7 Signs You Need a New Digital Agency

In a perfect world, every business would find the perfect web firm that’s right for them within minutes, and then the two would go on and on, growing together over the course of several years.

Sadly, that isn’t what usually happens.

In the real world, most companies and executives struggle to find one agency that is affordable, understands their business, and can generate real bottom-line results. When they do, it’s often the product of a long search process that includes several failed campaigns and lots of frustration.

Businesses sometimes make it worse on themselves by trying to find the cheapest company, instead of the best one. Over time, though, they learn that there aren’t any shortcuts to success – you have to invest time or money – and usually a bit of both – into your business website if you want it to generate qualified sales leads week after week.

To help you cut down on the time and energy that are needed, here are seven signs you need a new digital agency to work with:

1. The communication isn’t great, or isn’t there at all

You shouldn’t have to chase your digital marketing agency down to get answers and updates. In a good agency-client relationship, you’re working together as partners, and that means keeping in touch and making sure you’re on the same page.

2. You don’t understand any more about Internet marketing now than you did when you started

Even if you aren’t a web expert by now, you should have a basic grasp of what your team is doing for you (and especially what you’re being billed for). The more educated you are about the process, the more input you can give, and the better the end result will be.

3. Your agency likes to talk about tactics, but rarely mentions results

“Trying something” isn’t necessarily the same as generating leads or building a strong marketing platform. With that in mind, activities should be a starting point, not an answer. Make sure your marketing plan is more than a checklist.

4. Every proposal or invoice you receive looks exactly the same

When nothing is changing from one campaign or time frame to the next, your plan (and your agency) is growing stale. That’s not going to get it done in 2013, so demand a bit of innovation, improvement, and creativity.

5. Your digital agency is stuck on the wrong metrics

If you’re constantly being reminded how many fans you have, or how many people have come to your website, even though new accounts aren’t being opened, that’s a problem. It may take time for the results to materialize, but be sure you’re using the right measuring stick and focusing on profits, not web metrics.

6. Your website creates leads, but they aren’t the right leads

Lots and lots of meetings and inquiries that don’t result in sales (or worse, waste a lot of your time) are a sign that your digital agency doesn’t understand your business, or your market.

7. The agency is stuck in the past and/or isn’t looking ahead

If you’ve read our blog lately, you know that the online marketing industry is changing in profound ways. If your team isn’t keeping up – or worse, if they are hanging on to outdated tactics, like keyword-stuffed SEO pages – then it’s time to take your business elsewhere.

We understand that it can be painful to look for a new web design or online marketing partner to work with, especially if you’re afraid of getting even worse results in the future. But, hanging on to the wrong vendor isn’t just expensive, it wastes time while your competitors pull ahead.

So, if your agency shows any of the symptoms on this list, we hope you’ll call us today and see what it’s like to work with an online marketing team that does things differently. Thanks.