Selecting a performance marketing (also known as “digital marketing“) agency is a difficult task. Choosing wrong can cost you a lot — money, damaged reputation, time, and effort.
Performance marketing space has been growing enormously. Every company needs performance marketing. Without it, it would be very hard to survive in a competitive market. Even small businesses want to do it because they have realized the potential of this unique form of digital marketing. Yet, small businesses don’t always know where to start.
Finding a performance marketing agency that fits your brand is necessary for your growth. If you make the right choice in choosing one, your business will thrive and succeed. However, there are a lot of performance agencies existing online and it isn’t easy to just pick one.
Although the marketing industry isn’t highly regulated, you can find qualified agencies out there to help you meet your goals. So, how do you figure out the best one for you and your business?
If you’re a startup or an established business looking for growth, here are the 5 tips for selecting a performance marketing industry:
1. Look for Agencies that Wins Awards
One of the tips in selecting a performance marketing agency is to look for an agency that wins awards since it’s proof of the agency’s effectiveness. They win awards because of the quality of service they provide for their clients.
When an agency wins an award, it means that its performance is one of the best and it’s less risky to work with them than those who do not have any proof of their performance. Agencies that have not received any awards can be a risky gamble in selecting a performance marketing agency.
Thus, if you are looking for a good agency to work with, make sure to look for the ones that have been vested with the most honors.
A list of the top award-winning performance marketing agencies is freely available on the internet and it takes just a few clicks to find them. Once you find the one that looks promising to you, dig into them further to see whether they are suitable for your marketing needs.
2. Look for Agencies that Have Industry Experience
Answering these questions is crucial in picking an advertising agency: Does the agency understand your business? Do they have enough experience in your industry? Are they established in the field and do they have a proven track record in delivering cost-effective, yet profitable results?
Come to think of this. If you want to hire a plastic surgeon to adjust your nose, would you hire someone who does not specialize in that area? Would you hire a plastic surgeon that specializes in ears? I can bet that you won’t— this is just how it works in selecting a performance marketing agency.
After all, why would you hire a marketing industry that does not specialize and have no experience in your industry or for the kind of marketing agency that you are looking for?
When choosing a performance marketing agency, you ask the agency for references. If they give you some, then great! But if they don’t have it, then there’s a chance that their clients aren’t really happy and satisfied with their performance.
When you look for references, you can get a clear view of that person’s qualifications and whether or not they would be a good fit for the position. When requesting references, try to specify the kind of reference you are looking for. Is it personal references or professional references?
After you have the reference/s, spare some time to email and call each one to learn more about the performance marketing agency that you’re pondering hiring. Taking this step can help you make a more informed decision about whether or not to offer them the job.
3. The Age and Size of the Agency
The age of the agency can be determined by the date it was established. If the company has been around for quite some time and they have grown into a great business, that could be a good sign that they are a good agency to associate your brand with.
However, if the company has been existing for a long time but their business remained small, you might not want to hire them. They remained small maybe because they are not amazing at delivering results.
Look for agencies that have been around for about three to four years and still growing.
4. Account Managers
For some reason, most agencies don’t assign trustworthy account managers. You need to look for a performance marketing agency that will give you someone dedicated to your account.
The account manager should also work on a few other accounts based on how much you are paying the agency. If you don’t have enough budget to spare, you might not get a semi-dedicated manager on your account.
Organizational and strong communication skills are essential to this role. Moreover, account managers should have the ability to always come up with innovative solutions and think creatively.
5. How Many Services Do They Offer
The unfortunate reality about digital marketing is that you would need to take an omnichannel approach. This only means that the agency should be on Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, Bing, Google, LinkedIn, Amazon, Walmart, and other channels. One channel isn’t enough to grow your business.
An algorithm is consistently changing, so it is important that the agency knows how to diversify its marketing efforts so that they aren’t reliant on just one channel.
Performance marketing is a complex industry and there are quite a lot of things that you need to consider when selecting a partner. That’s why it’s important to do your research and find a performance agency that is a great fit for your business.
