Every social media campaign these days has one mandate by the client – it should go viral. The enormous consumption of social media platforms has resulted in the rise of digital marketing agencies that ensure the virality of the product, while promising maximum reach. For all start-ups, new media is one aspect they cannot ignore. Every entrepreneur is not just out there on social media, tweeting and posting their beliefs, but brands too are addressing grievance and making way for interactive customer engagement.

So, it has become essential in today’s times to have a social media manager or an outsourced digital marketing agency taking care of your marketing needs. However, before a start-up chooses an agency there are various things they should tick mark from their list.

Hiring Filters to Keep in Mind

Having dealt with many start-ups and brands that reach out to them for marketing support, Anshul Sushil, founder and CEO of Boring Brands, shares a few tips on what filters to apply before signing an agency.

• Company’s culture: You might argue that hiring an agency is a pure performance-based work and therefore the company’s culture doesn’t matter. Right? Wrong. Small talk before and after your meeting can say a lot about the agency you intend to hire. Be assured of how seriously they take their company’s culture and measure how aligned it is with that of yours.

• Account staffing: One common thing that many companies complaint of is that agencies overpromise experience, but staff junior team to manage your account and deliver results. Always ask about who will be responsible for developing and pushing out your marketing campaigns. You will naturally want only the experienced marketers staffed on your account to ensure you get the desired results.

• Their core strength: Finding a perfect agency is like finding a needle from the haystack. As per their core areas, some organizations are better at reaching specific audiences than others. Even my own digital marketing company is not always going to be the best for every business. Therefore, just try to find a digital marketing firm that is going to represent you and your business in the best way possible.

• Can you trust them: Digital marketing is a field which is continuously changing and it’s natural that your strategies will change over time, too. So, appoint and listen to an agency you trust. They’ll be the one who will give you the confidence to embrace the change!

Experience First?

Before bringing an agency on board, the business owner should check if the former has actually done work in the industry that the latter operates in. “They should have the relevant experience in the industry and should have done good work in the past. The experience also counts with the team that the agency has in place. Personally, I don’t like to work with young companies as they often promise big but fail to deliver,” said Anuj Kushwah, MD and Founder of India’s first craft-bottled beer, Witlinger.

However, considering there are many digital agencies that have cropped over the past few years and are actually doing good work, sometimes experience can be given amiss. Sushil said, “Weight intent more than the number of years in the industry. Don’t just go by the online reviews (those can be bought by the way) go by your gut and their passion towards your business.”

Does the Company Understand You?

Business owners need to evaluate their own needs before hiring an agency. According to Sushil, one should take a step back and consider what their targets are. “If you’re looking to improve your brand’s social media presence, for instance, working with a company that only deals in web design might not be the smartest move,” he said.

But it is also essential to see if the agency understands your targets and is able to implement them. Niharika Gandhavadi, Founder & Chief Branding Officer, ThoughtFolks Media believes that an entrepreneur should see if the agency is a correct fit in taking their business to the next level. “End of the day any business owner ties up with a marketing agency so that it adds value to their brand,” she said.

Article written by: Sanchita Dash