What does a digital media marketing agency do? Types of Digital Marketing Agencies
Updated 20 April 2023
A digital marketing agency works with your business to create new effective avenues of marketing for your products and services.
In today's digital landscape, businesses are constantly searching for ways to improve their online presence, attract new customers, and drive growth. As a result, many are turning to digital marketing agencies to help them navigate the complex world of online growth.
However, understanding the myriad of services and expertise offered by digital marketing agencies can be overwhelming. From SEO to content marketing, PPC campaigns, and social media management, it's essential to know what services you need to address your business's unique pain points and achieve your goals.
As a marketer with over a decade of digital marketing experience I've seen firsthand the transformative impact a well-executed digital marketing strategy can have on a business.
I've tailored this guide for business owners, marketing managers, and decision-makers who are considering partnering with an agency to boost their online presence and achieve better results.
By sharing my knowledge and expertise, I hope to provide clarity on what agencies do and how they can help your business thrive.
With the ever-evolving digital landscape, it's important to keep up with the latest trends and strategies. Together, let's dive into the world of digital marketing agencies and explore their role, the types of services they offer, and how to choose the right one for your business.
I will discuss the essential aspects of digital marketing agencies, providing you with the knowledge and insights needed to make informed decisions about your marketing strategies.
Understanding Digital Marketing Agencies (Working with a digital marketing agency)
In this section, I will delve into the world of digital marketing agencies, discussing their role and the differences between full-service and specialised agencies.
Definition of Digital Marketing Agencies
Digital marketing agencies are companies that help businesses develop, implement, and manage marketing strategies across various digital platforms. They utilise their expertise in online marketing channels, data analysis, and creative content production to help businesses grow their online presence, engage with customers, and ultimately drive sales.
Key Components of Digital Marketing Agencies:
Strategy development
Data analysis
Content creation
Campaign management
Performance tracking
Role of a Digital Marketing Agency Partner
A digital marketing agency partner can serve as an extension of a business's marketing team. Their goal is to work closely with the business to understand its objectives, target audience, and unique selling points. Based on this information, the agency will create and execute customised digital marketing campaigns to achieve the desired results.
Responsibilities of a Digital Marketing Agency Partner:
Identifying the right marketing channels
Creating targeted and engaging content
Implementing and optimising campaigns
Monitoring and analysing performance
Reporting and providing insights for improvement
Full-Service Digital Marketing vs. Specialised Agencies (Different types of Digital marketing)
There are two main types of digital marketing agencies: full-service and specialised.
Full-Service Digital Marketing Agencies
Full-service digital marketing agencies offer a comprehensive range of online marketing services, from strategy development to execution and analysis.
These agencies typically have a team of experts in various digital marketing disciplines, allowing them to provide an all-in-one solution for businesses seeking a holistic approach to their marketing efforts.
That's what my team at Honest Fox excel at.
Services Offered by Full-Service Digital Marketing Agencies:
Digital Marketing Strategy
Search engine optimisation (SEO)
Pay-per-click (PPC) search advertising
Social media marketing
Content marketing
Email marketing
Web design and development (+user experience)
Specialised Agencies
Specialised agencies, on the other hand, focus on a specific area of digital marketing, such as SEO, social media, or content marketing.
These agencies sometimes have a deeper level of expertise in their chosen field, making them a suitable choice for businesses with specific marketing needs or those looking to complement their existing marketing efforts.
They also lack an ability to assist across multiple channels and disciplines. They are great if you have a specific problem. That said full service agencies can also take on the task of specific problem resolution.
Examples of Specialised Agencies:
SEO agencies
Social media marketing agencies
Content marketing agencies
Paid advertising agencies
Web design agency
By understanding the differences between full-service and specialised digital marketing agencies, businesses can make more informed decisions when choosing the right agency to help them achieve their marketing goals.
Types of Digital Marketing Channels
Overview of Different Types of Digital Marketing Services
Digital marketing encompasses various strategies and channels that businesses use to connect with their target audience online. Understanding the type of marketing services required is essential for selecting the best channels to promote your products and services effectively.
In many cases some stakeholders can sometimes be unsure what channel or tool is fit for the job. So doing a needs analysis holistically is an important step to understand what activities you need to incorporate as part of your strategy.
Search Engine Optimisation (SEO)
Improving the visibility of your website on search engines organic listings
Involves on-page, off-page, and technical SEO techniques
Paid Digital Advertising
Running paid ads on search engines and social media platforms
Advertisers pay a fee each time their ad is clicked
Content Marketing
Creating valuable and engaging content for your target audience
Blog posts, articles, whitepapers, infographics, videos, and more
Social Media Marketing (SMM)
Promoting your brand and engaging with customers on social media platforms
Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, LinkedIn, Pinterest, etc.
Email Marketing
Sending targeted email campaigns to your subscribers
Creating lead nurture sequences and workflows
Newsletters, promotional offers, and personalised content
Affiliate Marketing
Partnering with affiliates to promote your products or services
Affiliates earn a commission for each sale or lead generated
Influencer Marketing tactics
Collaborating with influencers to promote your brand to their audience
Social media personalities, bloggers, or industry experts
Video Marketing
Creating and sharing video content to engage and educate your audience
YouTube, Vimeo, Facebook videos, and more
Importance of Choosing the Right Marketing Channels
Selecting the most effective marketing channels for your business is crucial for maximising your return on investment (ROI) and achieving your marketing goals. The right digital channels will depend on factors such as your target audience, industry, and overall marketing objectives.
Identify Your Target Audience
Understand their demographics, preferences, and online behaviour
Choose channels that resonate with your target audience
Analyse Your Competitors
Assess your competitors' digital marketing strategies
Identify opportunities for differentiation and improvement
Set Clear Objectives
Define your marketing goals (brand awareness, lead generation, sales, etc.)
Select channels that align with your objectives and KPIs
Allocate Your Budget
Determine your marketing budget and allocate resources effectively
Focus on channels that provide the best ROI and scalability
Monitor and Optimise
Track the performance of your digital marketing efforts
Adjust your strategy and channel selection based on data-driven insights
By understanding the various types of digital marketing and selecting the appropriate channels, businesses can create a comprehensive digital marketing strategy that drives success and helps them achieve their objectives.
Exploring Types of Digital Marketing Agencies
Let's dive into the different types of digital marketing agencies that businesses can partner with to achieve their online marketing goals. By understanding the various agency types, you can make an informed decision when selecting the right partner for your business.
Full-Service Digital Marketing Agencies
Overview
Definition and role of a full-service digital marketing agency
Benefits of partnering with a full-service agency
Services Offered
SEO (Search Engine Optimisation)
SEM (Search Engine Marketing)
Content Marketing
Social Media Marketing
Web Design and Development
Email Marketing
Analytics and Reporting
SEO Agencies
Overview
Definition and role of SEO agencies
Importance of SEO in digital marketing strategy
Services Offered
Keyword Research
Technical SEO Audits
On-page Optimisation
Off-page Optimisation (Link Building)
Local SEO
SEO Analytics and Reporting
Content strategy
Content production
Social Media Marketing Agencies
Overview
Definition and role of social media marketing agencies
Importance of social media in today's marketing landscape
Services Offered
Social Media Strategy Development
Social Media Account Management
Social Media Content Creation
Paid Social Advertising
Influencer Marketing
Social Media Analytics and Reporting
Content Marketing Agencies
Overview
Definition and role of content marketing agencies
The significance of content marketing in digital marketing strategy
Services Offered
Content Strategy Development
Content Creation (Blog Posts, Articles, Whitepapers, E-books)
Copywriting and Editing
Video Production
Podcast Production
Infographics and Visual Content Creation
Content Distribution and Promotion
Paid Advertising Agencies
Overview
Definition and role of paid advertising agencies
Importance of paid advertising in driving targeted traffic
Services Offered
PPC (Pay-Per-Click) Management
Display Advertising
Social Media Advertising
Programmatic Advertising
Retargeting and Remarketing
Paid Advertising Analytics and Reporting
By evaluating the various types of digital marketing agencies and their offered services, businesses can identify the right agency to meet their specific marketing needs. This, in turn, leads to more successful campaigns and a higher return on investment.
Why Hire a Digital Marketing Agency (digital marketing companies)?
Digital marketing is essential for businesses in today's digital landscape, and when you hire an agency it offers numerous benefits.
In this section, I will delve into the reasons why working with a marketing agency can help grow and be advantageous for your business.
Access to Expertise and Specialised Skills
Hiring a digital marketing agency grants you access to a team of experts with a wide range of specialised skills. From SEO and content marketing to social media management and paid advertising, agencies have the experience and know-how to develop and execute effective marketing strategies.
Key takeaways:
Benefit from the expertise of seasoned professionals
Tap into a pool of diverse and specialised skills
Stay up-to-date with the latest marketing trends and best practices
Focus on Your Core Business Activities
By outsourcing your digital marketing to an agency, you can concentrate on your core business functions, such as product development or customer service. This enables you to dedicate more time and resources to the aspects of your business that drive growth and revenue.
Key takeaways:
Free up time and resources for essential business tasks
Reduce the stress of managing multiple responsibilities
Enhance overall business efficiency
Cost-Effective Marketing Solutions
Digital marketing agencies can offer cost-effective solutions compared to hiring in-house staff or attempting to manage your marketing efforts on your own. Agencies have established relationships with various marketing tools and platforms, which can lead to discounts and more efficient marketing strategies.
Key takeaways:
Save on the costs of hiring and training in-house staff
They also have a greater accountability that internal staff
Leverage agency relationships for better rates on marketing tools and services
Benefit from efficient and streamlined marketing processes
Scalability and Flexibility
One of the most significant advantages of working with a digital marketing agency is the ability to scale your marketing efforts as your business grows. Agencies can quickly adapt to your changing needs, ensuring that your marketing strategies remain effective as your business evolves.
Key takeaways:
Adjust marketing efforts to align with business growth
Ensure that marketing strategies remain relevant and effective
Maintain flexibility in response to industry changes and trends
Data-Driven Decision Making
Digital marketing agencies utilise data and analytics to measure the success of marketing campaigns and make informed decisions. This data-driven approach ensures that your marketing budget is spent efficiently, targeting the most impactful strategies for your business.
Key takeaways:
Make informed decisions based on data and analytics
Optimise marketing efforts for maximum impact
Measure the success of your campaigns and adjust as necessary
By hiring a digital marketing agency, your business can reap the benefits of their expertise, focus on core activities, save costs, scale marketing efforts, and make data-driven decisions. With the right agency partner, you can elevate your digital marketing strategy and achieve your business objectives.
How to Choose a Good Digital Marketing Agency
Selecting the right digital marketing agency is essential for the success of your business's online presence. To ensure you make the right choice, consider the following factors:
Define Your Goals and Objectives
Before you start your search, it's crucial to outline your marketing goals and objectives. Be specific and think about what you want to achieve with your digital marketing efforts. By understanding your objectives, you can better communicate your expectations to potential agencies.
Experience and Reputation
When evaluating digital marketing agencies, it's essential to consider their experience and reputation in the industry.
Years in business: Look for agencies with a proven track record and a history of delivering successful results for clients.
Client testimonials: Check their website for client testimonials and reviews. This can give you an insight into their work style, professionalism, and ability to deliver results.
Case studies: Request case studies or examples of previous work. Analyze their approach, strategies, and outcomes to determine if they are a good fit for your business.
Specialisation and Services Offered
Assess the agency's specialisation and range of services offered. Consider if they have expertise in the types of digital marketing that align with your goals.
Full-service vs. specialised agencies: Determine if you need a full-service digital marketing agency or a specialised one. Full-service agencies offer a wide range of services, while specialised agencies focus on specific digital marketing channels.
Industry experience: Check if the agency has experience working with businesses in your industry or niche. An agency with relevant industry experience may have a better understanding of your target audience and marketing channels that work best.
Communication and Collaboration
Effective communication and collaboration are key to a successful partnership with a digital marketing agency.
Communication style: Assess the agency's communication style during your initial interactions. Are they responsive, professional, and willing to listen to your needs?
Project management: Inquire about their project management process. Will you have a dedicated account manager, and how often will you receive updates and reports?
Tools and platforms: Ask about the tools and platforms they use for communication, reporting, and collaboration. Familiarise yourself with these tools to ensure a seamless working relationship.
Pricing and Flexibility
Understanding the agency's pricing structure and flexibility is crucial for budgeting and setting expectations.
Pricing model: Ask about their pricing model, whether it's hourly, project-based, or a retainer. Ensure that their pricing aligns with your budget and expectations.
Customisation: Find out if the agency offers customisable packages that cater to your specific needs and requirements.
Contract terms: Review the contract terms and length. Look for any hidden fees or clauses that might affect your partnership.
By considering these factors and conducting thorough research, you can choose a good digital marketing agency that aligns with your business goals and delivers the results you need.
What to Expect from a Digital Marketing Agency Partnership
A successful partnership with a digital marketing agency can elevate your business's online presence, drive growth, and increase ROI. Here's what you can expect when working with a digital marketing agency partner:
Setting Goals and Expectations
Before diving into any marketing activities, it's essential to establish clear goals and expectations with your agency partner. This includes:
Defining objectives: Outline the specific targets you want to achieve with your digital marketing efforts, such as increasing website traffic, generating leads, or boosting sales.
Setting KPIs: Identify key performance indicators (KPIs) to measure the success of your marketing campaigns. Examples of KPIs include conversion rates, click-through rates, and cost per acquisition.
Establishing a timeline: Develop a realistic timeline for achieving your goals, considering factors like budget, resources, and the complexity of your marketing campaigns.
Communication and Collaboration
Effective communication and collaboration are crucial for a successful partnership with a digital marketing agency. Here's what to expect:
Regular updates: Expect your agency partner to provide regular updates on the progress of your campaigns, including performance metrics, completed tasks, and upcoming milestones.
Open feedback: Encourage open and honest feedback from both parties to ensure continuous improvement of your marketing efforts.
Scheduled meetings: Set up periodic meetings (weekly, bi-weekly, or monthly) with your agency partner to discuss updates, address concerns, and plan for future initiatives.
Measuring Success and ROI
Your digital marketing agency partner should help you measure the success of your campaigns and determine the return on investment (ROI). This includes:
Data analysis: Your agency partner should use data-driven insights to optimise your marketing strategies, making adjustments as necessary to achieve your goals.
Reporting: Expect regular reports on campaign performance, detailing KPIs, achieved goals, and areas of improvement.
ROI calculation: Your agency partner should provide you with an ROI analysis, showcasing the financial benefits of your digital marketing efforts compared to the costs involved.
Ongoing Optimisation and Support
A good digital marketing agency will not only help you achieve your initial goals but also provide ongoing support and optimisation. This includes:
Campaign optimisation: Regularly reviewing and tweaking your marketing campaigns to ensure they remain effective and aligned with your goals.
Industry updates: Keeping you informed about the latest trends, tools, and best practices in digital marketing to help you stay ahead of the competition.
Continuous improvement: Identifying areas of growth and opportunity to further enhance your digital marketing efforts and achieve even greater results.
When working with a digital marketing agency, you can expect a productive partnership that involves setting goals and expectations, maintaining open communication, measuring success, and providing ongoing support.
By collaborating effectively, you can boost your online presence, achieve your marketing objectives, and ultimately drive business growth.
From my experience the best results tend to happen when there is trust is built and both parties can show a level of radical candour about how things are going and raise issues that may be impacting the performance.
How Honest Fox can support your business
At Honest Fox, we are extremely unique in that we have a suite of well rounded experts across four areas of digital marketing.
Marketing
Strategy
Technology
Design
We're in the business of helping people discover what are their pain points and then delivering the right solution to fit the end goal of our partners.
An example of this is that we have identified that your current website is letting you down. So no matter how much extra marketing efforts you place, while you will get greater results.
This would logically be from our perspective a waste of resources given you could make your dollars work so much harder if you had a performant website.
Overall in the end you will most likely end up with a stellar website and a marketing program to support it that deliver a far greater ROI over a 2 to 3 year period.
In a world where everything feels the same, we champion difference. Which means, we like to get to know you and your situation to give you a tailored recommendation for your business growth.
Let's work together – get in touch!
Bonus Section
Thinking about Becoming a Digital Marketer: A Look Inside the Profession
Essential Skills and Qualifications
To become a successful digital marketing specialist, one must possess a diverse set of skills and qualifications. Some of these include:
Technical expertise: Familiarity with digital marketing tools, platforms, and software is crucial. Examples include Google Analytics, WordPress, and various social media management tools.
Analytics and data-driven decision-making: A strong grasp of data analysis enables digital marketers to measure campaign performance and make informed decisions.
Creativity and problem-solving: Developing engaging content and campaigns requires a creative approach and the ability to think outside the box.
Strong communication skills: Effective communication is vital in collaborating with team members, clients, and other stakeholders.
Adaptability and continuous learning: As the digital landscape evolves rapidly, digital marketers must stay up-to-date with the latest trends, tools, and best practices.
Education and Professional Development
While a degree in marketing or a related field can be beneficial, many digital marketers come from diverse educational backgrounds. Often, it is the combination of formal education, certifications, and hands-on experience that prepares an individual for a career in digital marketing.
Degree programs: Marketing, communications, or business degrees can provide a strong foundation for aspiring digital marketers. However, even those with degrees in other fields can succeed in this profession by acquiring relevant knowledge and skills.
Certifications: Industry-recognised certifications, such as Google Ads, Google Analytics, Facebook Blueprint, and HubSpot Inbound Marketing, can bolster a digital marketer's resume and expertise.
Online courses and workshops: Platforms like Coursera, Udemy, and LinkedIn Learning offer a wealth of digital marketing courses to help individuals expand their knowledge and skills.
Opportunities for Growth and Career Progression
The digital marketing field offers numerous opportunities for growth and career progression. Some potential career paths include:
Specializing in a specific area of digital marketing: By focusing on a particular niche, such as SEO, content marketing, or social media marketing, digital marketers can become experts in their chosen field.
Moving into a management or leadership role: With experience, digital marketers can take on roles with more responsibility, such as managing a team or leading an entire marketing department.
Starting a digital marketing agency: Seasoned digital marketers may choose to establish their own agency, offering services to a range of clients across various industries.
Networking and Professional Associations
Building a strong professional network is essential for digital marketers to stay informed, share ideas, and discover new opportunities. Joining industry associations, attending conferences, and engaging in online forums can help digital marketers connect with like-minded professionals.
Becoming a digital marketer requires a mix of skills, qualifications, and continuous learning. By staying current with industry trends and actively participating in the digital marketing community, aspiring digital marketers can build successful careers and contribute to the growth of the profession.
Written by
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Jay Clair
Head of Marketing