Digital marketing refers to the use of the internet and smart devices to push promotional messaging to online audiences. These digital marketing campaigns typically appear on computers, phones, tablets, and more recently, smart TVs. It has created an entirely separate field of marketing that differs from “traditional” marketing companies. A digital marketing agency will provide digital marketing services like Google Ads Management, SEO services, web design, social media marketing services, and email marketing.

According to DataReportal, 94.9% of New Zealand’s population are active internet users and 89.2% are active social media users in 2022. Meaning, an experienced digital marketing agency can help promote your business at the right place and at the right time. Essentially, if your campaign is promoted through any digital platform, it’s digital marketing.

Consumers rely heavily on digital platforms, specifically, search engines for information and purchase-making decisions. Digital is at the core of the entire marketing industry conversation nowadays. The goal of your digital marketing company is to place you at the forefront when customers are ready to buy.

Online marketing companies in New Zealand must constantly learn and adapt to stay competitive and succeed. Whether you hire a digital marketing agency or in-house team, you and your competitors want to occupy valuable ad space. With total digital marketing spend trending upwards and showing no signs of slowing down, cost per acquisition is increasing. IM Creative is an ad agency that stays aware of new digital trends. The rise of TikTok, the phasing out of third-party cookies, digital automation, AI, and increasingly targeted marketing, are all relevant. More than ever, customers value convenience, quality, and social responsibility. Online marketing companies must spot what consumers in any target market find most valuable in order to succeed.

Key To Customer Retention And Growth

Digital marketing serves two purposes that have a direct impact on your bottom line, customer acquisition and retention. Certainly, a digital marketing budget must be set aside whether you hire a digital marketing agency or work in-house. If you aren’t, I guarantee that your competitors are, and certainly reaping the rewards. Do you want proof? Search on Google for the services or products your company sells. What do you see? Your competitors are running Google Ads targeted at people actively searching for what you offer. Do you think they would be spending money on this if it wasn’t generating business for them? That is what you are missing out on if digital marketing services aren’t in your business growth strategy.

Digital marketing services are just as important for customer retention. Your ad agency can launch retargeting ads to audiences most likely to purchase (your web visitors, and customers). Whether it is email, Facebook, or banner ads, digital marketing can increase the lifetime value of your customers. IM Creative is an online marketing company specialised to provide such services most effectively and successfully.

Facebook and Google generate more revenue than any single traditional marketing company. Google’s Ad revenue amounted to $146.9 billion (USD) in 2020. Why? It’s where the eyeballs and attention are. A web agency’s goal is capturing your target market’s attention.

Like traditional marketing companies, a digital marketing company must set a well-thought-out plan and execution. Without a plan, your digital effort is destined to fail. It is not as easy as just posting regularly on your social media or making a website. A digital marketing company should analyse your place in the industry, your competitors, your short and long-term goals. Thereafter, develop a plan and tactics to reach these goals through a detailed internet marketing service.

Is digital marketing hard to learn?

The short answer is, yes. You need a combination of patience, experience, and a lot of free time in order to perfect any of the several services offered by a digital marketing agency. In most cases, you need to spend money in order to execute many of the services with success not guaranteed. 

There are two main things to consider when learning about a specific internet marketing service and digital marketing in general. There are the hard skills that you learn in order to deliver the actual internet marketing service. In addition, there are intuitive attributes about what works and what doesn’t that you build with years of experience.

Hard skills like Google Ads management can be learned thoroughly through Skillshop. From  setup to campaign strategies and management, everything is thoroughly explained. Moreover, this is a free tool offered by Google for you to get the most out of its advertising platform. 

You can also spend hours and days learning everything about SEO services through Search Engine Land. There are countless sources of information on the hard skills required to deliver the services that online marketing companies provide. 

The experience and intuition it takes to successfully execute any of the digital marketing services are even harder to learn. This is simply because you need to have experience launching and managing a successful campaign in order to repeat it. There are many factors behind a successful campaign that goes beyond the hard skills you can learn. An experienced online marketing agency is made of a team that has built profitable campaigns before. Thus, that intuition is built within the core of the web marketing company and the services they provide.

No single marketer can be an expert at everything. But, a digital marketing agency can have an expert in every field on their team. The moment you hire an online marketing agency, you open your brand to a wide range of services. From graphic design, SEO services, content marketing, and web design. For you, digital marketing will be one aspect of your business. For online marketing companies, their job is to maintain a successful track record in digital marketing or cease to exist.

It can be somewhat expensive and time consuming to launch a large-scale campaign without the resources. Think of a digital marketing company as mercenaries for hire. They are ready to engage and win on your behalf with complete flexibility. While you focus on running your business, the ad agency focuses on your online strategy. All that is needed is your goals and timeframe, without having to spend months in training. In addition, you get a fresh perspective and new ideas from experienced business professionals. Aside from all the jargon and tools, online marketing companies have a very valuable commodity to offer. The experience of running successful digital marketing campaigns for clients across multiple industries. This pool of knowledge is drawn to create a tailored campaign that maximises your chance of success.

Most importantly, hiring a digital marketing agency is scalable with minimised costs and risks. You are hiring a digital marketing agency with multiple experts at a similar cost it would take to hire one. An experienced ad agency normally has plans and packages that vary with business size. When you are ready to take that leap and grow, a flexible ad agency has the capability to do so.

Brand & Product Exposure

In today’s interconnected world, it is increasingly difficult to differentiate your service or product from competitors. A race to the bottom often leads to more trouble than it is worth in the long term. Thus, partnering with an experienced ad agency can help you get seen by your target audience ahead of your competitors. Importantly, working with a digital marketing agency is not just for large corporates. Gone are the days when the only opportunity for brand and product exposure was through million-dollar TV commercials. Affordable digital marketing services are now leveling the playing field, especially for small businesses. 

Any new product or brand must be seen by its target market to generate interest. In Australia and New Zealand, online is where you’re most likely to find and effectively target your customers. Hiring a web marketing company is a measurable and cost-effective way to do so. An online marketing agency places your products and services in front of the desired audience when they are most attentive. The goal of the ad agency is to drive your target market toward your social media accounts and website. As a result, people learn about your product offering and are more likely to start a conversation about your brand.

According to Statista, Apple ended 2023 in the top 3 of most valuable companies in the world. It is well documented that Apple’s powerful brand and the ability to generate a conversation are key to its success. They charge a premium because of the strong brand associated with their products even though competitors offer higher-spec products. An internet marketing agency can help you increase your brand exposure and recognition to gain an advantage in your market.

Engagement & Lead Generation

The next step is to generate actions that lead towards your ultimate goals. Things like newsletter sign-ups, growing your social media base or requesting a quote for your services/products. A digital marketing company will focus on increasing your page views, user count, average session duration, and conversion rates. Also, decreasing your bounce rate (viewers that leave your website after viewing one page only) and cost per click. These KPIs that every web agency should look at, generally result in higher engagement and lead generation. 

However, an honest digital marketing company will disclose that these metrics are not the be-all and end-all. There are online marketing companies out there that boast about what we like to call ‘fluff’ metrics. For example, take a reduction in cost-per-click as something a marketing firm might brag about reducing. On the face of it, it sounds great, that the marketing firm has reduced your cost to generate traffic. However, this could be a result of cheap display ads which are far less effective than other digital marketing services. In this instance, the correct metric to look at would be your cost-per-acquisition. If the web agency has been able to reduce your cost per lead or sale, that is indeed very impressive.

If you are a service provider, you might be wondering how you can generate more leads. Of course, the ultimate figure we care about is turning these leads into sales. But, what do you do if you want to generate more interest and leads? Hiring a web marketing company can significantly boost the number of leads you get. We’re an ad agency that strives to bring your cost-per-lead as low as possible while maximising total leads generated.

Sales 

Increasing sales is one of the main goals of a business. The right digital marketing firm can help any business achieve this, irrespective of which industry. According to the Google Economic Impact Report, businesses generate $2 of revenue for every $1 spent through Google Ads. Of course, some industries are more profitable than others. This also varies on the level of competition in each industry. However, choosing the right digital marketing agency can make every dollar you spend go much further than industry standards. On the other hand, the wrong ad agency delivering poor results can make a campaign unprofitable.

Picture a scenario where the owner of a landscaping business delivers 1000 flyers and gets 10 jobs booked. How long did it take him to design, print, and deliver those flyers? Could he have made better use of his time? The alternative is hiring a digital marketing agency that will likely generate more jobs booked through broader reach much quicker. Every business can benefit from the efficiency and cost-effectiveness of generating sales through online marketing companies. 

A digital marketing agency should integrate your sales funnel across platforms as key to your marketing strategy. A consistent brand message across all platforms will maximise your conversion rate and the likelihood of sales. For example, a digital marketing company is able to generate targeted traffic via Google Ads Management. Traffic is driven to your website that is thoughtfully optimised for conversions. In turn, this leads to a user’s purchase of a product. An integrated strategy along with a strong brand can bring about long-term growth. Hiring a digital marketing company can have an avalanche effect on your sales growth. It may start slow, but it can eventually pick up speed to the point where your sales skyrocket.

The difference between us and other marketing companies:

We are a digital marketing agency that is powered by creativity and driven with ambition. We’re dedicated to providing you with exceptional strategies to create and grow your business beyond your objectives and expectations.

A digital marketing agency that focuses on the metrics that truly matter is hard to find. IM Creative was formed to fill this gap. Our “above and beyond” approach cuts through the empty promises and meaningless metrics.

On average, we achieve an ROI of 9.1X for our digital marketing services. Working with IM Creative, you will get the advantage of market-leading knowledge to maximise your gains online. 

You will get a broader understanding of how to scale quickly and achieve results you hadn’t even considered before. You will work with a full-service digital marketing agency that syncs your digital channels towards a unified goal. 

The choice to grow your business and the means you do it with is up to you. Our digital marketing services are ruthlessly effective for rapidly scaling businesses. Even if we deliver on half of our growth projections, you will be wishing you had started working with us 6 months sooner. 

We make it more predictable, less stressful and have a lot of fun doing it. The results we deliver are exactly why we take strong consideration of the companies we work with just as much as you do. 

Our approach to digital marketing services:

While we specialise in digital marketing services, we treat your business as if it was our own and aim to maximise every dollar spent. Our job is to generate you, additional customers, through digital marketing, and this is how we do it:

Digital Marketing Plan & Projections:

Once you reach out and enquire about getting a custom digital marketing plan, we get to work. While we offer this service for FREE, by no means does it mean that it holds no value. 

We are more than a simple ad agency. You will get an insight into the size of your industry, monthly projections, and a timeline with important milestones. 

Onboarding & Implementation:

You’ve had a thorough look through your proposed digital marketing plan, had an introductory meeting with IM Creative, what now? 

Congratulations on picking the right online marketing agency to help take your business to the next level.

At this stage, you’ll be assigned an account manager from IM Creative that will be your key point of contact. They are there to answer any questions you may have and keep a constant open line of communication.

Thereafter, we’ll normally ask for access to things such as your website backend, Google Search Console account, and others. These all enable us to deliver the internet marketing service promised to you in the proposal. 

Analysis & Adjustments:

Once onboarding is complete, and we have the access needed to perform our job, we get on it right away. 

At the end of each month, you get a report from us on important metrics about your campaign. More importantly, we also ask for your feedback to understand the impact of our internet marketing service on your business.

Based on your feedback and the data generated, we are able to maximise the ROI for every dollar you spend. 

Expected results from an internet marketing service provider:

We aim to discuss expectations very clearly at the onboarding stage with all of our clients. While we’re committed to delivering results for your business, you must understand that it doesn’t happen overnight. Here is a timeline that breaks down what you can expect from hiring IM Creative as your digital marketing agency:

1 – 3 Months: Set solid foundations

Within this time period, it will become clear whether your business can grow through digital marketing services or not. Based on our experience, companies from almost every industry will benefit from hiring a digital marketing company.

At this stage, different strategies are tried and tested to find the best way to generate your business additional revenue.

3 – 6 Months: Scale 

Once we establish the best strategy to generate additional revenue, it is time to scale. Scaling is often more difficult than people anticipate. This is because your cost per acquisition can skyrocket if your digital marketing strategy is not managed properly.

An experienced marketing firm will make this as seamless as possible. We’ve been through this many times before and will support your growth in a sustainable and manageable way.

6 – 12 Months: Refine Campaign & Maximise Profitability

Congratulations, you’ve reached campaign maturity. This is where the winning formula has been established and now it is all about refining it to maximise profitability. 

This is when our ad agency clients see their ROI skyrocket to 3X, 6X, or 9X their investment with us. Moreover, you will be generating additional profits without having to hire new staff, and not committed to any long-term contracts. That is a key advantage to hiring a digital marketing company like IM Creative. You generally get more bang for your buck while minimising your risk on investment.

The average cost for digital marketing services ranges from $2000 to $20,000 per month for small to medium-sized companies. 

There are plenty of online marketing companies claiming to offer extremely cheap rates. In most cases, as the old saying goes, you get what you pay for. This phrase is as relevant when hiring a digital marketing company as in any other scenario. 

There is no one-size-fits-all cost of hiring a digital marketing agency. When you schedule a strategy session with IM Creative, you will get a recommended digital marketing budget tailored to you. We consider your targets, the industry cost of advertising, campaign complexity, and the timeframe you want to hit certain milestones. The best online marketing companies are able to give you measured projections and results from the very first few months. If a digital marketing agency provides you with the winning formula, increasing your budget is the logical step to scale. 

There are two crucial factors to consider when comparing the costs of hiring a digital marketing agency. The first thing your need to look for in a proposal is the deliverables. What exactly are you paying for? Stay clear of an internet marketing agency that is vague about the scope of its services. You should choose to partner with someone that’s upfront and provides concrete deliverables each month. 

Secondly, what methods are they using? Typically, “one-size-fits-all” methods come at cheap prices. In addition, black-hat marketing tactics which are usually unethical and cheap do more harm than good to your long-term strategy. These cheap methods almost never lead to the true value of return that can be achieved through digital marketing. Choosing a web agency that values a tailored approach, like IM Creative, goes a long way in your digital success.

Do Brands Need To Invest In Digital Marketing?

Every business in New Zealand can use the services offered by a digital marketing agency to yield positive results. However, don’t just take a digital marketing company’s word for it. The facts speak for themselves. According to recent studies:

• Over 51% of phone users have discovered a new brand or product while searching online using their phones.
• 75% of consumers say they will spend more with brands they follow on social media.
• 89% of buyers say they will purchase from a brand that they follow on social media. 84% will pick that brand over a competitor.

Truthfully, our smart devices have become part of all our lives. Do you remember the last time you didn’t own a smartphone? What about a laptop or computer? A tablet is probably part of your home too. The last time you wondered if it’s healthy to drink a glass of wine every night, you probably GOOGLED IT. Social media and search engines like Google have made digital marketing services a multi-billion dollar industry.

However, it is very easy to throw money away with no returns. There is most definitely a learning curve and experience factor when it comes to investing in digital marketing services. An experienced online marketing agency should help you reach your goals in the most cost-effective way. That hyperfocused experience within a digital marketing agency is the true value you get out of hiring one.

69% of buyers will use their phones to make decisions on in-store purchases. Thus, even brick and mortar businesses benefit from investing in a digital marketing agency. Walking in a store and facing pushy salespeople will overwhelm most customers. A pre-visit online search (courtesy of online marketing companies) gives buyers confidence and reduces buyer’s remorse. Subsequently, a good experience increases the chances of a returning buyer.

In-house OR Hire A Digital Marketing Company?

The big firms often hire an online marketing agency in collaboration with their in-house team. In other words, these companies allocate millions of dollars in the marketing budget to execute such a plan. However, many small and medium firms don’t have these big budgets.

Yes, you could definitely hire a marketing coordinator or two in-house. That will most likely cost you upwards of $120,000 per year in salaries. The benefits are that you get these employees to focus solely on your business. However, without a strategy and plan of execution, your staff may not know where to start. It can be difficult to fire staff if you aren’t seeing results. All other daily tasks may distract your staff from the key objectives.

Alternatively, you can hire a digital marketing company at a fraction of that price. You may not get the insider knowledge depth by hiring a marketing firm. However, you will get a team of highly experienced pros focused on delivering results via proven ad agency services. You also don’t need to spend at least three months of your time to train an in-house employee.

For a much lower price than two in-house employees, you are getting the knowledge of six marketing experts at IM Creative. It is our full-time job to maximise results through online channels. In short, you will be getting much more bang for your buck by hiring an ad agency.

As mentioned, big companies with big budgets will use both methods. However, for small and medium firms it is best to hire an online marketing agency. The digital world is always changing. Technology, methods, and trends are never at rest. So, it is best to partner with an online marketing agency whose job is to keep up to succeed.

A digital marketing agency’s job is to generate growth and new revenue streams for your business. If you want to grow right now, then hiring an ad agency will certainly increase your chances of doing so.

On the other hand, if you’re not actively looking for new growth opportunities, your competitors are. There has been a significant shift towards digital channels when it comes to consumer behavior and buying habits. NZ digital marketing spending hit a record of $1.78 billion (NZD) in 2022 (Advertising Standards Authority). According to a survey by Statista, 33% of consumers shifted to online shopping in 2020. Hiring a digital marketing agency now means looking beyond the short-term campaign and into the long-term company goals in mind.

By hiring the right digital marketing company, you get to work with experts that deliver measurable results. Why wouldn’t you want that?

Everyone that is anyone is using the power of digital marketing services to their benefit. Think of Apple, Microsoft, or New Zealand brands like Kiwibank and Xero. Before, only the big brands with substantial marketing budgets had the resources to hire online marketing companies. Today, an ad agency like IM Creative provides services at affordable prices for small to medium-sized companies.

A strong online presence means your business is not limited to exposure only in the physical sense. It can reach people worldwide from the comfort of their own homes. Particularly with the tools at the disposal of the top online marketing companies. These tools are currently achieving an average of 83% more conversion than any human and doing so at a large scale. The opportunities are big when you hire a digital marketing company. The best time to hire an ad agency was yesterday. The next best time is today.

When should a small business hire a digital marketing agency?

If you’ve been in business for a few years but have hit a growth plateau, this is something to consider. You know your business model works and there is demand for your products or services. Moreover, you have an established and reliable supply chain, whether it be quality products or service capabilities. 

A digital marketing agency can help you get to that next level and reach your maximum potential. Although there are no certainties, the sheer fact that you are in business makes it very likely you could succeed. Hiring an ad agency with experience in digital marketing services within Australia and New Zealand only increases your chances. 

Small businesses ranging from flower shops to local vehicle towing companies should seriously consider hiring a digital marketing agency. You’ll find that your competition is likely advertising with a web agency and taking a lot of market share. A simple Google search can verify which competitors in your industry are advertising directly to an ‘in-market’ audience. Hiring the right digital marketing company will not only help you stay competitive but get ahead of the competition. 

The reason why we’re in business is because the internet marketing service we provide delivers for our clients. If you’ve tried a do-it-yourself approach but your efforts aren’t delivering results, it’s time to approach a web marketing company. An expert will analyse your current strategy, identify what’s not working, and develop a pathway to success. In addition, hiring an internet marketing agency eliminates the time needed to implement a winning strategy. Therefore, allowing you to focus on your core competencies. 

You don’t necessarily need to break the bank when you hire an online marketing agency. At the expense of hiring just one employee, an ad agency can play a crucial role in your digital success. 

Is it a good idea for an owner-operator or startup to hire a digital marketing company?

In truth, hiring a digital marketing company costs thousands of dollars, and the owner must come to terms with that. Of course, there are cheaper ad agency alternatives that you can find overseas or web agency gurus offering guarantees. However, the old saying holds true, ‘you get what you paid for’. 

In business, there are no guarantees or cheat codes for becoming rich. To get the high-profit returns you are seeking, you must be willing to invest in a reputable ad agency. Of course, that does not imply that you will succeed. There are many other factors like the cost of production, price, and quality that play an important role. However, hiring an experienced digital marketing company gives you the best chance of online marketing success. 

Granted, when you are starting, you may not have the cash flow to invest in a top online marketing agency. You may be working full-time and starting your own business as a side hustle initially. In such cases, our advice is to learn and implement various digital marketing services on your own. We’re not saying that you need to become an expert overnight. But, there are plenty of free tutorials online to help you implement some of the digital marketing services yourself. The goal is to learn whether your startup is a viable and sustainable business in the long term. Once you get an inclination for how the market reacts to your offering, you’ll feel more confident investing in advertising. 

In summary, it’s a good idea for a first-time entrepreneur to learn some advertising skills themselves. That way, they can save on the thousands of dollars it would cost to hire a digital marketing agency. Serial entrepreneurs with a successful track record, likely have more capital and experience to hire an ad agency. 

Why do medium and large companies decide to work with or switch between online marketing companies?

Medium and large companies can certainly hire an in-house team and yet they still work with marketing companies. More often than not, they have a combination of in-house marketing professionals and external online marketing companies. There are many reasons for that and we’ll be discussing some of the main ones here. 

The primary reason why corporations hire an online marketing agency is because of the broad outlook that is provided. An experienced digital marketing agency works with multiple big clients across many industries. While your internal team will ensure a consistent brand message, an ad agency can provide the best practices. Therefore, they can leverage this position to offer an internet marketing service unique to their standing in the marketplace.

Labour laws in New Zealand and Australia are fairly regulated and employee protections make it expensive to swiftly change course. Hiring an online marketing agency on a fixed or monthly basis gives companies the flexibility to make swift strategic changes. Whether the internet marketing service campaign is failing to meet expectations or you simply don’t need a web agency anymore. This does indeed play an important role in the decision to hire a digital marketing agency over hiring more people. 

Large corporations may decide to switch from one marketing firm to another or work with multiple at once. The reason a web marketing company is dropped could be due to poor performance or simply a breakdown in relationships. You can imagine a company’s marketing manager moves on and the new person in charge wants to make their mark. The relationship between the internet marketing agency and the old manager goes from a significant factor to an irrelevant one. One of the first things the new decision-maker could do is fire the marketing firm and appoint their preferred choice.

When should you not hire a digital marketing agency? 

Sometimes, there are reasons not to hire a digital marketing agency and that is what we’ll discuss here. You will find that big marketing companies often turn prospective clients away if they are not the right fit. That is the case when they notice signs that could lead to issues down the road. 

You should avoid hiring a digital marketing company if you are struggling with cash flow. When you hire a professional to provide their digital marketing services they expect their clients to be professional too. No one wants to chase up on invoices past their due date and neither does a marketing firm. Naturally, payment uncertainty can lead to a stop-and-start workflow for the ad agency, which hampers the momentum of your campaign. 

Another reason not to hire an ad agency is if you are selling illegal and prohibited goods or services. Any reputable digital marketing company will turn down the work anyway. Nonetheless, most digital platforms have strict terms and conditions prohibiting such use of digital marketing services. Even if a web marketing company takes you on as a client, they will not get far before getting banned.

Lastly, this one is more of a reminder rather than a hard reason not to hire an online marketing agency. You should always discuss objectives and expectations before hiring an internet marketing agency. Naturally, they will evolve over time. Nonetheless, it is of utmost importance that both you and your web agency are aligned in achieving the same goals. 

Remember, hiring a digital marketing agency should be seen as an investment, not as an expense. Having said that, those who do see it as an expense won’t likely read this far down anyway. 

In short, you should begin seeing positive results within the first 3 months of working with a digital marketing company.

Of course, that is not necessarily a given but it is a good rule of thumb. After all, you’re hiring an ad agency to generate additional business. If the costs outweigh the additional profit without any sign of improvement in sight, what’s the point? 

It also largely depends on the services the digital marketing agency is providing. You can expect a faster increase in sales through Google Ads management, conversion optimisation, and hiring a social media agency. These services are like a pay-to-play strategy where you jump in front of the queue by paying for ads. There are countless online marketing companies offering these services out there. While the right ones can make a huge difference to your business, others can end up costing you without reward. That is why you should evaluate how your investment into an online marketing agency is going after 3 months.

On the other hand, SEO services and email marketing services take longer to deliver results. Your ad agency should be very clear about this from the very beginning. These digital marketing services generally begin showing results within 6 to 12 months. While they do indeed take longer to provide a positive ROI, they often lead to a cheaper cost-per-acquisition long term. They are also powerful tools to have as part of your marketing mix to diversify and consolidate your marketing strategy.

You must speak with your online marketing agency about expectations and KPIs throughout your campaign. It is important to have shared expectations for a positive and long-lasting relationship between you and your online marketing agency.

What metrics should I care about when hiring a digital marketing agency?

When keeping track of your campaigns and defining success metrics, your ad agency will typically send a monthly report. Whether it’s your first time working with an internet marketing agency or not, these reports can feel overwhelming. At the end of the day, the metrics you care most about are an increase in leads and sales. However, an honest web marketing company will tell you upfront that this does not happen overnight. Thus, we’ll discuss some of the metrics that indicate you’re on the right track and others that are less meaningful.  

Improved rankings on Google are a perfect example of a positive metric to track. Although your revenue isn’t likely to increase as keywords jump from the 5th page to the 2nd page, it’s progress. That is because the jump to the 1st page is near and is likely to directly lead to additional revenue. Therefore, although there is a delay in gratification, your digital marketing agency is making progress toward your ultimate goal. Other positive metrics to keep track of are the number of leads generated, sales, cost-per-acquisition, and conversion rate.

One metric that is absolutely silly to even discuss with marketing companies, particularly for small to medium businesses, is ‘impressions’. There are some online marketing companies out there that will deflect and distract from the main objective by highlighting impressions. The truth is, impressions across most digital marketing services are someone scrolling online and brushing past your ad. Now, think how many ads were placed across websites and social media apps that you’ve visited just today. How many of those ads are memorable to you? Exactly… impressions are one of the vainest metrics of any internet marketing service and you shouldn’t be paying much attention. 

Is it worth hiring a digital marketing agency? 

Look, there is no simple yes or no answer to this question because every circumstance is different. You may even be in the same industry as someone who works with a digital marketing company and you shouldn’t. Alternatively, if you’re in an ‘old-fashioned’ industry, working with a web agency is an opportunity to stand out. 

Firstly, there is no guarantee that working with a digital marketing company will generate additional revenue. The principle is the same as any other financial investment, whether personal or business-related. However, just like finance companies showing their past performance, a marketing firm uses case studies to do the same. 

At the end of the day, you won’t know the worth until you start working with an online marketing agency. You must be prepared to commit to at least 3 months with a particular internet marketing service to establish value. I believe that 3 months is enough time to generate data and evaluate the impact it has on your business. 

Thus, the best thing you can do is to allocate 3 months to an ad agency budget and relax. If that is something you can’t do due to cashflow issues, don’t hire a digital marketing agency. On the other hand, if you’re prepared to invest and establish whether a web agency works for you, do it. 

Marketing companies come in all shapes and sizes and most importantly, with a range in quality of digital marketing services. Thus, if you’ve tried in the past and there’s been little to no return on investment, there are two possibilities. In a scenario where you received almost no leads or sales, hiring a digital marketing company isn’t worth it. If you generated a few sales but not enough to break even, more time or another web agency is recommended. 

A digital marketing agency works alongside your in-house team or on behalf of your business providing an internet marketing service. These services will vary on your business goals and the industry you’re in alongside budget considerations. A digital marketing company may use single-channel or multi-channel marketing to reach customers through websites, social media platforms, email, etc. It may involve regular website updates, to graphic design work for an exhibition, or video editing for social media. 

An online marketing agency could be hired to advise on strategy and create a marketing plan, right through to execution. On the other hand, an ad agency could just be hired to execute specific digital marketing services. These services include: 

• Branding
• Web Design
• Search Engine Optimisation (SEO)
• Google Ads Management 
• Social Media Marketing
• Email Marketing
• Conversion Rate Optimisation
• Content Marketing
• Affiliate Marketing
• Video Production
• Public Relations (PR)
• Marketing Automation
• Graphic Design
• Digital Community Management 
• Data Analysis

Typically, an internet marketing agency employs experts from specific areas of digital marketing to offer a high level of expertise. Ultimately, the goal is to increase sales and revenue of clients by providing services with a proven track record. Online marketing companies survive by keeping up with industry best practices, latest trends, and the best tools and strategies. Thus, hiring one with multiple years of experience is a good start when it comes to picking the right one. 

A digital marketing company will look at your business objectively and without any prejudice. Therefore, through their experience, they can easily point out weaknesses of your existing digital marketing and suggest ways to improve. Clearly established goals and objectives help measure the effectiveness of each internet marketing service. Regular reviews and performance tracking are key to reaping the benefits of working with an internet marketing agency. 

Should I hire a digital marketing agency that can do everything or hire experts who specialise in different areas?

The answer to this question is complex and largely depends on your capacity and what you want to achieve. The world is your oyster! You can hire anything from elite online marketing companies to a small ad agency if you have the budget. Naturally, bigger online marketing companies have the capacity and experience to deliver a wide range of digital marketing services. However, there are times when a small online marketing agency can do the job just as well, if not better. 

There is also space in the industry for a marketing firm to offer specialised digital marketing services at scale. This is where IM Creative has strategically positioned itself in the Australian and New Zealand markets. We’re a digital marketing agency specialised in four core elements of an internet marketing service package. Those four digital marketing services are web design, SEO, Google Ads, and email marketing. There are also specialist ad agencies with a focus on content and video production as their core service. 

What is difficult to establish is a clear winner as to which ad agency model is better. While an argument can be made that a large web marketing company draws in talent and experience, there are shortcomings. Those being higher costs of hiring a well-established web marketing company and standards of procedure that can sometimes hamper innovation. On the other hand, a small digital marketing company will likely be cheaper but often lacks experience or capacity.

That is why we’ve positioned ourselves as a digital marketing agency offering services that can boost any business. Irrespective of size or industry, our services are affordable and likely to improve performance in the short, medium, and long term. 

How do I choose the right digital marketing agency for me? 

Look, we live in a day and age where your web agency options are endless. From cheap overseas outsourcing to a local marketing firm it is hard to distinguish between quality of service and price. That is, of course, until you choose a digital marketing agency and try them out for a few months. The problem is, that the barrier to starting an internet marketing agency is virtually zero. Therefore, picking a good one is like choosing a needle in a haystack. The good news is that there are signs you can look out for to help you filter through poor choices. Here are some due diligence tips to help you pick a winning digital marketing company: 

Reviews from trusted sources like Google are something to consider when picking a web marketing company to work with. People are more likely to voice their negative experiences than positive ones. Thus, if a web agency has overwhelmingly positive reviews, people have gone out of their way to express it. It goes without saying that you should avoid working with an online marketing agency with overwhelmingly negative reviews. Substance matters too, which is why reviews help you understand what this digital marketing agency is like to work with. 

You want to be cautious of an ad agency that offers profit guarantees. Having been in this business for over a decade, it seems ridiculous how any online marketing agency can offer this. Nonetheless, like in any industry, there are plenty of snake oil salesmen in disguise promising you the world and underdelivering. The catch is usually well hidden in the terms and conditions of these miracle-working online marketing companies. Yet, when it comes to delivering, they will most certainly have an excuse that was ‘out of their control’.