5 Signs It’s Time To Hire A Digital Marketing Agency

If you’ve been handling your digital marketing on your own up until this point there’s probably been at least a few times where you’ve wondered if it’s time to hire an agency. Although it might be okay to try things on your own at first, after your plans really start to take off there’s a lot more that goes into digital marketing than you probably realized at first.

There does come a time where it will be more beneficial to you and your company to hire a digital marketing agency. Often that time comes sooner than you think and it’s not something you want to put off and keep trying to manage yourself. Digital marketing is really important to your company’s overall marketing plan and you need to bring in the pros sooner rather than later.

So whether you’re looking for an SEO agency in Boston or trying to figure out how to handle your social media strategy in Minneapolis it might be time to hand over the reins. Keeping that in mind, here are five signs it’s time to hire a digital marketing agency.

1. You Need A Better Strategy

Sometimes companies have an online presence because they think it’s what they have to do to stay competitive. While that’s true, and a lot of companies really do need that online presence, it’s not just about having a website or a social media account. You need to have a strategy about how you’re going to use those things or your digital marketing approach isn’t going to make sense.

If you’ve had an online presence for a while now and you aren’t getting any benefits from it (no website traffic, very few social media followers) it’s time to hire an agency. They are going to be able to come in with a plan and figure out the best strategy for your company. Agencies are going to know who your competitors are and how to capture the right audience’s attention.

Unless you are ready to spend hours on figuring out how to reach your target demographic online using platforms you aren’t familiar with, a digital marketing agency is where you need to look. So if your website’s traffic is stagnant, your social media engagement is low, and you aren’t seeing your site rankings improve on search engines, it’s time to hire someone else.

2. Your Strategy Is Working, And You’re Overwhelmed

Maybe you have had a strategy all along and it’s starting to pay off big time. This is something that happens to a lot of companies too. The opposite of not having a plan is having a plan that works and then not having the ability to keep going with it. When your day becomes more about handling digital marketing activities than it should be, it’s time to hire an agency for that.

Unless you’re prepared to fully become a digital marketing expert and devote your day entirely to your digital presence keeping things going is just not possible for you. Once you’ve done the initial work and you’re starting to see the results change things for you in a positive way you don’t want to lose that momentum.

Gaining traction online without an agency is already a feat in and of itself. Don’t risk losing what you’ve worked so hard for by putting off hiring an agency once you start to sense it’s too much. When you feel like you’re in over your head, you are probably right. Hiring a digital marketing agency and letting them take over will ensure you keep going and none of your success is lost.

3. Your Results Drop When Employees Are Unavailable

Maybe you’ve gone through the first two problems and used the solution of assigning digital marketing tasks to one person on your team. It seems like a good idea for one person to handle everything, especially if they’re knowledgeable and getting the job done well. The problem may lie in only using that one person to handle everything.

If you notice that when your internal digital marketing guru is busy with another project, sick, or on leave it makes your digital marketing results drop drastically, that’s an issue. This is another sign it’s time to get a digital marketing agency hired and working for you as soon as possible. Relying on one employee isn’t always a bad thing but when it starts affecting your results while they’re away it’s probably time to change that approach.

Bringing in an agency whose only job is handling your digital marketing full time is the way to fix any dips in results while someone is away. An agency is equipped to handle someone being gone, and your efforts aren’t going to suffer just because an employee needed time off.

4. Your Plan Is Too Dependent On One Strategy

Maybe you really understand how to use social media influencers to bring traffic to your site. Maybe you completely understand how to increase your website’s search engine rankings. The problem might be that you don’t understand how to do both of those at the same time.

There are a lot of facets to digital marketing and it’s hard to know how to handle them all when you’re on your own. If your entire strategy is dependent on one type of digital marketing because that’s where your confidence level is the highest, it’s time to bring in an agency.

They’re going to have team members who handle all of the digital marketing options available to you, even the ones you aren’t as confident in. You can still be involved in the process in the areas you enjoy if you want, but let them handle the sides that just don’t make any sense to you.

5. Digital Marketing Is Entirely New To You

It’s okay if you’ve never done any of this before. Digital marketing is something that evolves all the time and if it’s entirely new to you then it’s even more overwhelming than it might be for others. Your marketing strategies shouldn’t be the area of your business that you’re willing to play catch-up or try to learn as you go. You need results quickly.

If this is all entirely new to you and you just have no idea where to even begin, it’s a sign that hiring an agency right from the start is a better idea. These are the people who are going to have a grasp on things right away. They’ve been there and done all of this countless times before. Their plans are solid and they know how to get things done.

A digital marketing agency is going to know how to get you measurable results (and explain those results to you) in the most efficient way possible. Unless you’re willing to spend a lot of time and money with trial and error when it comes to digital marketing, hiring an agency right away is probably your best bet.

Conclusion:

When you’re thinking about your company’s approach to digital marketing, think about these signs. If you find yourself agreeing with any of the signs you’ve just read about, it’s time to bring in a digital marketing agency. They’re the ones that are going to bring your digital marketing efforts to the next level and take the burden off of your shoulders.

Knowing when to bring in the pros is going to be an asset for you when your digital marketing really starts paying off and bringing in better results. It might take a little time to interview and find the right agency for you but in the end, it will be worth it. It’s okay to admit you need the marketing help so go for it and hire that agency now. You’ll be glad you did in the end.