Have you been in a position where you signed up with a digital marketing agency in New York and then were forced to end the contract in a few months’ time? This isn’t unheard of because many brands make the wrong choice in a hurry to push up their revenues.Now that the digital world is moving at lightning speed, one needs to adapt to it to avoid losing out on opportunities. But, that doesn’t mean you sign up with just any advertising agency.
It’s hard to choose when you have so many options out there, especially when most of these agencies offer almost identical services.
Common mistakes brands make when choosing an advertising agency in New York:
When you type the words “advertising agency New York” you will be shocked to find the number of options you have. Almost all of them claim to have the power to make your site rank right at the top of SERPs. But the reality is quite different, as you know already.
1. Choosing a cheap agency: One of the biggest blunders businesses make is to opt for deals that give you low-cost packages. Cheap providers are tempting, but the quality of services can be questionable. When you decide to work with a low-cost agency simply to save a few bucks, you end up exposing your brand to a lot of risks. Such agencies are usually inexperienced and often use Black Hat strategies to get higher rankings on Google. What’s the result? Your site ends up getting blacklisted and losing its existing customers. When you want quality advertising solutions for your brand, don’t take a decision based on costs alone. Read reviews about the agency and consider case studies before deciding.
2. Misalignment of incentives with agency: Brands often fail to consider the agency pricing model when deciding. Revenue share models tend to push agencies to use quick-fix revenue-generating solutions which are harmful to the brand reputation later on. However, if you choose to pay the company by the hour, it will push them to work slowly. So, the best option is to go for agencies that charge you per project and don’t have long-term contracts.
3. Digital marketing focuses on transactions alone: This is a common misconception among brands. If you use digital marketing only to get returns and forgo brand-building strategies in the process, you can cost your brand image heavily. Instead of forcing the agency to do whatever it can to acquire customers, embrace a comprehensive full-funnel method. Such an approach will support all the different touchpoints in the buyer’s journey. And by doing this, you can trust your agency to provide you with an audience that will prefer to stay engaged with your brand for the long term.
4. Avoiding foundational work: Brands often make the mistake of spending a lot of money on revamping their websites and inserting ads instead of focusing on integrating branding to promote awareness. When choosing an advertising agency you should allow enough time to it to evaluate website conversions, brand messaging, competitors, and product-market fit. Once this is done, you can set marketing goals and KPIs with your agency; that will help them to create big campaigns with more chances of success.
5. Not having clear goals: Without knowing your goals, you shouldn’t start a search for digital marketing services. You must ask yourself what you want to achieve; whether it’s more conversions, more traffic, more sales, etc. Once the goals are clearly defined, you can identify competent agencies to attain these for you. Here also, you should be able to clearly communicate the goals to your digital marketing partner.
6. Forgetting to ask for marketing plans: When you find an agency, do you make it a point to find out how it works? Any reputed marketing agency will work according to a proper plan that includes goals, strategies, platforms for enhancing the brand image, and timelines. But, if you don’t ask for a plan or the agency isn’t keen to provide you with one, take it as a red flag. It’s best to navigate to another agency because it probably means they haven’t done this kind of work or aren’t confident about their skills.
7. Ignoring the budget: This is by far the most common mistake people make when deciding on a digital marketing firm. Your job is to first calculate how much money the business will need for the year, after considering both traditional and online marketing costs. The thing is website redesigning may be a one-time investment, but online marketing is ongoing. You will have to pay for these services every month. So, work with a budget in hand when you decide on an agency. That way you know which services are affordable and how much you can spare for online marketing. It helps to negotiate rates with the agency; you will see many agencies are willing to settle for lower rates if they are sure of getting more work from you.
8. Not having faith in your agency: You have to trust your digital marketing partner’s expertise. If they make certain suggestions and you are afraid to experiment for fear that these may backfire, you can end up losing out on growth opportunities. You need to trust your agency and keep your feelings aside. It’s important to trust that they are experts at what they do and have your best interest in mind.
9. Not voicing your concerns: While giving direct feedback can be difficult at times, it’s important to let your agency know what you don’t like about them. Only then can they improve their services and give you better results. Don’t keep your opinions inside of you; over time, it will frustrate you, and you will probably terminate the agreement.
10. Not bringing your in-house team on board: Working with an agency means there will be occasions when your opinions won’t match. If the agency has an issue that it wants to be discussed, you need to speak up as a united front. If your internal team is clueless about your plans the agency cannot understand what you want. Internal alignment is important on your part in order to get the best out of your agency.
11. Denying time to your agency: You cannot expect to get results overnight. Just because you signed up with an agency in the final quarter doesn’t mean your annual revenues will show a spike! Digital marketing efforts take time to show results. There’s always a ramp-up phase when experts try and test different strategies to see which are working best. So, you need to give the agency that freedom of space and time before you start pressing them for returns.
12. Forgetting to check background: It’s always a mistake to sign up with a provider without checking for their credentials, staff certifications, and reputation. Take time out to search for negative reviews and complaints about them. Always refer to social media to see how people perceive them, watch how they communicate, and what their ratings are.
13. Thinking that advertising is a one-time investment: Online marketing isn’t a one-time investment because the moment you stop paying for marketing solutions, the revenues will start dropping. You cannot expect the results to remain unchanged after stopping to pay for a professional marketing expertise. Unless marketing strategies are continuously tested, monitored, and upgraded, you cannot hold onto your audience. Content needs to be kept fresh and relevant at all times for it to generate interest among your readers.
Look at all these mistakes and remember to avoid them when you sign up with a NY advertising firm. Here’s how you can get the best out of a digital marketing partner:
• The first trick to make your journey with a digital marketing partner productive is to come prepared always. If you already have an online presence, you won’t need to spend much effort or time defining your brand’s purpose for the partner. But, if you don’t have a well-recognized brand, you need to devote time to explain what you want to your partner before starting off on a project.
• Make sure that your team and you are on the same page. It’s probably better to have a meeting with the team in advance to get them up to date with the new project.
• If you must share something with the advertising agency, it’s better to do it at the outset. They will need time to learn how your business runs and this is the right time to show them what it is all about
• It’s important to know the scope, methods, and timeline for a project before it starts. Everyone involved in it must agree on these matters. Projects will typically go through stages like research, planning, execution, and review. Every step needs to be laid down clearly for the in-house team and advertising agency so that each is aware of its responsibilities.
• You should be prepared to forfeit control and trust the agency to do its job well. They may have total control over some parts of a project and it’s best not to interfere in these areas. At the same time, you need to be aware of what they do. If they are planning to do a thing in a specific way, you need to make yourself understand that they have the skills and expertise for it. Keeping an open mind is critical to getting things done on time.
• There’s no harm in asking questions when you outsource your online marketing to a third party. You may not understand why certain changes are being made or what the end goal is. Get your doubts cleared before it’s too late.
• Technology is changing all the time, particularly in the world of online advertising. So, if you plan to get the most out of an advertising firm, you have to be open to the methods and technologies they use. You will be surprised at the new ways of adding images and videos to a site. Embrace the newness and allow room for experimentation.
• Digitalization makes everything trackable and measurable. For instance, you know when people visit your site and when they leave, where they come from, and what they say about the brand. These metrics are easy to track and measure. The input helps you to tweak your marketing strategies. So, always dig deep into data and use it to upgrade yourself.
• If you look at a customer’s journey you will see how every click has made a difference. The idea is to get more brand exposure. So, if you want results, you should expect your marketing partner to come up with more and more ads.
• Working together as a team is important to see results. This collaboration between businesses and digital marketers must happen right from the beginning.
If you can keep these tips in mind, working with a New York advertising agency can be a smooth ride. You must remember that they are merely an extension of your own team. Projects, big or small, deserve to be handled by the very best industry experts. And when you must choose from hundreds of marketing agencies, this becomes quite a challenge.
Now you know what to look for in a digital marketing agency, what to avoid at all costs, and how best to prepare a team. Digital marketing is important for your company to get more traffic and conversions.
Without conversions, you cannot expect to see a boost in sales and revenue. And for this to happen, you need to reach out to professionals equipped to use the latest digital marketing tools and technologies.
Did you know that 80% of shoppers research a product online before buying it? It shows how important it is to have a robust online presence that will engage and help your customers through their buying journey. Only a digital marketing agency will do this and more for you.
So, choose the right one to develop and build long-lasting relationships with your customers online over multiple channels. You can be sure of getting positive results at the end of it.
