ShareThere are many ways to handle your digital marketing budget – ranging from doing nothing at all and hoping for the best, to employing a full internal team. It will probably come as no surprise that we think the best way to get the most out of your digital budget is to bring a digital marketing agency on board.
In this article, I’ll explain why an agency is the best way to get the most out of your budget.
Unlocking expertise
Perhaps the most obvious benefit of using a digital marketing agency is the expertise you gain access to – whether that’s in areas where you or your team have no knowledge at all, or as a supplement to existing internal resources.
While internal marketers generally need to have at least a baseline understanding across the board, digital agencies have the advantage of being able to bring on board, train and nurture true specialists – so when you bring an agency on board you get access to these specialists.
On top of this, the benefits of peer to peer learning shouldn’t be underestimated. Unless you have a large in-house team it’s very difficult to keep pace – you’ll find teams do things in a specific way and quickly this can become outdated. As an agency we are forced to stay a head of the game – we cannot afford to fall behind and as a result using an agency means that you’ll stay on top of the latest trends.
Unlike internal marketers, agency specialists aren’t tied to a single company or sector. This means that you can also get access to digital marketers that have worked across a variety of industry verticals, meaning they can bring knowledge and expertise from other sectors.
Another great advantage here is the ability to be flexible. For example, if you have a great internal email marketing team then a full-service digital marketing agency will be able to work around that and fill the gaps – which could be in SEO and paid media in this case.
If you want someone to double check what that email marketing team has been doing, or just to function as a sounding off point, then that same agency should be able to offer that as well.
The key here is that you can get the expertise where you need it – whether that’s in just a few areas or across the whole digital marketing mix.
The power of accountability
While you should absolutely work together with your agency to create goals and KPIs that are realistic and achievable, once those have been established then you are within your rights to expect those to be delivered on.
As I mentioned earlier, your digital marketing agency should be equipping you with a team of digital experts – therefore, if the results aren’t what you all expected then those experts should have the knowledge and insights to find out why and to propose solutions, or at the very least propose alternatives.
Ultimately, your digital marketing agency’s revenue depends on their ability to deliver (and prove) success for you. That’s a stronger incentive than you might be able to offer internal staff.
Staying at the cutting edge
The best digital agencies lead the way when it comes to the technology currently available in the sector. At a small scale, that means keeping up to date with the latest advertising opportunities and Google algorithm changes. However, at the top end that means investing in real technological innovation.
A great example of this is our investment in the field of biometrics research – using eye tracking, galvanic skin response (GSR) and facial expression recognition technology to bridge the gap between what users do and how users feel.
Very few organisations would be able to justify an investment in this technology to test their new website or their latest ad creative – however, because we can consistently make use of the technology across a range of clients, we are able to commit to this level of technological innovation.
As a result, by finding a digital marketing agency that has made those investments you too can benefit from leading digital tech.
Being external has its advantages
We all know what it’s like – sometimes when you push for change internally, the positive elements of the message get bogged down in politics and historic objections. As an external partner, your digital marketing agency is free from those shackles.
When we work with clients, we always come equipped with evidence. While we respect that internal issues and political concerns are something that need to be kept in mind, we will endeavour to bring conversations back to our evidence based view as an external partner – after all, we’re accountable for the results and if we’re held back by these kinds of problems then those results aren’t going to happen.
If you’re worried that internal politics or a reliance on well-worn processes is bogging down your marketing efforts, then bringing in an agency could be the antidote you need.
Make the most out of your digital budget
If you’re not currently working with a digital marketing agency, we’d love to talk about how we think you can get the best results for your budget. Get in touch with us today and let’s talk about what kind of services would be the right fit for you.
Alternatively, if you are using a digital agency and aren’t getting the kinds of benefits we’ve outlined below then perhaps our Digital Agency Handover guide might be of assistance.
