For far too long, working with a marketing agency has been seen by businesses with an in-house marketing team as a sign that they weren’t able, a sign they weren’t up to scratch. However, this misconception is starting to break, and people are realising the folly of their ways. As we embrace the digital age, businesses are seeing the light that a digital marketing agency can be an extension of their team, a source of enlightenment and an integral part of their growth strategy.
In with the new and in with the old
When looking for an agency to work with you, look for an agency that listens to you and your needs rather than a salesy pitch with generic boastful claims of how they can change the world for you (I’ve heard this SEO agency in Essex are pretty good 😊). The secret to a digital marketing agency working for you and your business is having a solid relationship that is built on mutual respect and a mutual desire to grow your business.
An effective digital marketing agency will work alongside your marketing team (or sales/owner however your business is set up) as they are the ones that know your business the most, they understand your target market, they understand the buying process and consumer buying behaviour. Why start from the beginning all over again? A digital marketing agency is not looking to take over but to work in perfect unison with your existing team.
How is perfect unison achieved?
Communication.
How does a digital marketing team communicate when they don’t share an office?
We’ve established that communication is key, but it is not always easy to achieve, especially if they are not sitting at the neighbouring desk or talking about Bake Off in the kitchen whilst the kettle’s boiling.
It is important to find a collaborative space to brainstorm ideas, share feedback, and update each other on progress. With the recent improvements in virtual meetings, it doesn’t always involve face to face meetings, which opens up your choice of agency to any around the country to allow you to find the right fit.
A credible digital marketing agency will use a collaborative space to allow the above and the sharing of documents etc. If they don’t already use one or you want to suggest your own, Hubspot has suggested some for you to use.
Considering employing someone with all those skills instead?
It could be argued that in fact you could bypass the digital marketing agency altogether and employ someone to work in house. They would work in the same office as the existing marketing team, they would be talking soggy bottoms over a brew and they would get to understand the business, the industry, the customers etc.
However, there is little likelihood that the employee(s) would possess all the skills that the agency could provide, and you also have to pay them a full wage, benefits etc. With an agency, you benefit from the full skillset of people that are employed for their specific skills in different areas of digital marketing. Digital marketing agencies will also have experts for the different areas they cover from PPC to SEO, to Website Development and you will benefit from all areas of expertise, thus saving you time and money.
Digital marketing agencies work with a wide variety of companies, across a wide variety of industries. They work with small companies selling to a local market, to national companies, to global multinationals. This level of expertise of all things digital is worth its weight.
We’re all in this together
Ultimately, you have to do what is right for your business, what is going to work most effectively for you and who is going to help you do that. We at Sierra Six can help you figure that out and we will listen to you and your needs to find a place for us to help and how we can complement your existing team. Get in touch today for more info.
Rachel Downes, Publisher, Sierra Six Media.
