Top 5 Considerations When Evaluating a Digital Marketing Firm
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As business and marketing leaders consider how to bolster their brands’ digital media presence in 2022 and beyond, how to resource digital strategy and execution is a key consideration. As a leading digital marketing firm, we help our clients navigate whether to work with a marketing firm like KMG or to hire a full-time team of marketers to handle social media, email marketing, search, digital advertising and more. Trying to decide whether to outsource these activities or to resource internally?
Below are our thoughts on the top 5 considerations which could help inform this decision.
1. Consider your current team’s expertise and bandwidth
Digital marketing should not be an afterthought. When done well, it is a full-time job and then some. Consider that 306 billion emails were sent and received each day in 2020, and that measurement is projected to steadily rise to 347 billion by 2022… and an average of 65 minutes is spent on various social media platforms each day, in the U.S. alone.
Aside from the more obvious pandemic-related increase in use of digital platforms, there has been a fundamental shift and an increase of time spent on digital platforms in the past few years. If your company wants to capture the consumer’s attention, it will take more than a junior marketing manager to get the job done. To execute on a top-notch marketing strategy requires adequate resources.
Do you have a staff member who is skilled in digital marketing? Is marketing their main role? Or a secondary role? Whether serving as your entire marketing team, or as a partner to a full-time resource(s), you may consider engaging a digital marketing agency to help your company fly faster, further, higher.
2. Ensure consistent messaging across channels
Consistency of message across multiple platforms is important. Whether on social media, email, text message marketing or other digital channels, attention must be paid to message and voice alignment on the various channels. Have you ever come across a brand where its identity changes from one format to the next? It makes you wonder who is in charge. Just ask Paula Dean.
While not complicated, this effort takes some time and strategic thinking. Whether it is a full-time resource or an agency partner overseeing this, making sure what the consumer reads is not in conflict with something they have read elsewhere from your company is well worth the investment to maintain brand loyalty and establish trust.
3. Engage with a firm that is adaptable
Adaptability is key. Digital marketing is dynamic and it is important to find a firm that is up to speed on the latest trends and tools to help elevate your marketing game. Knowing when to shift focus or having the confidence to adapt in this fast changing environment is a must have.
Our team at Kaleidoscope Management Group brings digital marketing expertise, but we also know that the industry is evolving quickly... and so must our team’s knowledge. We stay up to date on trends and digital platforms so that our clients can rely on us to help guide their marketing decisions and investments.
4. Consider Cost
Cost is a hot topic for many companies considering outsourcing their marketing. For good reason as information varies widely regarding the cost to hire a digital marketing agency.
Often companies make the mistake of hiring one marketing professional and expecting them to do it all. Not only can this lead to burn out, but very few -- if any -- marketing professionals can bring the breadth of expertise an effective, omnichannel marketing strategy requires. Based on 2020 salary data, the cost of hiring a team of marketing experts internally can easily be upwards of $600,000. Not to mention the cost of benefits and the need to oversee/manage these employees.
Many companies find that a combination of a dedicated internal marketing resource, supported by the help of a multi-disciplinary marketing agency, is the optimal approach. This is evidenced by the fast-growing market size for marketing and advertising agencies of $320 billion.
At KMG, we view ourselves as an extension of our clients’ team. Our efforts are aligned with our clients’ business goals, objectives, and budget to deliver high quality results.
5. Measurement Matters
For any company investing in marketing, measurement is critical. The good news is that marketing, especially in the age of digital marketing, is measurable.
Leading marketing firms will clearly and frequently report on progress toward key objectives, defined in partnership with the client. This is often a competitive advantage to hiring a firm; marketing leaders can depend on their agency to keep reporting front and center.
Evaluating performance allows senior leaders to make any necessary adjustments to strategy and direction to maximize success. Reporting is an area of expertise and interest at KMG. Our clients value the customization we bring to the table to ensure we are reporting on KPIs that are relevant to their business strategy (i.e. Engagement>Follower Growth and Revenue Growth>Likes).
Hopefully these ideas offer useful guidance as you think about building out the marketing function within your company. If you are ready to take the next step to bring bandwidth, big thinking, performance-oriented marketers -- on budget -- to your organization, contact KMG today.
Sources: Worldometer, Hubspot, Splitpixel, Statista, HiveHouseDigital
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