If you’re considering working with a digital marketing agency, you know how important digital marketing is. The right agency will be like an extension of your team, ready to help you grow brand awareness, drive traffic to your website, and achieve other digital marketing goals. To help you get the most out of your investment, here are seven tips for working with a digital marketing agency.  

1. Choose the right agency for your business

The first step to having a positive experience with an agency is to choose one that’s a good fit for your company. Look for an agency that excels in the services you need. Need social media help? Find one that specializes in social media and can talk about their experience and successes. Need influencer marketing? Make sure the agency you choose has experience in that area. There’s so much involved in digital marketing, so finding a digital marketing agency that has knowledge and experience in the specific services you need is crucial.

It’s also helpful to find an agency that has experience working with businesses in your industry, as they’ll have a stronger understanding of the challenges you face and which digital marketing efforts work best. For example, at Healthy Dash of Social, we specialize in digital marketing services for product brands – typically in the lifestyle and wellness spaces – and non-profit organizations.

2. Trust their expertise

When you hire an agency, you hire a group of professionals who are passionate about and experienced in the work they do. Just like you’re the expert at what you do, they’re experts in their areas of digital marketing. Be open to hearing their ideas, trust their recommendations, and don’t micromanage. After all, this isn’t their first rodeo! Whether the agency is helping with social media management, blogging, graphic design, paid ads, or something else, trust that they know what they’re doing and are always working with your best interests in mind.

Technology and digital marketing are constantly changing, so it’s crucial that you’re open to trying new things. The same methods that worked 10 years ago won’t necessarily work today and doing something because you’ve “always done it this way” is a great way to limit your success before you even get started. You hired the agency for a reason; trust their expertise and be willing to implement their ideas.

3. Be prepared

One of the best ways to make the agency happy? Come prepared! Agencies love helping their clients succeed in digital marketing, and one of the best ways to make that happen is to have ready any helpful information, including brand guidelines, mission statements, target audience info, and existing imagery. If you don’t have these or know you want new ones, come with ideas of what you would like to see in terms of imagery, colors, and tone, or have links to brands that inspire you. Be ready to also provide details about your products and services, including features, benefits, costs, and how it all works.

Having as much information as possible about your brand and your vision will help the agency translate that into high-quality content, gorgeous websites, and other digital marketing materials.

4. Set expectations from the start

When goals and expectations are clear from day one, everyone is on the same page and knows what the desired results are. What does success look like to you? What kind of results would you like to see? Be clear about these when working with an agency. When the digital marketing agency knows what you’re looking to accomplish, they can create specific strategies and ensure they take the right steps to achieve success based on your goals.

5. Keep expectations realistic

While setting expectations is important, it’s also important to keep those expectations realistic. Just as Rome wasn’t built in a day, the agency will not be able to grow your social media following by thousands overnight or guarantee that your next video will go viral the second you publish it. Even with high-quality content and a well-planned marketing strategy in place, things take time. Not sure if your expectations are realistic or not? The agency can help you determine how much time and effort will realistically be needed to achieve your goals.

6. Be a good communicator

Open communication is key to a positive experience working with an agency. Be as clear as possible when sharing ideas or discussing concerns. If the agency asks for clarification or needs more information about your products or services, provide it. The better information they have, the better work they can do for your brand. If you need changes made, say so in a timely manner and be as clear as possible about what you’d like to see different, or what you feel isn’t working. Clear communication ensures everyone’s on the same page and people have sufficient time to get work done.

It’s also helpful to make clear from the beginning how your team and the agency plan to communicate. For example, which channels (email, Slack, Trello, etc.) will you be using? How quickly should responses be given? What are the hours each team is available for communication? Good communication makes a HUGE difference in the experience – for everyone.

7. Remember that everyone is on the same team

While the digital marketing agency you hire is a separate company, they’re here to help you succeed. Your success is always the end goal! Everyone is on the same team and the agency wants what’s best for your brand. When your digital marketing is successful, that feels like a win for us, too.

Need a digital marketing agency?

We’ve got you! Healthy Dash of Social is a full-service digital marketing agency for product brands and non-profits. Our team of experts is ready to take on your social media management, content creation, email marketing, influencer marketing, and other digital marketing needs. Click here to view our services and schedule your free 30-minute chat.