Digital Agency

Tips for a Start-Up Hoping to Hire a Digital Agency

The Australian Securities and Investments service processes almost 10,000 new business applications every year and with each of these new registrations, their particular markets become even more crowded. As easy as it might be for a start-up to be incorporated into the system, the real challenge starts when it comes to obtaining customers.

In this day and age, the World Wide Web is often one of the first ports of call for new companies hoping to make a name for themselves. With the affordable cost of creating a website and having it kitted out with compelling content ready to encourage visitors into buying products; it’s easy to walk in with high hopes.

But then the reality of the competition comes back into play and even the most professionally crafted sites can soon find their audiences all but invisible, as their services disappear into a mire of competitors that have been active and online for years. At this point, many new companies struggle to make enough to cover their overheads and it won’t be a surprise to learn that 4 out of every 10 newly registered companies fold after the first two years of business.

For those companies that are a little savvier, they will consider all of their options before throwing in the towel – and that’s where hiring a digital agency comes into the fray. These experts have one goal in mind and that’s to propel their clients into the public eye, via a unique array of techniques and strategies.

What do these strategies involve?

Over a decade ago, when the internet first started to gain the world-wide recognition that it now possesses, many website owners relied on tricks that are now deemed ‘black hat’ by search engines like Google, in order to propel their websites to the top of search results. These days, and thanks in no small part to a crackdown on these unsavoury attempts, search engines now present a strict set of guidelines and policies that help to ensure that results are as organic or natural as possible.

Where a digital agency comes into the picture is in their ability to maximise the visibility of a website (or set of sites) without compromising the site’s integrity in the eyes of search engines. Digital services is an umbrella term for a variety of practices, including search engine optimisation, strategic advertisement and social media marketing.

These services each require their own level of input and effort, but when done properly – the results are often clear for all to see. If you consider search engine optimisation for example, it refers to the act of optimising a website’s layout, content, Meta data and other individual factors to inform Google that the site should be prioritised above others.

Social media marketing on the other hand, differs in the sense that instead of focusing on climbing for a particular set of keywords, as is the case with SEO, it focuses on attracting an audience via engagement. Platforms like Twitter, Facebook and Instagram are most commonly used, with the aim being to encourage an audience to like, follow and share a companies’ products and services.

Advertisement is even more different and it can be paid for via social media, or through search engine programs like AdSense from Google for example. Where many start-up agencies will invest substantial sums of cash into their advertisement strategies, by the time that the payments have been made, the company will often be left no better off.

A reputable digital marketer will know which adverts should go where and as a result, they will know what markets to target, how extensively and how likely the chances of a return will be. Rather than investing large sums of cash into a strategy that hasn’t been tested or proven – it makes much more sense for a start-up to hire a team of digital experts who will be able to advise on (and implement) the most effective techniques for the target market.

Things to consider

If you’re in the process of incorporating a new company, or if you already have and require the services of professional marketers, then it’s worth noting a few things.

First, it is well worth looking into the services offered by the digital agency itself and the best way to do this is by asking questions. A transparent provider will prioritise keeping their clients informed of all processes, at all times. The only time that a company should be trusted to manage all forms of publicity themselves, is if they have a proven track record that can be demonstrated via results and the feedback of previous and current clients.

Secondly, costs aren’t anywhere near as high as many people imagine them. The digital marketing industry is just as competitive as any other, so most agencies will make a point of keeping their costs as low as the market allows. In contrast to this, sometimes it is worth investing a little extra into a more reputable service – simply to eliminate the risk of being left with less than satisfactory results.

Finally, a good agency will have their client’s best interests at heart. They will understand the most effective techniques and be able to distinguish between the most beneficial for any particular project. Looking out for these key traits can help to make sure that the chosen agency will be able to provide satisfactory results; results that a new company will appreciate well in to the future.