The agency you hire to run your digital advertising program needs to be a trusted partner who can deliver results for your business. We’ve compiled a list of questions and what to consider in when it’s time to choose a digital advertising agency or if you are reevaluating your current relationship with your digital advertising agency.
How to Choose a Digital Advertising Agency – Questions to Ask
1. How much experience does your agency have in my industry and what results have you delivered in the past?
Do your own research. Find online reviews and check out their website before beginning a conversation with the agency. If your research satisfies you to the point that you are ready to begin a formal conversation with the agency, ask for referrals that you can contact and for data surrounding successful accounts in your field or a related industry. Contact the referrals to ensure their experience and the results they saw line up with what the agency is telling you.
Many new agencies are disorganized without tried and true methods in place. If you are vetting a young company, be sure to ask questions related to their processes and day to day organization of accounts. Be sure to understand what sort of monitoring will be in place, how often you will receive reports, how often the agency will make adjustments, and how often they will be reviewing and optimizing your program.
2. Are you a Google partner?
It’s important that the agency is a current Google Ads Partner, as this is a certification that Google offers. It demonstrates that they are keeping up to date with changes in the Google Ads platform, and most likely with trends and changes in digital advertising overall.
To further ensure that your new partner will be a valuable asset with extensive knowledge of digital advertising, research trends and techniques currently happening in digital advertising then ask your agency specific questions regarding what you’ve learned. If they have answers off the top of their head, great! If they seem unsure, reconsider how extensive their expertise is.
3. Does your agency require a monthly minimum spent on ads? What is the average size of your accounts?
Knowing the agency’s monthly minimum spend will allow you to determine if that spend aligns with your marketing budget and goals.
If your budget is significantly higher or lower than the agency’s average account, you may want to find an agency that is used to handling your size account. If your budget is higher, they may not know how to effectively spend your budget. If your budget is lower, your account may not get as much attention and care as their larger clients. Don’t automatically discard the agency, but have a further conversation to determine if they will handle your account appropriately, despite the size of your budget.
4. Does your agency offer reporting, and if so, what is included in the report, and is it included in the cost? Does your agency offer data analysis and recommendations?
Reporting is crucial in digital advertising. Find an agency that includes at least basic reporting and recommendations quarterly. Running stagnant digital advertising campaigns will yield less than desirable results. Recommendations based on data should include:
- Keywords
- Add to or reduce the number of keywords you’re targeting
- Ad copy
- Tweaks to ad copy based off of high and low performing ads
- Target audience
- Expand or refine the audience you’re targeting
- Strategy
- Alter budget, keyword, ad, or audience strategy
- Ad type
- Ad type includes display ads and search ads, should you run both or just one based on your goal
- Performance
- Tracking metrics such as conversions, impressions, and ad spend compare them to the previous 30 days or other determined time period in order to understand trends and overall performance.
Now that you know what to ask of your digital advertising agency, plan what questions and answers are important to your business and your goals. Schedule a meeting with the agency and be sure to send your questions ahead of time so they are able to prepare thoughtful answers for you.
