Congrats! Your business is taking off. The good news is, you’re hitting your stride and starting to see a return on your investment. The bad news? You don’t have much time for digital marketing. Thankfully, a digital marketing agency can help you put your marketing strategy on autopilot.
But before you start sending out requests for proposals, it’s important to reflect on your business and your needs so you can be sure you’re partnering with the right agency. In this article, we’ll explore a few basic talking points that you and your prospective marketing agency should discuss in your discovery meeting.
Without further ado, here are the five things you need to know before hiring a digital marketing firm.
- What sets you apart from the competition?
Before hiring a digital marketing agency, it’s important to define your business’s value props. It may seem like a no-brainer, but your brand identity is integral to your marketing strategy—and the more clear you are about your brand’s strengths, the better your digital marketing team can help you turn your neighbors in Charlotte into paying customers.
- Who is your ideal customer?
As a digital marketing agency, this is one of the first questions we ask new clients. Defining the target audience is a way to help you get the most out of your investment, so it’s critical to have a clear picture of your ideal client, customer, or user persona. That way, you and your new marketing team can hit the ground running.
- What are your digital marketing goals?
Next, you’ll want to establish some preliminary marketing goals for your business. Do you want people to find you on Google? Do you need to build out your website? Are you looking to grow your social media presence?
Identify a few goals that you’d like your digital marketing team to help you achieve. Here are a few areas many small business choose to invest their marketing dollars:
Social Media advertising
Social media marketing is a great way to generate qualified leads and promote your brand on the social channels your customers use every day. A digital marketing team can help you create a high-ROI ad strategy on platforms like Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, Reddit, and more.
Web Development
In 2022, every business needs a website! Your digital marketing team will put you in touch with Charlotte’s best web designers and copywriters so you can build a professional website that wows your customers.
Pay-Per-Click Advertising
Your marketing team will use keyword research to create pay-per-click ad campaigns that bring customers to your website. A good marketing agency will also optimize your landing pages so you can convert clicks into leads.
SEO Strategy
Search engine optimization: you know you need it, but what does it mean? Here at Wedgewood, we have an SEO toolkit that includes everything you need to get consistent, high-quality traffic. That means keyword research and strategy, content writing, on- and off-page SEO optimization, local SEO, link-building, and more.
- What is your budget?
When you’re just getting started with digital marketing, it can be hard to know how much you need to invest. If you come to the table with an idea of how much you’re willing to spend, your digital marketing agency will help you identify the best ways to allocate your marketing budget so you can maximize the utility of your marketing budget.
- How will your agency measure success?
The beauty of digital marketing is that you can measure success with hard data. A good marketing agency will provide you with consistent analytics reports and keep you up-to-speed on what’s working and what isn’t. Be sure to ask your marketing agency what kind of results you can expect and when.
- What other Charlotte-based companies do they work with?
It’s crucial that your marketing team has a track record of success with other Charlotte-based businesses. Every market is different, so it’s a good idea to work with a local marketing firm here in Charlotte that keeps its finger on the pulse.
Final Thoughts
Charlotte is full of entrepreneurs and startups who, like you, are building robust local businesses with the help of a digital marketing company. And by answering the questions we’ve covered here, you’ll be ready to jump feet-first into the marketing world with one of Charlotte’s most trusted digital marketing agencies.
At Wedgewood Marketing, we help small and midsize businesses grow with proven digital marketing strategies, skilled creatives, and actionable data. Schedule a free audit today to start working with one of the top digital marketing agencies in the Carolinas.
