Whether you’ve just started your research on digital marketing agencies, or you’ve already worked with one, you know that this decision can be quite hard to make. It’s difficult to find an agency that is transparent and understands your business’ needs and budget. Since they are marketing your business online, you may feel even more pressure to make sure you’re picking the right agency who understands your personality, and more specifically, your business’ persona.
When you’ve invested your heart and soul into something as significant as your business, you want to choose the right person to represent it.
Digital marketing is essential for most businesses nowadays. With so much competition online, it is almost impossible to have an online presence without knowing your strategy, and optimizing all aspects of your digital marketing campaign. In my previous article, I wrote all about why hiring a digital marketing agency is actually cheaper than hiring an in-house team. Today, I’ll be writing about 5 red flags to watch out for when choosing a digital marketing agency. These 5 red flags come from both our own experience as a digital marketing agency as well as listening to clients’ past experiences.
Here are 5 red flags to watch out for when choosing a digital marketing agency:
1) Overselling, before knowing your business
As a rule of thumb, if a sales representative starts sharing their proposal for your business without even knowing the industry of your business, then it’s clear that their best interest is in their commission and not your business. As mentioned previously, almost every business nowadays NEEDS a digital marketing strategy, so I understand if an agent is knocking on your door to explain the power of digital marketing. However, most digital marketing strategies are tailored to each and every specific business. A car dealership has a completely different target audience AND strategy than a lawyer.
Always keep this in mind. If they are more interested in adding on services, before knowing the goal for your business, your target audience, and what industry you’re in, then this agency is probably not the one for you. During a proposal, they should have also studied your website/current strategy to see loopholes and propose exactly which areas they are going to improve and how they are going to fix them. The good thing about this red flag is that you can usually notice it right at the beginning of your interaction, so you’ll be quick to cross these types of agencies out.
2) Miscommunication, response times & empty promises
Have you ever had a great conversation with someone and they were very excited and eager to send you all of this valuable information and tools as a follow-up? Yet when you received the follow-up, it did not have exactly what you were waiting for. It was late, or it didn’t even include all the resources they claimed they would share with you. This is commonly known as a sales representative’s adrenaline. They get excited with you and make sure you’re on board while promising many things in return, but once they feel like you’re in, they don’t seem so excited anymore. Let me tell you, this is a HUGE red flag.
This phase of your interaction with an agency is the most important to them. If they are confusing, not responsive or making empty promises already then this is a sign that this behaviour is a habit, and it will not change once you sign that agreement. Why? Because at this phase the agency usually tries to do their best to serve you as a lead, so once they have you as a client, this behaviour will only get worse. From day 1, make sure that the agency you are considering is clear, always replies to your emails, and fulfills their promises.
3) No real strategy
An agency should always design a strategy tailored to your marketing needs and budget, and explain the roadmap to your success. You should have a clear understanding of the steps they are going to take. If you find yourself under the impression that they have a secret that no one else knows, or that they are miracle workers, then they are not being transparent and honest with you.
Digital marketing, just like most other industries, takes long and hard work. It takes a lot of practice and experience to ensure effective results. Many people believe the typical myth that digital marketing will turn their business upside down and absolutely eliminate all of their business-related problems in the blink of an eye. Absolutely not! Don’t get me wrong, digital marketing is absolutely necessary nowadays and has many moments of magic, but it takes dedication and constant optimization. That being said, if an agency is not being extremely clear with the steps they plan on taking to promote your business online, then they are not the agency for you.
4) Poor or no reviews
This goes without saying. Sometimes it can be very tempting to pay a cheap agency to do the work and choose to ignore the bad reviews. A good agency with good reviews that is more expensive, is an investment. An investment that will eventually reimburse itself with the results. However, paying an agency that is cheap with bad reviews will only waste your money and time.
Read and/or listen to their reviews. Another number to watch out for is their client retention. If the number has not increased, but actually decreased then this should serve as a big red flag for you. This means that their clients were not happy enough with their results or service, and their money was not benefiting their businesses.
5) Bad online presence
If you’re paying someone to do something, you sure hope they know how to do it. Experience is extremely important. If they haven’t figured out how to market themselves online, then how can they market your business successfully? Ask for past examples, and check their own online presence.
If they are nowhere to be found on Google, their website doesn’t work, and their social media presence is zero, then I would move on to a digital marketing agency that shows you the results themselves.
Did I miss any?
Have you recently done some research on digital marketing agencies and encountered other red flags that I didn’t include? I would love to add them! Comment down below, or email us at info@noahdigital.ca!
What Noah ensures as a digital marketing agency:
Our team strives to support people. We work hard, and do all things with integrity, honesty and transparency.
The Noah Ark symbolizes the way we help other businesses stay afloat in the digital ocean. We protect and guide businesses as digital marketing becomes a flood of innovations in an ever0changing environment. Our promise to you is to always have your best interest in mind and do all things with excellence. Noah Digital follows the best practices and guarantees your safekeeping. We take a proactive approach to build your business’ future on high ground.
As a team, Noah focuses on unity to provide your business with the best results as possible. We strive to make our clients feel secure, and comfortable with their digital marketing services. With constant communication, we work closely with our clients to ensure the best possible return on their investment.
