Lots of small businesses pay agencies a lot of money without ever being clear what they're getting. So let's do the basics.
The four things a digital agency actually does
- →Strategy — works out where your customers are and how to reach them
- →Channel execution — runs SEO, ads, social, content, email
- →Creative production — websites, graphics, photo, video, copy
- →Reporting — tells you what worked and what didn't
When you actually need one
You don't always. If you're a one-person business with a small local customer base, a good Google Business Profile and a one-page Squarespace site might be enough.
You need an agency when: you have a real growth target, marketing is taking time you don't have, you're spending money on ads without knowing if they work, or you're losing rank to competitors.
How to tell a good agency from a bad one
- →They'll tell you when you don't need them
- →No long contracts
- →Plain-English reporting
- →Specific examples of work — not generic case studies
- →Direct access to the person doing the work
