10 Things To Consider When Choosing A Digital Agency For Your Business

10 Things To Consider When Choosing A Digital Agency For Your Business As avid readers of this blog will know, weve covered the hiring process (in terms of hiring in-house) and the different elements involved in quite a lot of detail before (for example; here, here and here) so today I thought Id switch things up and look at it from the point of view of hiring a digital agency. Now, whether youre new to the digital industry or youre pretty familiar with all things digital, it can be hard to know where to start when choosing a digital agency. Why? Because there are so many of them out there that claim to be different or boutique or specialist when in reality they all look the same and pretty much offer the same services. Obviously, the right agency for your business will depend on your individual needs and requirements however, there are a few things you should always consider when considering employing a digital agency. 1. Age Background: A really important thing to consider is the age of the agency and the background of the employees within it. Obviously digital agencies are springing up all the time so a lot of them will still be classed as fairly new. If this is the case, you should definitely consider what the background and experience is of their key senior members of staff and how they can use that experience to help your business achieve its aims. 2. Location: Location is an important one to consider because youre obviously going to have to  meet face to face at some point so you need to consider the journey thats going to be involved. OK, so most things can be done over email or the phone, but sometimes an actual meeting is essential so if youre based in London and the agency is based in Edinburgh, someone is going to have to do A LOT of travelling to make this relationship work. Thats not to say it definitely wont work, but it might just be more complicated than if the agency was 30 minutes down the road. 3. Clients: Possibly one of the most important things to consider is the agencys client base. Obviously big name clients will always be impressive but dont discount the little ones either. A lot of the time, an agency will have much more control and freedom over smaller, less well-known clients so its a good idea to look at the work theyve done for them and what theyve achieved. When looking at the client base, also look at the type of clients they have and whether any of them are relatable to your business. While its not a problem if none of the clients are relatable, if they are it suggests the agency already have a good understanding of your marketplace and industry which might prove to be beneficial if you choose to employ them. 4. Work Quality, Variety Results: Obviously another important thing to consider is the type of work the agency has delivered for their clients in the past and the quality and variety of this work. In addition to considering the look and quality of the work, its important to also consider the results that have been achieved through this work. For example, an agency might have redesigned a website and it might look great but if its hard to navigate and it has resulted in a drop in conversion, then its not really achieving great ROI. Similarly, an agency might have produced some great infographics or other pieces of content but if theyve had really low share rates and they havent really had much of an impact, then again, it might be worth considering the agencys strategy. 5. Attitude/Approach: When you buy things like clothes and even technology, normally youll consider the brand and its attitude before purchasing and the same rule should apply when choosing an agency. Look at the website does their content make sense? Or is it full of agency-speak and  jargon that doesnt mean anything? Similarly, when you reach out to them how have they responded? Have they been friendly and personable? Or have they been stand-offish and a little abrupt? Remember, youre going to employ the agency to represent your brand so you need to be able to relate to them and have confidence that they can represent your brand effectively. 6. Techniques: OK, so no agency is going to be 100% transparent about the techniques they use because they dont want to give their secrets away but a good agency should be willing to share a few of their techniques regarding the work theyre proposing to carry out for your business and this is where you need to listen up. Are the techniques theyre describing relevant? And are they up to date and best practice? If an agency is proposing to carry out link building and promising you 300 article links, 1000 blog comments and 500 directory submissions, they might not be the agency for you 7. Core Services: Another obvious thing you need to consider is the core services the agency offers and whether they actually relate to what you need. For example, if you need the agency to carry out 3D animation work and they only specialise in web design, it goes without saying that theyre not the right option for you. When looking at core services, its also important to consider how long theyve been offering these services for (this might require a phone call). Why? Because if an agency has only just started offering social media, it might suggest they dont have their processes and strategies set up which could mean that they might use your business and project as a guinea pig 8. Price: Price is always going to be a factor when choosing an agency for your business but in addition to the overall price, its also worth considering how billing and payments would work. Would you need to commit to a one year project? Would you be able to pay on a month-by-month basis or quarterly? And how do they justify their pricing? When looking at pricing, its also worth seeing if the agency is willing to barter. Remember, a lot of agencies put a massive mark-up on the work they deliver, so there should probably be some wiggle-room there but whether theyre want to go down that avenue is another story. 9. Awards: As with any business, a good sign that an agency is successful and highly regarded is if theyve got awards under their belt or theyve been named in prestigious lists but its important not just to get wooed 10. Suggestions For Your Business:   Last but So there we go 10 key things you should probably think about when choosing a digital agency for your business. Think Ive missed anything off? Or disagree with any of my points? Leave me a comment below or tweet @BubbleJobs