people who will be working on your account and, ultimately, if the agency fits the way you work. It is always advisable to meet them and gain a better understanding of how they work; but if you can’t make the time for a meeting, definitely suggest a conference call or video.

If you are a more corporate brand that is looking for B2B PR, it is especially important to meet them face to face so that you can gauge how knowledgeable they are in your field.

Choosing which agency is the right fit for your brand can often be a difficult choice because you are investing a lot of money into these agencies in the hope they will convert your ideas into a successful campaign that converts to coverage and high quality links. If you’ve never hired a digital marketing or digital PR agency before, definitely shop around – or you know, appoint 10 Yetis. We’ve worked with and been recommended by some amazing brands over the years! Why not give us a call to discuss previous campaigns, or look at the case studies on our website.