5 Mistakes To Avoid When Hiring A Digital Agency

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5 Mistakes To Avoid When Hiring A Digital Agency

Hiring the right digital agency can be the best investment you make for your business. But while having a solid team on your side can be a game changer, hiring the wrong agency can quickly become a nightmare.

5 Mistakes To Avoid When Hiring A Digital Agency

While many digital agencies look similar on the surface, it’s crucial to dig deeper if you want to make sure you partner with the right company. In this article, I’ll outline some of the most common mistakes I see businesses make when looking for a partner.

5 Mistakes To Avoid When Hiring A Digital Agency

1. Looking For The Biggest Team

Bigger is always better, right? Well, not exactly. Just because a team is big doesn’t mean it’s best suited to help you. In fact, I would say that if you’re a small to medium business, you’re better off staying away from agencies with hundreds of employees. The fact is that smaller teams will typically give you more attention.

5 Mistakes To Avoid When Hiring A Digital Agency

5 Mistakes To Avoid When Hiring A Digital Agency

If you’re talking to an established, reputable agency of maybe 10-20 people, you can be certain that most of these people know their stuff and care about the few clients they serve. It’s what we call a “boutique agency,” and what sets them apart is their attention to detail and customer service.

A large agency may have more resources, but that also means the work may take longer or cost a lot more simply because there are more cogs in the machine, which may or may not be needed depending on your situation. Additionally, for agencies to truly scale, they almost always have to create standardized processes and training. This means their services are often cookie-cutter rather than custom-tailored services like with smaller agencies.

2. Choosing The Cheapest Option

Whether we’re talking agencies or pretty much anything else, you typically get what you pay for. In fact, when it comes to choosing the right partner agency, the cheaper option will often end up being more expensive.

Here’s a tale of two agencies: Agency A only charges $1,000 per month. They get hired by a company and their efforts generate $2,000 in monthly sales. That’s a profit of $1,000. On the other hand, Agency B charges $5,000 per month and generates $15,000 in monthly sales. That’s a profit of $10,000.

In this scenario, going with the cheaper Agency A would end up costing a lot more in profit that the company would be missing out on. One rule of thumb here is that if an agency is too cheap, they either likely don’t know what they’re worth or they’re inexperienced and trying to compete based on pricing. It’s not a good sign.

Don’t focus on the price. Instead, focus on the value and the potential return on investment.

3. Only Considering Local Agencies

A lot of times, clients start their search by looking for agencies that are geographically near them. Some brands have been burned in the past due to a bad experience with an agency in another state or country, so they choose to only look local.

While looking for someone local makes perfect sense when looking for a real estate agent (you need someone who knows the area), it really does not make sense when hiring a digital agency. This restricts you to a limited pool of options. And what if your goals don’t necessarily align with the services or structure of those local agencies?

One of the best things about growing your business online in today’s day and age is that you have access to a much larger pool of people and businesses. You’re not limited to local marketing agencies as you would have been 30 years ago. You have a global talent pool to work with.

The bottom line here is that if you were ever burned by an agency or freelancer, then it likely had nothing to do with the location and everything to do with who they are and their circumstances.

4. Looking For A ‘We Do Everything’ Agency Without Much Consideration

Most agencies typically start by offering one main service. The more established they get and the more they scale, the more services they add.

While having one agency take care of everything sounds convenient (and it is), you should always take your time to vet the different services offered. The best design agency is not necessarily the best development or marketing agency, too.

The key here is to evaluate each service separately rather than assume a certain level of quality across the board. Review any available case studies for each specific service, and have conversations about it as if you’re talking to (and vetting) a different agency for each service to ensure it’s a fit.

5. Not Researching An Agency’s Background & Track Record

External validation can be crucial when selecting a potential agency to partner with. Agencies can say whatever they want in a discovery call. But at the end of the day, it doesn’t matter what they say—it matters what they do and what they’ve done for their clients.

If you’re considering an agency that has no brand presence, that’s a major red flag. This is because they’re not proven yet and have a lot less to lose. On the other hand, an established brand has to stand by its name.

Here are a few tips to analyze an agency’s background and track record:

• Google the agency.

• Check how long they’ve been around.

• If you can’t find the agency (because they’re newer), Google the founder.

• Read online reviews.

• Read testimonials.

• Look for case studies.

Always do your due diligence before hiring an agency. Make sure they’re trustworthy, credible and have a solid history of success.

I have been in this industry for many years and have heard a lot of stories, but the truth is that most of them could have been avoided by following the tips above. It all comes down to doing your due diligence and taking your time to make the right decision for your company.

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