Despite the small business marketing help an outside agency can provide, many businesses instead opt to keep things in-house, and the small business advertising statistics paint a very clear picture of what this means for small businesses. Whether by choice or a lack of funding—almost a third of small businesses spend less than 20,000 on digital marketing, indicating small or nonexistent budgets—these businesses are not performing as optimally as they could if they were to conduct a Google search for “marketing agencies near me.”

After all, in-house help is the most common digital marketing resource (63%), but industry leaders say that small businesses trying to handle everything in-house are overextending themselves. So how do you choose a digital marketing agency?

Small business or startup, managing a profitable marketing department is not easy, and decisions on what should be managed in-house versus through small business marketing companies make it that much harder.

That’s why we, at Digi Experts, want to make everything easier for you. So whether you manage your marketing solutions for small businesses through a team of in-house experts, or through a local business marketing agency and are thinking of transferring more burdens from your shoulders to theirs, here are some guidelines, tips and marketing strategies for small business that can tip the balance in your favor.

So whether you manage your marketing through our team of experts, take it in-house or through another agency, here are some guidelines, tips and strategies that can tip the balance in your favor for a successful digital marketing strategy.

Pros and Cons

Digital marketing is a broad category of services used to describe any campaign in a variety of mediums that are published or broadcasted through digital platforms such as the internet, television, social media and more. (Think anything and everything that’s not primarily for printing purposes).

Depending on your business industry and target goals, there are some pros and cons to handling various projects in-house or through an agency.

PROS

• Diverse Levels of Experience
• The Direction in Achieving KPIs
• Results-driven Strategy
• Target Demographic Research
• Best Quality Media
• Resources and Connections
• Project Management
• Proven Success Stories
• Informed on Latest Trends

CONS

• Greater Initial Investment
• Limited Immediate Turnaround
• Not Stationed On-site

Let’s first talk about the elephant in the room. Yes – hiring a digital marketing agency for small businesses is going to be an expense that requires some consideration. Not all small businesses can afford to take that leap – and others can’t afford not to.

With tight budgets, marketing is often the first department to suffer the loss, and spending the non-existent “extra” cash on marketing is often seen as a cons.  But consider if that’s the most logical cut. Marketing has a bad rep for not showing direct gain vs. investment, and for that reason managers are often hesitant to make the commitment.

If that’s sounding familiar to your business, consider more secure investments such as SEO or PPC advertisements, and make your goals clear to your marketing department or agency… as well as to yourself.  You may save a dime doing it on your own time, but there are several factors that may be overlooked without consulting a professional.

An experienced digital agency for small and medium companies will be able to not only fulfill your marketing needs – they’ll be able to direct you to the best course of actions according to your budget and specific goals.

Some of the top KPI’s SMBs are currently concerned with include incoming calls, website traffic, search engine ranking, store traffic and enquiries

 

One of the certainties when selecting an agency is the advantage of working with distinct professionals in the industry. Sure, you hired the most amazing graphic designer out of college who can also manage social media and some banner ads, but without years of experience under their belts, they’re going to learn some lessons the hard way. The worst part? These lessons are coming right out of your pocket.

Another consideration is turnaround time. While an agency is likely to provide a higher quality product, there is some turnaround time involved in producing media according to best practices. There is a need for planning and strategizing before execution to deliver better results.

 

Working with a renowned agency, you’ll also have the opportunity to receive projects from several individuals who are skilled specifically in specialized tasks. If you’re working on a campaign that includes multiple channels (social, web, video etc.), working with an agency will actually save you some money by packaging these services and channeling through the people who are best fit to deliver outstanding results.

What Does a Digital Marketing Agency Do?

Here is an overview of the different digital marketing solutions for small businesses that an agency can offer your business:

Identify, develop, and implement effective marketing strategies: Digital marketing agencies work with their clients to develop and implement the best marketing strategies for their businesses and deliver the highest return on investment (ROI).

Track campaign progress and provide complete reports: digital advertising agencies will track the progress and success of your marketing campaigns and provide you with complete custom reports so that you are always up to date.

Analyze results: Digital marketing agencies will also analyze the results of marketing strategies and campaigns to determine which strategies generate the best revenue for your business.

Generate leads and sales: Generally, the main goal of digital advertising agencies is to generate web traffic and leads and increase your business sales through their new marketing strategies.

How Digital Marketing Helps Small Businesses

When a business starts, its main objective is to gather customers. Small business owners struggle to find their customers. When it comes to creating a marketing plan, many small business owners lack the understanding and fail to adopt an effective business plan.

As a small business, the marketing budget is limited, and owners work hard to achieve good results. The only way to get more customers and profits is to market your services to your customers.

Marketing can help you win more customers if you create an effective marketing strategy and choose the right method to market your products and services. Unlike traditional forms of advertising, digital marketing allows you to target an audience that will be interested in your business. Here are a few ways online marketing companies for small business can help.

Your customers are online

Different small business owners may find different reasons to avoid digital marketing, but eventually, you have to accept that your customers have moved online.

Reaching internet users

If you expect your customers to come to you without any sales process, you are following a dumb process. Today, when someone is interested in your business, the first thing they will do is search the internet and see what they can find about you. They expect you to be on the internet with a website and good social media content.

Your competitors are already online

To be a successful business, you must always focus on what your competitors are doing and always apply better methods than what they are using. When you look at what your competitors are doing, you will find what works for you because what works for your competitors will work for you.

Know your audience

Staying in touch with your customers online makes them buy your products and services. It also helps you to build relationships with your customers and make them stick to your business for a long time.

Digital marketing is the most profitable form of marketing because it gives you the ability to sell your products only to those who you think are your future customers. This builds your brand value and increases brand credibility on the internet.

What To Look for In a Digital Marketing Agency as A Small Business?

Whether you are a small business or a large business, consider these 5 factors when looking at how to choose a digital marketing agency.

Experience

Online marketing encompasses many areas of activity. Some companies are full-service, meaning they offer everything from web design, SEO, social media management to email marketing. Other companies focus on specific service areas, such as PPC management.

So, when choosing a digital marketing company, it is important to understand the services offered by the company. Do their job offers match your goals?

Knowledge of your business

In addition to the expertise and services you need, a digital marketing agency should understand your business. Industry experience is a plus. Having worked with other companies in your area, the company will know the unique challenges and geography of your company. They can also add features to your business that have worked for others in the industry.

Good communication

Another consideration when choosing a digital media company is communication. As with any working relationship, communication is important. If you want to start a new way quickly or if a problem quickly arises, you need a partner company that is receptive and ready to work with you to find a solution.

Testimonials

When you’re thinking about how to choose a digital advertising agency, reviews and testimonials are helpful tools.

The number of reviews for each company will depend on its size, how long it has been in business and other factors. However, content from research holds the most value. Are they usually good? Are customers satisfied? What details are included that can help distinguish the company?

Keep in mind, however, that a five-star rating does not mean the company is the best for your business. So, it’s important that you don’t rely on research alone and include other factors in your decision.

Reasonable expectations

When deciding which content marketing agency for small business to hire, be aware of the expectations they set. Top companies will set clear expectations for you. They will be transparent about things like price, the scope of work, timelines, and deliverables. Additionally, they should outline the results you can expect from their work. Be wary of companies that promise too much or promise results that seem too good to be true.

Digital Marketing Spending by Small Businesses

At the end of the day, your budget will determine what you can and can’t do. So, what are your peers up to when it comes to marketing, and how can you go about making the most of your efforts?

Let’s start with the million-dollar question, or in this case, the $500 question… That’s right, the average small business spends $500 on marketing, with 46% of that going towards digital marketing specifically. Of these, the majority (78%) believed that mobile marketing is incredibly important.

When it comes to what these businesses are spending their budget on:

• 25% of the marketing budget is dedicated to social media ads
• Globally, $521.02 billion was spent on digital marketing in 2021, and this expected to reach $876.1 billion by 2026
• 72.9% of online sales take place on mobile devices
• More than a third of them spend over $10,000 on their marketing efforts annually.
• Between 6.5% and 10% of their total revenue is spent on marketing.
  

  Questions to Ask Before Hiring a Digital Marketing Agency

  Now that you understand the pros and cons of hiring small business marketing firms, the next step is to make your selection! There are hundreds of agencies out there that all have their own unique style, voice and marketing perspective. With the overwhelming amount of options, it can seem like a difficult choice to make, but the real challenge is to choose the right small digital agency that will accurately represent your brand.

  During the production process, this agency will be working directly with your team, and will essentially be a functioning part of your business. Similar to interviewing a candidate for an internal role, there are some questions you need to ask in order to determine whether or not the agency will be the right fit. Below are the top five small business creative agency questions that we get asked the most:

  Below are the top five small business creative agency questions that we get asked the most:

  • Have you worked with small businesses before? When it comes to marketing a small business, the needs are not quite the same as that of a bigger company. Your digital marketing agency will need to understand the restrictions that come with working with a smaller business and know how to navigate their way around it.
  • Can you show us some small business strategy examples of your best written content? Top digital marketing agencies for small businesses will usually offer copywriting as one of their services to help improve SEO. One way to determine whether or not their written style is for your brand is to ask for a sample of their best posts.
  • Who are your previous clients? Being able to see who they’ve worked with as well as what they’ve done is important. But in some cases, reaching out to their previous clients will help paint a better picture of what it is they are able to do for your business.
  • What information will you need from me? Oftentimes, brands won’t understand what information will be needed, or how they can help their digital marketing campaign. Asking this question helps give both sides a clear understanding of what’s expected.
  • How does your team optimize your content for search engines? When asking this question, your goal is to get the small business SEO company to start talking about their process and how their team approaches search engine optimization.
  • Which platforms do you recommend? Does the agency think beyond the standard social media channels that everyone tries to punt? How is their approach to content sharing different? This will help you determine of the agency is able to think on their feet, or if they follow a cookie cutter model.
  • What metrics does your team track? Even a newer digital marketing agency for startups should be able to explain metrics like bounce rates, CPC, conversions, and ROI to its clients. If the agency you’re interviewing doesn’t know how to explain these terms, or if it doesn’t provide reports on how your PPC campaigns are doing… that’s a red flag!
  • How do you measure success? Does the agency set and track realistic goals, and if so, do they share this information with you throughout the process? The last thing you want to do is waste money on a project that reaps no real benefits.
  • When will I be able to see results? One of the downsides to SEO or PPC for small business is that agencies can’t give you a definitive date on when you will be able to see results. These campaigns take time, but usually you will be able to notice results within 6 – 12 months.

  Hopefully, these questions to ask a digital marketing agency will help you poke and prod a bit further into the inner workings of each prospective agency your team is considering. If you have a question about the agency, their previous works, their collaboration process, or anything, ask it!

  No question is “stupid,” especially when you’re considering where to spend your marketing budget. Remember that the agency you hire will be an extension of your business, so it’s important to get to know each team as best as you can during the hiring process.

  Digital Marketing Services for Small Business

  As a small business, your strategies are probably a bit different than that of a Fortune 500 company with decades of experience. For example, while both likely dabble in essentials like social media marketing and paid advertising, the goals with each may be different. That is, you may use your social channels as a way to market your products and funnel users to your site so they can make the purchase, but they may simply use it as a social listening tool to always know what’s going on with their audience.

  The point being that, as a small business, the strategies you need apply to you and those in similar situations. In other words, if you want to succeed and beat out your competition, you’re going to need to tailor your strategies, so they benefit you, a small business. To this end, taking a look at the most popular marketing services small businesses ask for will be a big help as you build your own strategy. Additionally, you’ll also get an idea of what you can ask for if you do decide to get in touch with a digital agency.

  Search Engine Optimization (SEO)

  Studies show that one in three of consumers research a company on the web before making a purchase through them. A big mistake small companies are making is not investing in SEO. Search engine optimization allows new potential consumers discover your small business and can increase traffic and sales exponentially.

  Digi Experts offers a unique approach to a holistic lifestyle of #HealthySEO that helps businesses achieve sustained 1^st page search results through an ongoing strategy built through proven success.

  

  Mobile SEO

  One of the biggest appeals small businesses have is that they’re small! They’re the bakery down the street or the mom and pops shop on the next block. As a small business owner, one of the biggest issues you face is losing your unique sense of self, so you feel inclined to find a marketing agency for startups that will protect and enhance the integrity of your brand.

  If you’re not looking to dive in to the big leagues of SEO just yet, you can start off by asking a digital marketing agency to help your business with mobile SEO, which will help optimize your brand to appear more frequently at the local level, on local web searches. This is a great way to get your feet wet without diving right in.

  Pay-Per-Click (PPC)

  PPC advertising is one of the most in-demand digital marketing services because brands can directly see their ROI. If your brand is struggling with getting customers to your website, and then having those users follow the sales funnel, PPC advertising is one of the best ways to address that issue.

  Lots of advertising agencies for small business would recommend this service because it produces the immediate results startups are looking for in the early stages of marketing, and it sets up your brand up for future success with increased brand awareness.

  Web Design

  A web page is often the first impression people have of your brand or business. Make sure it’s one that will resonate deeply with them. Many small businesses opt for low-cost template-based platforms, which have the advantages of low-cost and minimal upkeep. However, flexibility is limited so prepare to make compromises with this option.

  For a fully customizable website with latest trends and digital advancements, some customization is required – if not built from scratch. If your business provides multiple products or services, requires a personalized interface for the management team or consumer, or just needs the latest personal touch, opt for web development through a digital agency.

  If a template-based platform like Shopify or WordPress meets your needs, you may also consider a maintenance program through an agency that can help you with appealing graphics and a user experience that drives sales.

  

  Brand Identity

  Another huge issue small business owners face is defining their brand to a larger audience. What started out as just a hobby suddenly became a business, and now you have to think about branding. When did your Sunday afternoon cookie baking sessions turn into a full fledged cookie business?

  If you’re feeling this kind of pressure, we’re here to let you know that’s okay and you’re not alone! Many small business owners have faced growing pains when it comes to scaling and branding. A digital marketing agency can help you specify and define your niche, audience and create a solid branding plan you can apply to every aspect of your company.

  Content Marketing Plan

  Content is king for a small business because it’s the stuff that will get customers to actively engage with your brand before making a purchase. Plus, content marketing generates three times as many leads as outbound marketing – and at half the cost. If you’re working with a tight budget and need to draw customers in, content marketing is the way to go.

  Social Media Advertising

  While 67% of small business use social media for digital marketing purposes, many are not investing beyond in-house upkeep avoiding SMM agency services – which may be a big mistake.

  And Most Importantly…

  If you do choose to manage some or all of your marketing through an agency, choose one who is a proven success in the business to ensure your dollars are well spent and aligned for the highest return.

  While we might be a bit partial, Digi Experts was just listed as a top Digital Marketing Agency in Pakistan… and proving marketing services for small businesses driven by results is not just our mission, it’s our passion. And we’re proud to continue delivering digital marketing solutions to small, medium and enterprise business in Pakistan and beyond. Be sure to check out our portfolio for some of our favorite success stories.