Would you trust an overweight person to be your fitness instructor? What about appointing someone deep in debt as your financial advisor? I didn’t think so. What about choosing your digital agency? The exact same rule applies – they have to look the part to play the part. When can you safely say that you have full confidence in the people who update your website/blog and manage your social media platforms?

In a previous article, Content Marketers: How to Spot the Professionals, I discuss the importance of knowing exactly what a digital marketing agency should offer. This article, however, focuses on the importance of your digital marketing agency practicing what they preach.

In his book, The Chaos Scenario, Bob Garfield says that the industry that spends the least on advertising is the advertising sector. One would think that it would work the other way around. So why is this? Word of mouth surely can’t lead to a full client base. Digital marketing agencies have to market themselves – as any company does – to ensure a steady and even flow of customers and avoid major attrition leading to a loss of clients.

Many traditional advertising companies are moving closer towards digital, simply because they believe it’s an inevitable shift – which it is. Having said this, many of these companies are scared to completely let go of their past and entirely hand themselves over to digital. This obviously has a major impact on the way they approach an online marketing strategy. Do they know what they’re doing or are they stuck in old ways?

What used to work for them doesn’t work anymore, and it’s not what clients are asking for. Content marketing is in high demand and sooner than later holding on to your old ways just won’t cut it anymore. Agencies will either have to adapt or move out of the way.

The Tell-Tale Signs

A blog is the centre point of the content marketing universe and to operate a successful one takes serious dedication. By reading a digital marketing agency’s blog articles you’ll get a pretty good idea of where their heads are at. The agency’s blog posts will be a good reflection of how they’ll do work for you.

Things to look out for include:

• Are the articles “me too” articles consisting of rehashed information and stuffed with keywords? Or are the posts original and thought provoking?
• Are there many careless mistakes in their articles?
• Which is more important to the agency; quality or quantity?
• Is the publishing of articles inconsistent? This could be a sign of poor leadership and organisation, and even a lack of capability.
• Are the articles well researched and of a high standard? You don’t want to read a pointless article with no essence.
• What does their social media numbers look like? Do they promote their blog efficiently and regularly?

When choosing a digital marketing agency, conduct the necessary research to make sure that they indeed do what they advise others to do.

Sound Idea Digital is a complete digital marketing agency. For more information, contact 012 66 44 227 or email to info@soundidea.co.za

Carina Claassens is a Writer for Sound Idea Digital l carina@soundidea.co.za l @SoundIdea | Sound Idea Digital l www.soundidea.co.za