What do marketing agencies do?

What are the top digital movie marketing agencies in the U.S.?

• I mean for website dev, apps, ad media, social media & viral campaigns. Based on 2010-2012 awards (Key Art Awards, Davey Awards, W3 Awards) and portfolio provided on agencies' websites, it seems these are Project C, Ignition, Trigger, The Visionaire Group, The Cimarron Group, Watson TG. Am I missing someone? (I've already seen the list in )

• Answer:

  If you plan to have a long a fruitful relationship with your web marketing team then these important questions will help you select the correct digital marketing agency.What’s their specialization?There are different types of agencies ranging from multi-skilled teams adept in everything from on site SEO, content marketing and PPC management to more specialized agencies that focus on one or two skill-sets such as social media management or digital consulting.If your business is new to the online world then a multi skilled approach may be best as improving your marketing takes a variety of strategies. However, if you’re already aware of where your marketing efforts need improving then a specialized boutique agency could help provide the focus you need.Do they look to the short, medium, long-term?An agency that knows their stuff will be setting out short, medium and long term strategies and the potential results to go with each of these time-frames. They should be able to provide a clear picture of your industry, it’s competitiveness of the keywords you want to target and how well your competitors are doing.Always remember, there are no results guarantees in the digital marketing industry so anybody who promises the world are very optimistic, or lying or both.How do they track results?Any agency worth their salt will be able to provide any metric measurements you require over a given time period. This may include keyword rankings changes, search visibility, domain rank, bounce rates, cost per clicks, click through rates or conversion rates, to name a few. Consider these when choosing an agency.What results did they get for previous clients?Make sure the results are inline with your goals. It could be finding out improvements in conversion rates, visitor count, reducing PPC costs, obtaining links, social shares. The list goes on.Can the SEO agency provide previous client results?It’s acceptable for the agency to hide certain private information such as revenue, conversion rates and amount of visitors but one of the most basic questions should be “Which keywords did the agency target for their previous client(s) and what success have they had from such keywords?”What’s the price range?It goes without saying that you want to find a digital marketing agency that provides value for money. Is there a contract?There are different types of agency agreements with clients.Hourly. This method is usually for smaller tasks or development work.Monthly/Annual Contract. The most common digital marketing agency method. Contracts are usually set on a 3, 6 or 12 month period.Pay Per Month. This is the method we offer at Rank Easily. It means no contracts and continual reviews.Results Paid. You only pay after you see the agreed results. E.g. Ranking a website for a keyword to a particular search position.Which one you choose depends on your needs and cash flow.How many clients do they currently work with?A larger agency may be able to afford large advertising budgets and shiny salesmen to seal you into contracts but with more clients may mean less time focused on digital marketing for your business. On the other hand, a smaller agency, especially a smaller local agency will more likely understand your needs better providing you with more attention.What is their availability?Most agencies are 9pm – 5pm but some go above and beyond to answer your emails or calls out of hours which can be a lifesaver if you have an SEO emergency!Do they keep up with trends?Find out which blogs they read and if they have any certifications. Do they seem like they know what they’re talking about? Can they reference popular journals and articles in the industry?How often do they report?A usual reporting schedule is on a per month basis. If you need to keep track more than this you should specifically request it. An agency that reports only once every three months or even greater may be a sign that they are overrun leaving no time to work on your project.What will be expected of you?It’s not a one-way process when dealing with an agency. You may need to provide your business goals, main competitors, logins to analytics, CMS and email and explain your own expectations.Does their philosophy meet your objectives?An agency that employs grey hat techniques such as “buying” backlinks and using blog networks to post your content may gain quicker results but does this fit with your long term business goals? The last thing you want is to drop out of the search engine because some SEO guy bought 10,000 links for you from dubious domains and now Google is penalising you for it.Do they provide a free SEO audit?If an agency is charging you to audit your website you’re probably getting ripped off. An SEO audit should be free. There are two reasons for this.It helps the digital marketing agency gain a better understanding of what needs doing and provide you with an honest quote. It provides a better insight for yourself on what needs doingHave you had any experience with choosing a digital marketing agency? Was it difficult? I’d love to hear from you.