Digital marketing agencies will often promise potential clients the world just to get them on board. Whether it’s claiming to perform the masterful execution of advertising campaigns or sagelike knowledge of Google’s SEO algorithm, many of these agencies often excel at sales pitches but how many can deliver when it boils down to the numbers on the dashboard?
More importantly, how do you know you can trust the numbers they’re claiming to deliver? Unfortunately, there are many cowboy agencies out there who, rather than try and do a good job, will instead attempt to deceive and manipulate their clients into believing they are doing so. Time may work in the short term with more naive clients but ultimately a client who’s keeping an eye on their bottom line will eventually notice that the numbers aren’t adding up.
Let’s dive in and explore the secrets and tricks that some digital marketing agencies keep from their clients:
1. Constant outsourcing of work to third parties
Digital Marketing Agencies that are not entirely transparent will often use third-party agencies for parts of the work that they can’t deliver on themselves. This could be reasons of quality control or simply due to the fact that they do not have the in-house expertise to deliver the work in question.
The problem occurs when these agencies continually outsource work to different parties, trying to get the best results at the cheapest price. A digital marketing agency’s goal should be to provide the best possible service to its clients. This is often achieved by having a full-time in-house team of experts who know the ins and outs of each platform the agency is working with.
The agency should never outsource parts of the work, but instead, outsource the entire project to the one-third party who can provide the most comprehensive and high-quality work. This is how you can be sure that you’re getting the best results for your budget.
2. Exaggerated reporting and social profiles.
There’s a lot that a digital marketing agency can do to make its work seem more impressive than it actually is. One of the most common techniques used is to fake their social profiles. They’ll often use fake followers and likes to make it seem like they have more of an audience than they do.
Another way that agencies often exaggerate their work is by using reporting. Not all reporting is created equal and some agencies will focus on reporting that makes it look like they’re achieving amazing results. When in actual fact, they’re simply using a reporting tool that’s not entirely accurate.
The best way to determine whether or not your digital marketing agency is being honest is by getting a clear breakdown of the work that they’re doing and the results you’re seeing. If the results don’t match what’s being promised, then you should ask for an accurate breakdown of how the work is being performed.
3. No SEO strategy
This is a big one. How do you know that the agency that you’re working with is going to produce results for your SEO strategy? The answer is simple, you don’t. This is a very common problem and the worst part is that it’s something that you can easily avoid by asking the agency to show you how they plan to achieve your SEO goals.
4. Lack of transparency
A digital marketing agency that has nothing to hide will have no problem telling you how they are going to achieve your goals. They will be able to show you how they achieved similar goals for other clients and, most importantly, they will be able to show you their process.
5. No fail-safe system for measuring ROI
This is a big one. You want to know that the digital marketing agency you choose has a fail-safe system for measuring ROI. This means that you should be able to measure the exact impact that digital marketing is having on your business.
If an agency doesn’t have a fail-safe system for measuring ROI then you can expect to be wasting a lot of money on things that don’t produce the results you were hoping for.
6. Failure to communicate effectively
Communication is one of the most important aspects of your working relationship with your digital marketing agency. If you are not being kept in the loop then you are better off working with a different agency.
7. Failure to deliver results
This one is pretty obvious. You want to know that your digital marketing agency is going to deliver results. You can start by asking them to provide you with proof of their success. You can also ask them to schedule regular calls with you to discuss how things are progressing and what the next steps are.
8. False claims of access to exclusive networks.
One of the biggest lies that is often told by the digital marketing community is that one agency has better access to exclusive networks than another. Maybe one agency has a better relationship with Google or Facebook than another. Unfortunately, the truth is that all agencies have equal access to these networks, meaning that there is no inherent advantage.
A digital marketing agency will often use the fact that they have better access to networks to justify higher fees and costs. The truth is that you should be getting a competitive rate from whoever you choose. In fact, most agencies will not have a better relationship with their networks and will simply be using this as a way to generate revenue.
9. Social media management is a minor part of the process
Often social media is seen as an afterthought by digital marketing agencies. In some cases, they will simply claim to be “a social media agency” and then you will have no idea if they have the resources to produce results.
The best way to avoid this issue is to ask the agency to provide you with a detailed plan of how they intend to increase your social media presence.
10. Exaggerated or fake case studies.
A digital marketing agency’s primary aim is to impress their potential clients. This means that they will often use case studies to showcase the work they’ve previously done for other clients. Unfortunately, a lot of digital marketing agencies will lie about the work they’ve delivered or even make up entire case studies.
A good digital marketing agency will never lie about the work they’ve previously done. They will, however, deliver realistic case studies that showcase how they created a positive outcome for a particular client. These types of case studies are not only more realistic than those that are fabricated but they also set a high standard that the agency is aiming to achieve with your account.
Conclusion
Ultimately, there is no foolproof way to avoid being deceived by a digital marketing agency. However, if you take the time to thoroughly investigate the agency before you hire them and check their claims against their past work, you can often avoid the most common pitfalls.
If you’re currently working with a digital marketing agency, you should also ask them to provide you with a breakdown of the work they’re doing for you and the results you’re seeing. It’s also a good idea to ask them to provide you with more accurate reporting rather than using a tool that may not be entirely accurate.
