Is It A Good Idea To Hire A Digital Marketing Agency? eCommerce Businesses: A Guide
It is possible to spend thousands of dollars on an agency and not see any results if you are not careful.It is possible to spend thousands of dollars on an agency and not see any results if you are not careful.
When should your eCommerce business switch from in-house marketing to agency marketing – and when is the right time to do so?
In order to make a profit, a lot of marketing agencies upsell you, but we’re here to tell you the truth: Not every eCommerce business needs an agency’s services. When your goals and expectations are aligned with your strategies, in-house marketing can be just as effective as agency marketing.
Here are some tips to help you make the right decision for your bottom line:
- Digital marketing agencies vs. individual marketers (and vice versa)
- Choosing the right business model depends on the age and growth of your company
- Before choosing an agency, ask these six questions
WHAT IS THE BEST DIGITAL MARKETING STRATEGY FOR ME?
There are two viable paths for digital agency dubai: working with a marketing agency vs. an in-house marketing team/specialist. Which option you choose will likely depend on three factors:
- The growth of your business has been demonstrated
- Keeping your budget in mind
- Goals for your marketing campaign
The Benefits of Hiring a Digital Marketing Agency
Typically, agencies are best suited for eCommerce businesses that are growing, have clear business goals, and can invest in long-term marketing campaigns.
For certain online businesses, hiring a digital marketing agency out of NYC is a no-brainer due to the following benefits:
- An eCommerce agency is highly specialized. In contrast, an in-house marketer wears all hats at once. If you choose wisely, you’ll have one team that specializes in search engine optimization (SEO), another specializing in PPC, and another specializing in social media. While they can often do well at the basics, they can’t handle everything. Additionally, partnering with a Digital Marketing in Prescott AZ can provide tailored strategies and localized expertise to further enhance your marketing efforts.
- As organic and paid search algorithms change hundreds of times a year, a digital marketing agency will not only stay on top of those changes, but will also proactively build custom strategies around them.
- Paying a similar price to work with experts in every field is better than funneling a large marketing budget into one salary for a jack-of-all-trades.
RePaying a similar price to work with experts in every field is better than funneling a large marketing budget into one salary for a jack-of-all-tradesap before graduating to an agency’s services when you’re ready.
IF MY BUSINESS IS A STARTUP, WHAT SHOULD I DO?
A business owner who owns an eCommerce startup should invest in quality strategies right from the start. The better marketing foundation you build, the faster and more efficient your business will grow.
No, not necessarily.
It’s true that agencies can usually create more successful campaigns, but those strategies aren’t always needed to figure out whether an approach is long-term successful.
In the beginning, hiring a freelancer or full-time marketing manager can be a cost-effective way to build your foundation and test the viability of your strategies, which can be perfected later by an agency.
There are, of course, exceptions to every rule. If you believe your startup could benefit from the work of an agency, request proposals from a few professionals. Evaluate their services based on your forecasted growth (and budget).
When deciding between an agency and an in-house marketer, here are six questions to ask yourself
If you are considering working with a digital marketing agency, we recommend asking yourself the following questions to avoid being misled or upsold.
1. Can you evaluate your marketing strategies and accounts based on their history?
An eCommerce business that has a strong brand awareness and customer base often receives the best performance from marketing agencies. Setting up your accounts will take valuable resources from your digital agency (and will often be more expensive if you’re starting from scratch).
A prospective agency should be able to audit the strategies and metrics of your online business. The track record of your marketing campaigns should be old enough to allow a thorough audit, regardless of whether they are managed internally or by freelancers. Thus, your agency can help you determine what has worked and what hasn’t, and then jump right into strategies that are more likely to increase revenue.
In addition, when you have substantial data to audit, you can quickly weed out poor agencies and require prospective providers to “prove” themselves before you sign on.
2. Is your business showing signs of growth?
You must first demonstrate the potential for growth in your eCommerce business, and this gives your agency a better foundation and more opportunity to scale your business.
There are different ways to define growth potential for different businesses. Here are some questions to ask yourself:
- Are you getting conversions and revenue from your business?
- How much traffic does your site receive?
- Do you receive positive feedback on your social media posts?
- Do you see competitors of a similar size succeeding?
It is possible for your business to grow from its current state, even though you may not be profitable now. Maybe you’re getting a lot of conversions but paying too much per conversion. Possibly, your site generates good organic traffic, but does not convert well.
An agency can help your company achieve profitability in all of these areas.
3. What are your business goals?
The first step to achieving your growth goals is identifying them.
You know your products and business best, so you know exactly what you need to make to be profitable. What will be your vertical’s growth rate? When and how your business should (or shouldn’t) scale, as well as how your digital marketing services will play a role in your overall growth strategy, should you be willing and able to articulate your ideas.
Your agency can tailor their marketing plan around your business needs and goals, ensuring your highest level of satisfaction.
4. Do you want a quick fix or a long-term solution?
An online business in serious financial trouble will not be saved by any marketing strategy (no matter how in-depth). If you need results tomorrow, investing in a digital marketing agency may not be the best move for you.
Alternatively, if you understand the importance of slow growth and long-term gains, you should probably hire a digital marketing agency as a long-term investment. With a long-term partner, your business will be able to adjust more efficiently and generate steady growth over time, even when marketing strategies are constantly changing.
5. What are the financial implications?
Often, eCommerce business owners decide whether to hire an agency based on their budget. You need to evaluate the potential return on investment (ROI) for an agency before deciding if it’s the right move. Proven marketing strategies don’t come cheap.
If your company’s advertising spend is less than a few thousand dollars a month, paying for an agency fee may not be the smartest move, especially if the fee is too high. Alternatively, a lower agency fee may be the answer; however, this could indicate that the agency is not spending enough time on your account to generate the growth you require.
For this reason, marketing freelancers or full-time employees might be the best choice until you have a larger marketing budget.
The digital marketing budget should also be considered in relation to your overall marketing budget. What form of marketing do you use in your business? Do you use paper ads, radio, TV, email, organic social media marketing, content marketing, or other media? Think about how your digital marketing strategies will interact with them. The healthiest companies generate revenue from multiple marketing streams, as building or enhancing one stream often improves performance on the others.
Ultimately, don’t expect digital marketing to generate 100% of your revenue. You should weigh that information against your marketing budget and expected return.
6. Are you considering hiring a digital marketing agency to audit your campaign?
Although the guidelines above are helpful, they do not apply to every eCommerce business. The bottom line of some long-established businesses does not yet make it worthwhile for them to invest in agency strategies, whereas some startups experience rapid growth that warrants agency strategies.
The best way to determine whether you need a digital marketing agency is to speak with one in person – and, ideally, get a personalized marketing audit as well.
You will receive a different budget and strategy from every agency, as each agency is unique. By interviewing several digital marketing experts and receiving audits, you will gain a better understanding of how an agency’s services can contribute to your business’ growth.
If an agency is good, it will perform a free audit and proposal to find the solution that meets your needs and goals. They understand that they may not always be the perfect fit — but will still recommend the best path forward for your business, whether it’s with their agency, with another professional, or with an in-house or freelance marketing team.
GET THE MOST OUT OF YOUR ECOMMERCE BUSINESS
Especially since there are so many agencies pushing services and unnecessarily upselling to clients, it’s difficult to know when your company is ready (and will actually benefit from) digital marketing.
Our digital agency Dubai knows there are a lot of variables to consider when searching for an agency, and we’re here to help. We can learn more about your business and decide if an agency is the right fit for you when you schedule a call with us. In addition, we’ll refer you to other professionals who will better match the needs and goals of your business if we’re not the right fit.
