There is no debate that the time for adept digital marketing approaches for your business has come. Are you weighing your digital marketing options? Are you split between hiring a single in-house individual and hiring a full-service agency? Well, both ideas are brilliant, but there sure is one that makes more sense than the other.
On the one hand, an in-house person has immediate access to your business information. He can easily reply to client inquiries on products and services and perhaps make a quick sale off social media. On the other hand, a digital transformation agency has a great wealth of expertise, talent, and resources that your business can take advantage of.
The odds are stacked against hiring an individual. According to Digitawise, a full-service digital agency commands the following advantages. Read through each carefully to learn how an agency puts you above your competitors.
An agency offers a team approach
No matter how experienced an individual is, he cannot match the expertise of an organization. In most places, a digital agency consists of more than five different talents. Examples are ad copywriters, photographers, graphic designers, social media managers, and advertising experts.
While it is possible for one person to be knowledgeable in all these fields, his knowledge can only go so far. A team of talents is better able to handle the huge number of content that goes out from your company and comes in from your followers and prospective customers.
The creativity of a team is naturally better than that of an individual. When one person is away, there is always another one to handle your company needs. On the contrary, your lone digital marketing employee takes it all away if he is ill or away for other personal reasons.
Hiring an agency is cost effective
Have you looked at the fees that digital agencies ask for? You will be pleasantly surprised to discover that it is a fraction of what today’s digital managers are paid. To say that agencies are affordable is actually an understatement.
It is the objective of every business owner to cut expenditures whenever possible. Choose to keep your hiring costs low by engaging one of the top agencies near you. There is little if any need to hire employees who you are not certain to keep.
Even when they have signed a contract, you are never sure when employees will exit the company. In fact, you may be required to do occasional training as the digital industry evolves. If they leave, the cycle repeats itself, effectively proving to be costlier than you originally thought.
You benefit from new ideas
A digital agency is out to deliver tangible results over a long period. Examples of common KPIs in digital are increased followers, more interactive social media and improved sales closed off the digital marketing and sales space.
For this reason, agencies are always a step ahead as far as industry knowledge is concerned. Key account managers train their teams on evolving digital approaches as they come and go. These new skills and competencies are then passed down to your business.
If they gather valuable intelligence from other accounts that they handle, they will surely apply it to positively impact your company. The same may not always be true for in-house digital managers who are not exposed to so many different ways of thinking.
Agency fees are only upfront
When you are negotiating with a digital agency, the fees are applicable upfront. Unless there are key changes to the contract, you always know how much they are going to bill you at the end of the month.
This advantage is unheard of where you hire an individual to work from your premises. His salary is the first cost that you must incur every month, and you often have to remit salaries whether or not the employee is actually effective.
Next, you have to rent space from where the person will work. If you hire assistants and interns, you will have to expand your offices, effectively incurring more rent and resources. Further down the line, you will incur additional costs in employee training, government taxes, benefits, and end-of-year bonuses.
Let your employees focus on core business activities
It is common to find the owner of a business posting content and interacting with its social media pages. There is absolutely nothing wrong with this. In any case, it gives you an idea of what people are saying about your business.
However, digital media management should not come at the expense of the core functions of the business. The last thing you want is your employees chatting with external stakeholders while crucial functions such as sales and business development are pending.
You may want to get prompt reports of the social media and website numbers. That is where an agency comes in handy. They can compile, prepare and present monthly reports. Work with them to refine ideas on how you can take your business forward.
A digital agency is thorough, consistent
To have a great working relationship with you, a digital agency must uphold their end of the bargain. Even before signing a contract, you have to decide on key performance metrics. After that, you can rest assured that they will meet and surpass KPIs.
A digital agency is consistent and thorough. Your monthly reports should indicate improved performance across the year. They will burn the midnight oil to ensure targets and deadlines are met. The same is not always the case for an individual working from your offices.
You have the freedom to renew or cancel the contract upon expiry. Agencies are too aware of this fact and will do whatever they can to have the engagement run for as long as possible. Ultimately, you are assured of competitiveness in your industry.
One fee gives you a package of benefits
Commit yourself to a couple hundred dollars every month, and you set yourself for success. Agencies these days are thoroughly prepared to take your business to the next level. You only need to pay a basic subscription fee and obtain a package of benefits.
The most experienced agency in your city is always ready to bring you on board. Even when they give you a myriad of benefits, their charges are never too steep to afford. On the contrary, the single most experienced digital person in town may not readily be interested in working for your business.
A digital agency is more recognized by thought leaders
Hire a digital agency that is licensed and regulated by the relevant digital authorities. Google Partner, for example, is a lucrative certification that Google awards to brilliant digital agencies upon meeting strict yardsticks.
For example, an agency must surpass a certain lifetime advertising spend. Two or more analysts at the agency must be holders of Google AdWords and AdSense certificates. These are the current algorithms for certification, and the rules of the game may evolve further down the years.
The advantage of hiring a digital agency that boasts of these feats is huge. It can help your business to run online ads that ordinary agencies or individuals cannot. As they are verified and trusted by the search engines, these benefits trickle down to your business.
It is possible for a digital marketing manager to learn Google Support skills and competencies. All it takes is online tutorials and part-time studying. However, an individual’s knowledge is limited when compared to the collective competency of a digital agency.
A digital agency is at your beck and call
Do you need to know how many people visited your website in a particular period? A digital agency is ready to present such a report. If you want to generate leads on social media or on your website, the agency has that capability. After all, it has done the same for its current or past clients.
Do you want to change the copy and imagery on your website on short notice? You only need to say it once, and the agency jumps to action. Simply put, there is always somebody at the agency ready to receive your instructions and act promptly.
A digital agency does more than just online marketing
If you are looking for a complete digital experience, get a comprehensive package from your appointed digital agency. You can benefit from additional capabilities such as cloud hosting environments, server and web design at a considerably lower rate than is usually the case.
Such advanced capabilities are mostly recommended for large businesses and franchises. You see, a company with several subsidiaries should find an equally able agency to work with. Otherwise, hiring internal staff may be expensive, and inefficient.
Conclusion
Having discovered the above 10 benefits, what are you waiting for? Start scouting for a qualified partner in the digital ecosystem. Do you already have an internal digital marketer? You could consider keeping him to respond to specific social media inquiries whose answers are only within your business domain.
Not all digital agencies deliver what they promise. Experience in your industry is a very important thing to consider. Talk to several agencies and compare their expertise, charges, and capabilities.Are you planning to diversify your business or open additional branches? Ensure that the agency you settle for is able to handle foreseeable adjustments. More importantly, hire an organization that has excelled in your industry. This way, you lay the foundation of a profitable, rewarding and long lasting digital marketing experience.
