7 Questions to ask before hiring a Digital Marketing Agency

Embarking on a partnership with an agency is an investment and will hopefully be a long-term relationship. Before hiring a digital marketing agency, make sure to ask these seven questions to ensure they will be a great fit.

1. What separates you from your competition and why should this make me want to choose you?

Any agency in the industry should know what makes them unique. The kicker here is how that uniqueness should make you want to hire them. The unique skills of the agency you choose to partner with should align with your brand, business, and goals.

2. Do you have client testimonials? Can I speak with a client as a reference? Can you show me work examples?

Speaking with a longer-term client is especially important here. Ensure your agency maintains long-lasting partnerships. Finding out what aspects of an agency have forged these kinds of relationships are crucial, as they help you see if they fit with you and your business for months and years to come.

3. How do you measure your success with clients? How do you measure client satisfaction?

How does the agency know their clients are happy and how do they course correct? Everyone makes mistakes; that's not a dealbreaker. What can be a dealbreaker is if the agency doesn't fix mistakes or help you fix mistakes in a nuanced, intelligent way.

4. How do you share and discuss reporting with clients? Can I see your examples of reporting dashboards?

Seeing and understanding the results from a marketing agency is crucial. Are the outcomes/results transparent and available when you need them? Depending on your role within your organization, you may even be responsible for the success of the agency relationship and the output of projects. Pay close attention to this one!

5. What do you hope to accomplish when working with your clients; how do you determine goals?

Are your goals their goals? They should be! Partnering with an agency is somewhat like adding a new piece to your own company. It's vital that that new piece can function with your goals in mind.

6. Tell me about a time your agency failed; what did you learn from the experience?

Self-explanatory. Think of this question similar to a behavior-based interview for candidates. We all make mistakes but learning from them by taking responsibility and improving upon it is what matters.

7. What is your team structure? Who will I have on my account?

Ask to meet the team you’ll be working with. What if the sales team is stellar but your main contact (post-agreement signing) is just mediocre? By meeting your team, you’ll get a sense of the people you’ll be working with day-in and day-out. Be sure to ask tons of questions. It’s exciting to know you could soon be partnering with a full team of marketing pros, but be patient and thorough in your selection process.

Ready to ask us these seven questions? Let’s talk.