5 compelling reasons why you should hire a digital marketing agency in 2018

To hire an inbound marketing agency or not to hire? The moment you decide to leverage internet marketing for your business - which by the way you should - you will come face to face with the decision to either create an in-house unit for your online efforts or bring in a digital marketing agency. Depending on the unique needs and stage your business is at - each of the option presents some advantages and demerits by the way - outsourcing your digital marketing can be the game changer for your business. In this article I'll be sharing five compelling reasons why you should hire a digital marketing agency and things to look for in a digital marketing agency before signing the dotted lines - this article is especially useful if you're new to online marketing.

So, here we go.

Why you should hire a digital marketing agency

Leverage on Proven Expertise to get off the ground

As a startup, one of the core challenges you face is attracting and retaining top talents - and we know it's not always a stroll in the park accomplishing that; so how do you still enjoy the value of top talents pending when you've grown enough roots to hire them?
You outsource. A quick search online will throw up a bunch of high flying digital marketing agency in your city; sieve through them and hire only the firm that ticks all your criteria and is the best fit for your organization. While at it, look out for agencies that have the flexibility to accommodate your current needs and can grow with you. Leveraging on the proven expertise of a marketing agency means, they'd hit the ground running without all the hassles of onboarding, training and getting to grips if you've had to build a new digital marketing team. This in itself is significant, in that one valuable asset you have at this stage is time.

If your marketing efforts aren't working anymore

Shits happen, and as a business owner, you role is to figure out ways to minimize the impact. So what do you do when your marketing efforts are not yielding the kind of results you'd expect? You can either choose to keep throwing your resources at the shitty marketing efforts or bring in fresh pairs of eyes to take a look at your processes and systems. Hiring an agency at this point, not only knock things off the rut but also they'd be bringing a new boost of energy to your team.

A result-oriented agency will diligently go through your systems, landing pages, sales letters including all the moving parts of your online marketing efforts to uncover where the disconnects are; then develop a plan and strategy to inject life into your marketing.

Focus on your core business

As a business owner, you don't have the luxury of getting distracted from your major business. Of course, you can choose to hire an in-house staff to handle your online marketing, but unfortunately, you'd just be creating more responsibilities that detract from actually doing the things that bring in the buck. My solution? Ruthlessly focus on your strengths and let a marketing agency take care of your online efforts. Free up the time you'd use to supervise your staff, fright over payroll and all those administrative tasks that come with hiring staff.

Hiring a marketing agency is cost-effective in the long-term

The reality is you can save tons of cash by hiring an agency to handle your marketing efforts than building up and maintaining an in-house marketing unit, and as a startup, you're probably bootstrapped and wouldn't want additional cost. Sure, the upfront fee for most agencies is quite high but let's take a look at what you'd be saving on in the long term; firstly, you're not bogged down with crippling overhead cost, employee benefits and those other perks that come with full-time employees.

Secondly, you don't have to worry about absence from work, sick leave and what not. With a digital marketing agency on your team, you're assured of having your marketing engine churning and saving your business the cost of lost staff-hour.

So when exactly should you hire a digital marketing agency?

Alright, you understand the importance of hiring a digital marketing agency, but you've been scratching your hair in confusion in deciding when to outsource to an agency.
The truth is there's no cookies cut solution, however, here're some pointers to guide you.

  • When you don't have the people, right systems, and expertise to execute on marketing strategies.
  • When you're growing fast and not quite ready to hire full-time employees.
  • You're wearing too many hats and need to hands off some responsibilities.
  • You already have a large organization, but your in-house team feels overwhelmed.

Points to consider before hiring a digital marketing agency

Now, you're ready to engage a marketing firm, here are some fundamental questions to ask prospective organizations to aid you to determine if they are suited for your business.

Hire a partner you can trust

You need someone on your team you can trust, and that's why this process is essential. Some of the questions to ask your potential partner include:

  • Who will manage my account? Asking this question opens up a window for you to have a glimpse into the culture of the agency, it also provides you with an opportunity to know who your go-to person is and whether they'd be available for you whenever you need them.
  • Do they have experience in your industry? You don't want to get stuck with a newbie in your industry. In fact, it's preferable to have an agency that has worked with similar organizations in the same niche as yours. That way, you'd be sure they will hit the ground running immediately without spending extended time studying your market.

How often should you expect reports?

One of the beauties of digital marketing is the ability to track and measure essential metrics, asking a prospective agency about their reporting process is a good way of understanding how they work. Most organizations are flexible with their reporting models and will create a plan that suits your style.

Wrapping it up

Hiring an efficient online marketing agency provides depth and width you may not have in-house; they also bring a wealth of experience and expertise at a relatively cheap cost that will help take your business to the next level.