6 Must-Ask Questions When Choosing a Digital Marketing Firm

Partnering up with a digital marketing agency is a big step for your small business. There are a lot of things to be discussed and decided. We’ve learned about the questions you can expect to hear from your marketing partners. Now it’s time to ask some questions of your own.

Check out these six questions you should definitely ask your digital marketing partners.

You might be surprised how many business owners – especially small business owners – fail to ask this question. Understand, t his is not the same as asking about a marketing firm’s track record or overall successes. Of course, you want to work with a marketing agency who has a good track record, but that’s not all you should consider .

Instead, ask about their specific marketing expertise. Learn about the kinds marketing campaigns their team excels at. Remember, if you’re a small business, you may not need a full digital marketing package complete with every possible service available. Instead, you probably need more targeted efforts specific to your business and customer base. A remodeling business, for example, needs an agency who is great at local marketing techniques. Be sure your digital marketing team is an expert at the specific services you need the most.

As with any business relationship, communication with your marketing team is important. You probably won’t need to be in touch with them every day, or even every week. But it’s important there is a clear and open line of communication.

Ask your marketing firm how they communicate with clients and at what frequency. Can you expect an update on their marketing efforts once a month? Once a quarter? And how will you be updated? By email? By phone? Be sure you’re comfortable with the frequency and method your marketing team handles its communications.

Equally important, is how you can reach out to your marketing team when necessary. Will you have a dedicated account rep? Or is there a helpline or ticking system? Find out how you can get in touch with the team and how quickly you can expect a response.

This is a big one. And unfortunately, many business owners don’t even consider asking this of their marketing agencies. We’re talking about who controls your digital assets, like your d omain, website, email accounts, social media profiles, and Google profile .

You’re probably thinking, “It’s my company’s domain name and website, of course I own it.” But it’s not always that simple. Many businesses have fallen into the trap of relinquishing control of their digital assets to their marketing partners. In extreme cases, this means the marketing agency controls everything from your company’s Facebook page to its email accounts. In other cases, it could mean the agency owns your domain name and to get it back, you have to buy it from them.

Regaining control of your digital assets is a huge headache and in certain situations, it might be impossible. Ask your marketing team if you will retain ownership of your digital assets. (If the answer is no, consider it a big red flag.)

Naturally, you’ll ask about the costs for any service before entering into an agreement. But, “How much does this cost?” is too simple.

First, learn how fees are calculated. Every agency is different, so fees and billing will be different, too. Some may charge a flat, per-service rate. Others may charge a fixed rate that includes all of their services. Some may charge based on performance. The variations are endless.

Once you understand how fees are calculated, next find out about the actual charges . This is where you start crunching real numbers and figure out what you’ll ultimately be paying.

You’re dealing with money here, so there’s no room for miscommunication or confusion. Ask clear questions about pricing and if you don’t understand the answer, ask again until you do. Any marketing firm who offers vague answers about their pricing should be avoided.

Now that you understand how your marketing fees, it’s time to learn about contracts and billing. Every contract is different and billing can happen in any number of ways.

Initially, you need to determine if an official contract will be drawn up. This makes some business owners leery, but keep in mind – The contract should protect you just as much as the marketing firm. If there is a contract in place, be sure you thoroughly read and understand it before signing. Check on the marketing agency’s obligations as well as your own. And be sure you check on the cancelation clause – Can you cancel at any time? What are the fees and timeframes involved?

Next, ask you r marketing partners how they handle billing. Is it done on a month-to-month basis? Quarterly? And what are your payment options?

Marketing isn’t an exact science. Sure, there are proven methods and there ’ s a lot of data involved in digital marketing. But there’s a human factor, too. Because of this, not every agency will be prepared to offer you guaranteed results.

Despite this, d on’t be afraid to ask your marketing partners if they’re willing to offer you a guarantee. Some firms will undoubtedly shy away from this. Others may be willing to offer some sort of guarantee under certain circumstances.

The best digital marketing firms offer a guarantee to every customer, right from the start. Locallogy , for example, offers a money-back guarantee to customers who are not completely satisfied after 90-days.

This is definitely not an exhaustive list of every question you should ask you digital marketing partners. But it’s a start on the important questions that should be at the top of your list.

Protect your business – Ask the vital questions and if you don’t like the answers, consider finding a new marketing partner.