What is a Digital Marketing Agency, and Should You Hire One?
If you are a marketing executive, business owner, or entrepreneur looking to stay competitive in today’s digital market, you may consider the benefits of hiring a digital marketing agency. Digital marketing is an ever-evolving and increasingly vital element of successful businesses worldwide, from small startups to multinational companies. Leveraging a reputable digital marketing firm’s expertise can be essential for gaining a competitive edge in your industry.
In this blog post, we will explore what a digital marketing agency is and why it is important to hire one if you want to grow your business. We will also discuss some of the services they provide and how an experienced digital marketing agency can propel your marketing effort. By the end of this post, you should better understand why hiring a digital marketing agency could be a great choice for your business!
So, let’s dive in!
What is digital marketing?
Digital marketing is a dynamic approach to marketing that leverages online channels and digital touchpoints to engage and influence customers. It’s essential for building your brand’s online presence, attracting and retaining customers, and driving growth in the modern marketplace. By leveraging a diverse range of digital channels, marketers can create a more comprehensive and impactful marketing strategy.
In today’s world, customers are constantly connected and on the go. From checking their emails on their phones to scrolling through social media feeds on their tablets, they continuously search for information, products, and services that matter to them. With the average US household owning over 20 internet-connected devices, it’s more important than ever to have a solid digital marketing strategy to reach and engage with your target audience. The power of digital marketing is massive, and it requires experience, research, and a skilled set of people. This is where an experienced digital marketing agency can help.
The power of digital marketing is massive, and it requires experience, research, and a skilled set of people. This is where an experienced digital marketing agency can help.
Why is digital marketing important?
The increasing use of technology has impacted customer behaviors and expectations in ways that make digital marketing a must for most businesses. It helps reach an average of 50% more customers than traditional marketing.
Additional reasons that digital marketing is essential:
- Establishes your business’s online presence across the channels where your customers spend their time.
- You can build trust and relationships with customers.
- It enables your business to engage and influence customers purchasing decisions.
- Gain essential customer insights like buying behavior, decision-making, etc., to make informed decisions.
The power of digital marketing is massive, and it requires experience, research, and a skilled set of people. This is where a top digital marketing agency can help.
What is a digital marketing agency?
A digital marketing agency is a team of experts and trained professionals that specialize in providing digital marketing solutions to help businesses grow. Typically, a digital marketing agency will work with businesses to create and implement effective strategies for achieving their desired goals. This can include utilizing social media, search engine optimization (SEO), content marketing, email campaigns, website design and development, pay-per-click (PPC) advertising, and more. Additionally, digital marketing agencies are experts in digital analytics, which helps businesses measure their digital marketing efforts and make data-driven decisions. In short, digital marketing agencies are essential partners for businesses looking to succeed in digital marketing.
1. Digital marketing agencies create winning strategies to grow your business
Digital marketing agencies excel at crafting well-thought-out strategies that drive business growth by leveraging digital analytics and various marketing tactics. By analyzing customer behavior, identifying trends, and measuring the effectiveness of digital campaigns, these agencies can develop targeted marketing strategies to efficiently engage audiences and boost conversion rates.
By adopting a data-driven approach and continually refining their tactics based on performance data, digital marketing agencies can significantly increase the return on investment (ROI) for businesses, with some campaigns boosting ROI by as much as 500%-800%.
2. Digital marketing agencies take action to implement customized marketing activities
Digital marketing agencies design and implement customized campaigns by skillfully combining digital analytics and a wide range of marketing tactics. This tailored approach enables them to effectively target specific audiences and drive business growth.
The best digital marketing agencies work as partners with you, understanding your business, industry, and competition to create an approach that works for your business. Instead of a one-size-fits-all method, they consider your values, story, and the nature of your product/service to implement marketing tactics that set you apart.
By adopting a holistic approach and continually refining their tactics based on performance data, a top digital marketing agency can significantly enhance the effectiveness of their campaigns. Personalized marketing efforts have been shown to result in more customer interactions and conversions, with 63% of marketers reporting positive outcomes from such strategies. Through their expertise in crafting and executing customized, multi-faceted campaigns, digital marketing agencies enable businesses to stand out in the competitive online landscape and achieve their marketing goals.
3. Digital marketing agencies provide expert guidance and share insights
Digital marketing agencies use years of experience with many clients to help businesses get the most out of their marketing. With a wealth of institutional knowledge, digital agencies uniquely identify opportunities where digital marketing can help your business quickly.
Digital marketing agencies live and breathe marketing. After years of working with multiple clients across many industries, they have learned much about what works and doesn’t. Businesses benefit from their years of experience and insights, translating into faster decision-making and growth. This makes digital marketing agencies the perfect partner to help businesses reach their marketing goals.
Now that we understand what a digital marketing agency is, let’s dive deeper into the digital marketing services that agencies offer.
What services do digital marketing agencies offer?
1. Social Media Marketing (SMM)
A typical person spends around 2 hours on social media every day.
And that’s an opportunity for you to connect with your target customer.
Social media marketing (SMM) is an online digital marketing strategy that involves creating and sharing content on social media networks to build a business’s presence and attract new customers. This includes posting content related to the industry, such as images, videos, blog posts, and other digital assets that are optimized for each platform, increasing brand awareness and engagement.
2. Search Engine Optimization (SEO)
Ever wondered why some websites appear on the first page of Google when you search for something?
Well, it’s because they have optimized their website and content with
- relevant keywords,
- high-quality and useful content,
- internal and external links,
- backlinks, and
- technical optimization
67% of the clicks go to the first five search results. Hence, being in the first few searches is of utmost importance.
SEO helps your content get found on the first page of Google.
Search engine optimization (SEO) is a digital marketing strategy that focuses on increasing the visibility of web pages in organic search engine results. It is primarily used to drive more website traffic, improve user experience, and boost engagement. SEO involves optimizing content for search engines and their algorithms, including keyword research and optimization, content optimization, link-building, and more.
3. Inbound Marketing
Inbound Marketing is a digital marketing strategy that focuses on creating and sharing content that attracts customers organically, as opposed to outbound tactics like paid advertising. Inbound Marketing helps businesses identify their most effective digital strategies to reach customers and create campaigns tailored to their specific needs and interests.
Inbound marketing is all about providing valuable solutions to engage customers where they are. It’s an approach that builds long-term relationships by becoming a trusted resource for your target audience.
Informational content assets such as email newsletters, whitepapers, and blog posts engage customers and influence buying decisions earlier in the customer journey.
4. Account-Based Marketing
The average B2B customer uses six different channels to interact with you during the customer journey. And there are usually as many as ten decision-makers involved in the sales process.
Account-based Marketing (ABM) is a digital marketing strategy that targets highly specific, high-value prospects and customers. This targeted approach helps businesses convert leads into customers more effectively by providing them with tailored content, products, and services.
ABM uses personalized digital campaigns to target accounts instead of individuals. It leverages digital channels like email, web content, search engine optimization (SEO), and social media to create targeted campaigns tailored to each account.
The best marketing companies create multi-channel ABM programs that educate, influence, and inspire your target customer accounts.
Companies that align their strategies toward account-based marketing can see a 208% increase in marketing revenue.
5. Content Marketing
Today, 51% of mid-sized businesses invest in publishing premium content consistently.
Content marketing is a digital strategy that involves creating and sharing content to attract new customers. This includes posts on social media, blog articles, images, videos, and other digital assets. This approach establishes expertise, promotes awareness, and keeps your business top of mind when it’s time to buy what you sell.
An experienced digital marketing agency knows how to produce compelling content for digital channels with the highest impact. They will thoughtfully create high-quality digital assets such as blog posts, articles, images, videos, and other digital content tailored to your target audience. They also repurpose your content in different formats. This makes your content more cost-efficient to produce and effective once implemented.
6. Paid Advertising
Paid digital advertising involves using paid placements or sponsored ads to reach a target audience. It is considered one of the most cost-effective digital marketing strategies due to its ability to target specific audiences and track and measure results with high accuracy. Paid digital advertising includes various tactics to maximize visibility, reach the desired target audience, and generate leads and conversions.
These include search engine advertising (e.g., Google Adwords), digital display ads, retargeting campaigns, and social media ads. When used correctly, paid digital advertising can be highly effective. An experienced digital marketing agency can help you create a successful digital campaign that meets your specific goals and objectives.
7. Web Design and Development
88% of online customers say they wouldn’t return to a website after having a bad user experience.
A great web design helps businesses create an engaging digital presence that appeals to their target audience. It retains visitors and generates leads.
And it’s not just about the design, but the content, accessibility, and even how mobile-friendly it is. The work doesn’t stop after your website launch. An active marketing program usually requires the creation of numerous landing pages and regular website optimizations to improve conversion rates.
A digital marketing agency experienced in web design and development can handle all aspects of a website project, including layout, interface design, user experience (UX), content creation, coding, and software development.
8. Digital Marketing Strategy
A digital marketing strategy is a well-researched action plan to guide, execute, and manage digital marketing initiatives to achieve specific marketing objectives.
A clear strategy helps you reach your target audience better, set relevant KPIs, and hit specific marketing objectives.
But strategizing takes time, research, and expertise. Today, nearly 45% of businesses don’t have a digital marketing strategy.
An experienced digital marketing agency will help you develop and implement a digital marketing strategy tailored to your business needs and objectives. They will work with you to identify the best digital channels to reach your target audience, the best digital content to create, the most effective digital marketing tactics, and how to optimize digital campaigns for maximum impact.
So, those are a few services that digital marketing agencies offer.
Secret Sushi is a full-service digital marketing agency. If you are looking for a digital marketing agency partner to help your business you should check out our services here.
5 huge ways a digital marketing agency keeps you a step ahead
If you’re responsible for marketing a business, an effective approach is to enlist the help of an external digital marketing agency. It’s true that internal teams may suffice in some cases; however, partnering with a reputable and experienced digital marketing agency has many advantages. If you’re still on the fence about hiring one, here are five reasons to consider:
1. Agencies help cut costs
Cost-effective solutions
Digital marketing agencies can often provide cost-effective solutions for their clients, as they have the expertise and resources to identify the most efficient and effective tactics.
Reduced overhead
By outsourcing their digital marketing efforts to an agency, clients can save money on overhead costs, such as training and employee benefits. There is also more uncertainty with in-house teams as employees quit or may not be the right fit for the job. Hiring and training new employees take up more time and energy.
Pay-per-performance
Some digital marketing agencies offer pay-per-performance pricing models, which means that clients only pay for the results they receive. This can help clients save money by only paying for successful marketing efforts.
Access to specialized resources
Digital marketing agencies often have access to specialized resources and tools that can be expensive for clients to purchase independently. By hiring an agency, clients can take advantage of these resources without incurring the upfront cost.
Improved ROI
An excellent digital marketing agency can help clients improve their return on investment by focusing on tactics that drive the most value for their business. This can help clients save money by not wasting resources on ineffective marketing efforts.
2. Agencies speed up execution and save time
Hiring a digital marketing agency can speed up execution and save time for clients in several ways:
Expertise
Digital marketing agencies have teams of experienced professionals who are experts in their fields. This can help clients save time by not having to spend time learning about different digital marketing tactics and techniques themselves.
Time management
Digital marketing agencies help clients save time by managing their campaigns and projects more efficiently. This can involve everything from setting up automated processes to streamlining workflows. With years of practice and refinement, professional agencies have perfected their techniques for delivering high-quality work.
Access to resources
Digital marketing agencies often have access to a wide range of resources, such as specialized software and tools, that can help speed up execution and save time. Businesses can leverage pre-existing relationships with reliable industry partners and recruit specialized professionals that are otherwise tricky to locate quickly.
Scalability
Digital marketing agencies can scale their efforts up or down as needed to meet the changing needs of their clients. This can help clients save time by not having to adjust their internal resources constantly.
Strategic planning
A good digital marketing agency can help clients save time by developing and executing a comprehensive digital marketing strategy that aligns with their business goals. This can help clients focus on other aspects of their business while the agency handles the marketing efforts.
3. Agencies have professional experience and expertise
Partnering with a digital marketing agency provides clients with specialized knowledge and experience. Here’s an overview of what you can tap into:
Team of experts
Digital marketing agencies have teams of experts in various areas of digital marketing, such as SEO, PPC, social media, and content marketing. Investing in an agency is a terrific way to gain access to skilled professionals with a wealth of knowledge and experience.
Industry insights
Digital marketing agencies deeply understand the industry and can provide clients with valuable insights and recommendations based on their experience.
Best practices
Digital marketing agencies are familiar with the best practices and proven strategies for achieving success in digital marketing. They can help clients avoid common pitfalls and mistakes by sharing this knowledge.
Specialized skills
Digital marketing agencies often have team members with specialized skills, such as design or programming, that clients may not have in-house. By hiring an agency, clients can take advantage of these skills and bring a higher level of expertise to their marketing efforts.
Ongoing support
Digital marketing agencies can provide ongoing support and guidance to their clients, helping them stay up-to-date on the latest trends and best practices in the industry.
4. Agencies keep up with marketing trends for you
Working with a digital marketing agency can be hugely advantageous to clients, as it allows them to stay abreast of cutting-edge trends in the industry. Here are several ways:
Industry knowledge
Digital marketing agencies know precisely what’s hot and which practices are the most impactful. This ensures their customers never get left behind.
Continuous learning
Digital marketing agencies have team members who stay up-to-date on the latest trends and breakthroughs in their field. This way, they can guarantee that clients use the most cutting-edge strategies for maximum success.
Network of professionals
Digital marketing agencies have a network of people in the industry who they can ask for advice on the latest trends. This helps clients stay up-to-date on new developments in their field.
Adaptability
Digital marketing agencies can adapt to changing trends and incorporate new techniques into their strategies for their clients.
5. Agencies provide better insights
Digital Marketing Agencies use analytics data and other insights that can help give valuable feedback about customer behavior, allowing companies to adjust their strategies accordingly to stay competitive and ahead of the curve.
Digital marketing agencies can provide better insights than clients in several ways:
Data analysis
Digital marketing agencies have access to a wide range of data and analytics tools that can help them gain deeper insights into their clients’ marketing efforts. They can use this data to identify trends and make recommendations for improvement.
Industry knowledge
Digital marketing agencies have a wealth of knowledge about the industry and can use it to provide clients with valuable insights into their market and competitors.
Experience
Digital marketing agencies have experience working with various clients in different industries, giving them a unique perspective on what works and what doesn’t. They can use this experience to provide clients with valuable insights and recommendations.
Objectivity
Digital marketing agencies can provide an objective perspective on a client’s marketing efforts. This can be helpful for clients who may be too close to their marketing efforts to see them clearly.
Innovation
Digital marketing agencies always look for new and innovative ways to reach and engage audiences. They can bring this creativity and outside-the-box thinking to their client’s marketing efforts, providing new insights and ideas.
Full-service or specialty marketing agency: What kind of agency do you need for your business?
Now that you have a clearer understanding of why you might hire an agency, let’s go further and understand the different types of digital marketing agencies. Depending on your current and future needs, there are two kinds of agencies that you might choose from.
Full-Service Agency:
A full-service digital marketing agency offers various services, including strategy, website design and development, content marketing, email marketing, social media marketing, and pay-per-click (PPC) advertising. Since effective marketing often requires multiple marketing disciplines to work together, full-service agencies can be an excellent resource for an integrated, multi-channel approach. These agencies can provide comprehensive support for all aspects of a client’s digital marketing efforts. They don’t try to be all things to all people. Instead, they prioritize creating services that cater to most businesses’ needs.
Specialty Marketing Agency:
On the other hand, a specialty digital marketing agency focuses on a specific area of digital marketing, such as SEO, PPC, social media, or content marketing. These agencies often have a deep level of expertise in their area of specialization and can provide more targeted support for clients.
Both types of digital marketing agencies can be valuable to clients, depending on their specific needs and goals. Full-service agencies can be a good choice for clients who want a comprehensive approach to their digital marketing efforts, while specialty agencies can be a good choice for clients who need more focused support in a specific area.
Final Words
The right agency will have the experience and knowledge necessary to create an effective marketing campaign that will help you reach your specific business goals. They will also stay up-to-date on the latest trends and changes in the digital landscape so that you don’t have to. If you are ready to take your business to the next level, or want to talk with us about how we can help supercharge your marketing, reach out to us here!
Cheers!