The customers in the digital world are changing along with the world itself, making the company’s marketing department to be alert and execute strategies based on this changes. Marketers require in depth understanding and skills of the digital world more than ever before, and senior managers in growing companies need to surround themselves with advanced digital expertise. For a company with a robust marketing department, or existing branding and creative efforts through an ad agency, it’s hard to imagine where a digital agency might fit in. While incorporating a digital marketing agency into your practices may be an option you have already considered, it can be a difficult decision for a large business with an existing marketing process to casually act upon. However, there are many different aspects to a digital marketing agencythat can be beneficial to your company. From strategists and analysts, to designers and developers, there are a lot of roles that a digital media marketing agency can play in the growth of your established brand.
Check if your digital marketing agency is performing as promised
Bringing the appropriate digital marketing agency on board as a strategic partner to promote your business is a difficult process. During the selection phase focus is on static, qualitative characteristics as opposed to quantitative aspects which can be negotiated before finalizing a contract. Whether you’re a new business owner just starting out with your startup, have an established business or work in marketing for a multi-million or billion-dollar company, chances are you’ve been approached by a digital marketing agency or publisher trying to sell you their digital service offerings.
With this shift, traditional advertising companies like TV, radio stations, newspapers, and magazines are eager to retain their portion of marketing budgets from the chopping block, so they develop their own digital offerings to help fill this void. In addition, many agencies are trying to build up their knowledge about digital marketing by training or hiring employees to do the work that many of their clients and prospective clients are asking for. So, if you’re looking for a digital marketing agency to collaborate with, how do you select the good from the bad? How do you evaluate a digital marketing agency to determine if they really know their stuff?
5 must have traits for a digital marketing agency
1. Result Oriented Team
When looking for the best digital marketing agency, you want to think of them as an extension of your marketing team and not as an outsourced service. It means you want to hire an agency that is in with your company’s vision, mission, core values, and culture. While this step may be the most challenging to observe, it is one of the most important to ensure a healthy and long-term business relationship. You’ve heard the phrase, “don’t judge a book by its cover”. When choosing an agency, a great website is a good indicator of whether you can trust them, but it’s not perfect. Talk to them, ask for previous work samples and get to know the agency you could potentially work with. Sometimes the people working with you during the proposal process are not the same ones who will be working on your account. That’s fine, but you should absolutely request to talk to the team members who will be most involved in your account day-to-day. Do your personalities jive well together? Do those associates inspire your confidence in interactions that you have with them?
2. Agency Specialization
These days there are way too many agencies trying to be everything to everybody. Design firms are offering marketing strategy; PR firms are offering design services – it’s getting crazy out there. Don’t get caught up in the craziness. If you are trying to do digital marketing right, it is critical that you hire a digital marketing agency specialized for your campaigns and goals. And if you need creative, hire a solid design firm. If you need SEO, hire an SEO company. If you need everything, hire a full-service digital marketing agency.
I know, it seems like common sense right? But it happens way too often. When agencies try to be a jack of all trades and move further from their core competencies, the results aren’t good for anyone. So when it comes to hiring an agency, make sure that they are offering you services that are core to their skill set.
3. Agency’s core competencies
Despite the descriptions outlined above, there is delineation between web design companies who claim to be search engine optimization (SEO) experts and branding companies who declare themselves as digital marketing experts. It is worth mentioning that both styles have their place in your marketing strategy. The main difference is how the results are achieved. If your agency focuses mainly on SEO, the goals for your business are to achieve increased traffic and search engine rankings. This strategy is used to have your business information returned to potential clients when they search under some of the following specific terms:
Geographical targeting
Industry-specific searches
A stand-alone product, service or division to be emphasized
Brand marketing encompasses the whole of your business rather than focusing on specifics. The digital marketing strategy is to create an identity for your startup that evokes an emotional response in your target market, which leads to conversions and engagement. Although branding leverages the personal connection in digital marketing, it is also beneficial to SEO. In a results-driven marketplace, it is critical your agency’s core competencies meet the specialized needs of your business. They should be identifying your determined target market, demographics and strategies that will differentiate your business from others. Your marketing investment has to net you a partner in reaching your business goals and not just the minimal, value-added service many agencies provide. While assessing the value of your current marketing agency there are several points of contention to consider.
4. Creativity
A digital marketing agency has to be creative to set your business apart from the competition. Since your focus is on running the business in the best manner possible to maximize profits and minimize operational costs, you likely have little time to develop a creative marketing strategy. You have hired a digital marketing agency to grow and foster your revenue stream using innovation and creativity, as well as to develop a course of action that will produce results. Your business deserves to be cast in its best possible light so you can maximize the growth potential. If you feel your marketing dollars are not providing the image you desired for your brand or the returns you imagined, it may be time to consider a move.
5. Reporting and Communication Process
This is very important. When you are in the beginning stages of communication with an digital marketing agency you are evaluating, make them explain their reporting protocol to you. It is recommended to ensure that everything is tangible so you know what the agency is going to deliver and when they are going to deliver it. This can be hard working in digital but it is critical so you know where your money is going and when you need to pivot your strategy. There are two main things that you should evaluate when it comes to reporting and communication processes: how they plan to communicate with you and how they plan to present analytics. Your digital media marketing agency should try to meet your needs when it comes to communication. Make sure you agree on a process that works for both of you. When it comes to analytics, I recommend looking for a digital marketing agency that has the following attributes:
Consistency
Most agencies like to do monthly reporting, which is perfectly fine. But a lot of agencies also get away with using different reporting protocols each month. This makes it hard to spot trends. Here’s a little insider secret – agencies do this to only show you the “good stuff”. But you don’t want a fair-weather agency. Most of the time, the “bad stuff” is what is most important to see. So make sure that you decide on a reporting structure you like and are getting the same base report every month with additions as needed.
Frequency
To stay in the loop, it is recommended to ask for weekly base reports with quick status updates as well as in-depth monthly reporting. That way, you know how things are progressing weekly while also getting those deep analytical insights monthly.
Conclusion
When evaluating a digital marketing agency, you’ll need to ask the questions that matter most to your brand’s success. We could list down 8, 18, or 80 parameters that matter but in the end, this list is just a guide. What you should really be asking is what you think are essential.
When consulting with a digital marketing agency, there is no such thing as a dumb question. After all, it’s your brand’s success that is at stake here.
An established in-house team often excels at brand-centric tasks but may lack the specialized, dynamic expertise required to navigate the complex digital ecosystem. Partnering with a specialized digital agency injects advanced skills, external market perspectives, and dedicated focus, turning marketing from a cost center into a direct growth driver. This strategic collaboration is not about replacement but augmentation, filling critical knowledge gaps. A great digital partner offers:
Advanced Analytics and Tooling: Access to cutting-edge analytics platforms and the expertise to translate complex data into actionable strategy.
Cross-Industry Insights: Experience from diverse campaigns provides innovative solutions your internal team might not conceive.
Focused Execution: A dedicated team for SEO, PPC, or content marketing ensures your campaigns receive undivided attention and continuous refinement.
By integrating this external expertise, you gain a competitive edge that is difficult to build internally. To learn more about identifying the right kind of partner for your brand, explore the full analysis.
A truly result-oriented agency embeds itself within your company's mission, acting as an extension of your team rather than a detached vendor. This cultural alignment is vital because it ensures their strategies are driven by your core business objectives, not just vanity metrics. Their success becomes intrinsically linked to your own, fostering a proactive and collaborative long-term relationship. This partnership model is built on:
Shared Vision: They understand your 'why' and craft campaigns that reflect your brand's core values.
Proactive Strategy: Instead of waiting for instructions, they bring new ideas and market opportunities to the table.
Transparent Communication: They operate with full transparency, providing clear reports that connect their work to your bottom line.
Viewing an agency as a partner elevates the relationship from a simple transaction to a powerful alliance for growth. Discover the five essential traits that separate a strategic partner from a mere service provider in our complete guide.
The best approach depends entirely on your primary objective and internal resources. A full-service agency offers a single point of contact and potentially integrated strategies, which can be efficient. However, a specialized firm provides deep, focused expertise that often yields superior results in a specific channel like SEO or creative design. The critical factor is avoiding agencies that are a 'jack of all trades, master of none.' To make the right choice, you should weigh the following:
Primary Goal: If one channel is overwhelmingly critical to your success, choose a specialist.
Integration Needs: If campaigns must be tightly coordinated across multiple channels, a strong full-service agency might be better, provided they prove their expertise in each area.
Team Expertise: Evaluate the specific team members who will work on your account, not just the agency's overall claim.
Your decision should be based on a clear-eyed assessment of where you need the most powerful support. For a deeper breakdown of how to vet agency specializations, read the full article.
To verify an agency's digital expertise is genuine, you must look past their marketing claims and demand concrete proof of performance. Traditional ad agencies pivoting to digital often have a glossy veneer but lack deep, technical execution capabilities. Requesting specific, verifiable evidence is your best defense against hiring a repurposed traditional firm. Key items to demand include:
Detailed Case Studies: Ask for examples of work similar to your project, focusing on the initial problem, the strategy implemented, and most importantly, the quantifiable results.
Team Credentials: Inquire about the background, training, and certifications of the specific individuals who will be managing your account.
Client References: Speak directly with current or past clients to ask about their experience with the agency's process, communication, and impact on their business goals.
This due diligence separates agencies with true digital DNA from those simply trying to retain marketing budgets. Explore further methods for scrutinizing an agency's claims in the complete text.
Looking beyond a polished website requires asking incisive questions that reveal an agency's true strategic depth and operational process. A great website shows they value design, but it does not guarantee they can deliver measurable business outcomes for clients. To uncover their real capabilities, shift the conversation from what they promise to what they have actually done. Focus your inquiry on these areas:
Strategic Rationale: 'For a past project you're proud of, can you walk me through why you chose that specific strategy over other alternatives?'
Performance Metrics: 'What key performance indicators did you use to measure success for that campaign, and can you show me the data?'
Problem-Solving: 'Describe a time a campaign was underperforming and detail the exact steps your team took to analyze the problem and pivot your approach.'
Their answers will reveal whether they are true strategic thinkers or just skilled at presentation. Our guide offers more questions to help you distinguish a reliable partner from a risky gamble.
For a large company, ensuring cultural fit is as important as verifying technical skill, as a poor fit can create friction and derail projects. A methodical vetting process for the day-to-day team prevents a bait-and-switch where you are sold by seniors but managed by juniors. This requires moving beyond the formal proposal and creating direct interactions with the proposed account team. A practical plan includes:
Mandatory Team Interviews: Insist on a meeting with the core team members who will handle your account. This is a non-negotiable step.
Chemistry Check Session: Present them with a hypothetical challenge or a small, real-world problem to see how they collaborate and communicate under pressure.
Reference Checks for Team Members: If possible, ask for references from clients who have worked directly with those specific individuals.
This process ensures the people you interact with daily have the expertise and interpersonal skills to become a true extension of your own team. Find out more about building a strong agency relationship in the full article.
As the 'all-in-one' agency model proliferates, senior managers must evolve their procurement process to prioritize proven specialization over broad claims. The future of successful partnerships lies in identifying agencies with deep, demonstrable expertise in the specific areas that drive business growth. This means shifting from a vendor-centric to a capabilities-centric evaluation framework. Key strategic adjustments include:
Unbundling Services: Instead of seeking one agency for everything, consider a 'best-of-breed' approach, hiring specialists for critical functions like SEO, creative, and analytics.
Performance-Based Contracts: Structure agreements around achieving specific, measurable business outcomes rather than paying for a list of services.
Continuous Vetting: Implement regular, data-driven reviews of agency performance to ensure they are still the right partner as your needs and the market evolve.
This forward-thinking approach will protect your marketing investment and ensure you are always working with top-tier talent. Learn how to future-proof your marketing partnerships by reading our complete analysis.
The most common mistake is being swayed by a charismatic sales team and a polished proposal without ever meeting the people who will actually execute the work. This creates a significant risk of a 'bait-and-switch,' where senior strategists win the business, but junior associates manage the account. The solution is to make access to the day-to-day team a mandatory part of your evaluation process. You can avoid this pitfall by:
Insisting on a 'Team Meet and Greet': Before signing any contract, require a formal meeting with the account manager, strategists, and specialists assigned to you.
Asking Role-Specific Questions: Direct technical questions to the specialists and strategic questions to the account lead to gauge their individual expertise.
Including Team Guarantees in the Contract: Stipulate that the key personnel introduced during the selection process will be the ones working on your account.
This simple step ensures the talent you are paying for is the talent you actually get. The full article provides more insights on how to secure the right team for your business needs.
Many businesses accept vague, qualitative promises like 'brand enhancement' or 'increased engagement' instead of insisting on quantifiable goals. To establish true accountability, you must translate an agency's strategic promises into measurable outcomes before signing a contract. This moves the relationship from a service purchase to a performance-based partnership. To achieve this, focus on these negotiation points:
Define Core KPIs: Identify the three to five key performance indicators that directly impact your business goals, such as customer acquisition cost, conversion rate, or lead-to-customer ratio.
Set Tiered Goals: Establish clear, time-bound targets for these KPIs, potentially with performance bonuses for exceeding expectations.
Structure Reporting Around Metrics: Mandate that all reporting and review meetings are centered around progress against these agreed-upon quantitative metrics.
Building the contract around measurable results ensures both parties are aligned on what success looks like. Discover more tactics for creating an accountable agency relationship in the complete guide.
Agency specialization directly impacts campaign results because deep expertise in a complex field like SEO is not interchangeable with other marketing skills. A specialized SEO firm possesses an advanced understanding of search algorithms, technical optimization, and competitive landscapes that a generalist agency simply cannot match. Using a design firm for SEO is like asking an architect to handle the plumbing; it is related but requires a different core skill set. A specialist provides:
Technical Proficiency: Mastery of technical SEO elements like site speed, schema markup, and indexability that generalists often overlook.
Strategic Keyword Intelligence: A sophisticated approach to identifying and targeting high-intent keywords that drive qualified traffic and conversions.
Adaptability to Algorithm Changes: Dedicated focus allows them to stay ahead of constant search engine updates and adjust strategy accordingly.
For critical business goals, hiring a master of one trade is almost always more effective than hiring a jack-of-all-trades. Explore why specialization is a key trait of a high-performing agency in the full article.
The primary risk in hiring a PR firm that offers design is that their design capabilities may be superficial and lack the strategic depth needed for effective brand communication. PR firms excel at narrative and media relations, but visual identity and user experience design are fundamentally different disciplines. You risk getting a design that looks acceptable but fails to connect with your audience or support business goals. To properly evaluate their secondary expertise, you should:
Review their Design-Specific Portfolio: Ask to see projects where design was the central component, not just a supporting element to a PR campaign.
Interview their Head of Design: Speak directly with their lead designer to understand their creative process, strategic thinking, and design philosophy.
Assess their Technical Skills: Inquire about their proficiency with modern design tools, user experience (UX) principles, and conversion-centered design practices.
This rigorous vetting ensures you are not sacrificing quality for the convenience of a single vendor. Learn more about matching agency skills to your specific needs in our complete guide.
A startup must determine if an agency is a true partner invested in its growth, not just a vendor completing tasks. This distinction is crucial for maximizing a limited budget and ensuring marketing efforts directly support core business objectives. A strategic partner will challenge your assumptions and focus on outcomes, while a vendor will simply execute your requests. To assess this, a startup should take these concrete steps:
Present a Business Problem, Not a Task List: Instead of saying 'we need SEO,' explain 'we need to acquire users for under X cost.' A partner will propose a holistic solution, while a vendor will just quote you for SEO.
Probe their Onboarding Process: Ask how they would get to know your business, customers, and market. A partner will describe a deep discovery phase.
Discuss Failure and Adaptation: Ask how they handle campaigns that do not meet initial targets. A partner will talk about data analysis, iteration, and learning.
This approach helps you find an agency that will act like a co-owner of your marketing success. Find out more about building a strong agency relationship from the ground up in the full article.
Chandala Takalkar is a young content marketer and creative with experience in content, copy, corporate communications, and design. A digital native, she has the ability to craft content and copy that suits the medium and connects. Prior to Team upGrowth, she worked as an English trainer. Her experience includes all forms of copy and content writing, from Social Media communication to email marketing.
Growth Strategy and Planning
