Blog Post

What a Digital Marketing Agency Really Does... and Why You Need One

Amber Blevins • Jul 16, 2021

Consumers have changed a great deal in the past two decades, maybe more than any other time in history. The digital age has completely altered the way consumers shop and compare, as well as the way they make their purchases. Because of this, marketing has also undergone drastic changes.

To get the best marketing results for your business, it’s important to understand how marketing has changed and how a digital marketing agency can help.

Traditional Marketing vs Digital Marketing

Traditional marketing, digital marketing... Boiled down, they’re both marketing.

Definition : Marketing — The total of activities involved in the transfer of goods from the producer or seller to the consumer or buyer, including advertising, shipping, storing, and selling. Dictionary.com

No matter how you’re doing it, marketing is meant to get new customers, keep existing customers, and sell your product or service. But there are some distinct differences.

Traditional Marketing

Traditional marketing, or what was simply known as “marketing” in the pre-internet era, typically involves a broader target approach, is often limited to specific geographical areas, and is generally not as analytically based as digital marketing. Think print ads, TV commercials, radios spots, and the like. A great example of traditional marketing is those tried and true billboards you see while driving down the street. The theory is pretty simple . Find a billboard in your business’s general area, get your advertising team to design the ad, and put it up for all the world – or at least your town – to see.

The problem with traditional marketing methods is the inherent inability to narrow your target audience and track and measure your results. This is clear in the old marketing methodology called, “spray and pray.” With this method, you simply saturated your audience and prayed for good results. Not a great way to approach marketing your business in general, and especially not if you want to make the most of your marketing budget.

Digital Marketing

Digital marketing - also known as internet marketing - differs from traditional marketing in two main ways. First, digital marketing methods are different. Here we’re looking at social media marketing, optimized websites, PPC campaigns, targeted ads, and email marketing.

The second major difference is digital marketing’s purely research and results driven approach. There's absolutely no , “spray and pray” here. The seemingly endless tracking ability of the internet means digital marketers can identify where your target customer spends most of his internet time, which forms of communication he is likely to respond to, and which communication channel he uses when he eventually contacts you.

All this tracking, measuring, and research means digital marketers can scale and pivot their campaigns quickly and easily. If a pay-per-click campaign isn’t performing well, for example, it’s easy to end it and focus those efforts elsewhere. No six-month contract on an under-performing billboard or tons of money invested in a bad TV ad. With digital marketing, your marketing budget is used much more efficiently.

What a Digital Marketing Agency Actually Does

Digital marketing agencies tackle the challenge of targeting your audience and converting them into customers. The agency you partner up with will learn about your brand, your customers, how and where you want to grow your business, and your ultimate goals.

With this information, digital marketers plan specific campaigns and initiatives to reach your goals. But it doesn’t stop there. One of the best things about digital marketing is the wealth of information available, often in real-time, about the performance of a given campaign and the overall performance of your marketing strategy.

Your marketing partners are tracking all this good stuff, even those things you don't ask or care about. From how many hits your website got yesterday, to how many people viewed your Instagram post this morning, or even how many people shopped on your site but left before purchasing. Your marketing team is reviewing the results, crunching the numbers, and deciding on the next steps to take.

While some agencies offer the full gamut of services and others specialize in a few select areas, here are some of the services you can expect from a high-quality digital marketing firm.

Targeting and Strategizing
Content Marketing and SEO
Website Development
Digital Advertising
Social Media Management and Advertising
Pay-Per-Click Campaigns
Email Marketing

Should You Work with a Digital Marketing Agency?

So, should you spend your time and money working with a digital marketing firm? Yes, you should! Especially if you’re a small business without the advantage of an internal marketing team.

Digital marketing partners are there to help you make the best of your marketing budget. While most agencies offer a wide variety of services, you’re certainly not required to make use of them all. A great agency will take into consideration your budget, your timeline, and your goals, then present you with a plan that makes sense for your business.

While you might already be good at content marketing, or you have some skill at Google advertising, most of us aren’t experts in all the digital marketing methods out there. This is where a digital marketing partner can step in and develop a well-rounded plan to increase your customer-base and grow your business.

If you’re looking for an internet marketing partner or you just want to learn more about digital marketing, check out Locallogy . We’re internet marketing experts and we love to share our knowledge.

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