Top Digital Agencies

Digital agencies have access to the top tools and newest resources that allow them to gather and analyze targeted information, from marketing to demographics to industry research to survey tools. Firms are also able to audit your online presence to see how and when you are capturing consumers and where you can improve.

This research is especially important in creating a roadmap for any creative projects down the road. Digital agencies are well-versed in designing campaigns or projects that are beautiful, but ultimately consistent and user-friendly. By analyzing your online footprint and fully understanding the user, a digital agency will be able to design an end product that will help you achieve your business goals quickly and efficiently.

Seventy-seven percent of marketers say proper branding is imperative for future business growth -- and digital agencies have specialized branding experts that can accomplish this.   

Every business, big or small, needs a cohesive brand identity. This identity is like a professional personality; it gives consumers something to relate to on a more intimate level as they interact with your company. The comprehensive research that a top team of creatives and experts at a digital agency can complete will result in a strong brand identity -- which research says is dictated by consumers more than companies to ensure it is user-friendly.

The best digital agencies are well-versed in developing and designing websites that put the user first, creating functional websites with high conversions and strong ROIs. In addition, their focus on creativity and ability to hone a strong identity will ensure that your brand will be highly recognizable across all pages and platforms.

What’s more? Global e-commerce sales are expected to surpass $4.8 billion annually by 2021 -- however, 38 percent of users will stop engaging with a website if the layout and design are unattractive. This means that a stunning and, most importantly, a high-functioning website is imperative to business growth.

A holistic omnichannel approach to digital marketing is imperative for business growth. Digital agencies have the tools and expertise to ensure your website, print materials and marketing strategies all work together towards a common business goal.

This goal-oriented approach is key -- businesses who set goals are 10 percent more successful than those who do not. Allowing a full-service digital agency to take the lead in achieving objectives and creating cohesive projects will also cultivate a consistent brand identity, which can increase revenue by up to 23 percent.

A full-service digital agency is can create a visual identity, develop website projects, implement marketing campaigns and more. By utilizing the perfect digital agency for your needs, you’ll see online and offline marketing efforts, messaging and branding that are completely in sync and working together towards the same goal.

Fifty-seven percent of businesses thinking outsourcing projects ultimately enables a better “focus on the core business.” So, it may seem counterintuitive to hire an additional team for online projects, but in fact, a digital agency could be the best thing for your overall business.

When you contract a small team of experts -- like those top talent pools we mentioned earlier -- your employees will be able to focus on their own roles within the company. This streamlines projects and enables internal employees to stay in their own lane of expertise without allowing new initiatives to falter.

Top digital agencies have high success rates with clients because they place a strong emphasis on a consistent and reliable process. This process includes a dedicated point of contact, regular meetings, a cohesive team and plenty of internal and external communication.

Since 46 percent of employees rarely or never leave a meeting knowing what their next steps are, this organized process is imperative. Once you have the right digital agency team in place, relinquish some control and let them go about their agenda, allowing internal teams to focus on other tasks.

Marketers who draft and report on their strategy can be up to 538 percent more successful. But this strategy is more than just a few timelines and a general idea. Enter: A roadmap, or a clearly defined guideline of your goals.

Unlike a process or agenda -- which details the who and when of a digital strategy -- a roadmap outlines how you’re going to achieve your goals. Because digital agencies initially take time to understand your users, online presence and general business goals (and have a team of experts at their disposal) their roadmaps will likely be much more detailed, significantly more actionable and, thus, provide better results for your brand’s bottom line.

In the 1960s, Dr. Edwin Locke performed a study that challenged one group of individuals to “do their best” and another to “beat their best time.” His research found that people who had specific, concrete goals performed better 90 percent of the time.

The idea of implementing actual, numbers-based goals should be utilized in business as well -- and a digital agency can help. Through research and expertise, an outsourced team of experts will be able to hone a set of progressive yet achievable goals for your business. These objectives, coupled with a strategic roadmap, will breed success for clients.

People who work at top digital agencies are surrounded by intelligent and talented colleagues, and this culminates in unique and compelling ideas for all clients. Whether it’s an individual team, department, or the firm at large, teamwork is constant and evokes innovation.

With a large mix of designers, marketers, business professionals and industry experts, digital agencies have many people contributing to an ever-growing pool of ideas, trends and general best practices. What’s more? These experts also work directly with many clients, resulting in additional collaboration on several similar projects. This enables digital agencies to research and cultivate new ideas, observe the trends other big businesses are implementing, and utilize them in other projects.

Team members at top digital agencies are always actively searching for inspiration, whether it’s scouring the Internet for the elements of top performing website designs or noticing movement in the real world that may inspire a highly-converting digital animation.

“Living in New York helps to find inspiration,” says Jen Epstein, art director at Showtime. “There's so much amazing art and culture immediately accessible to me the minute that I step outside my door.” Epstein uses the inspiration she acquires in her daily life to inform her team’s designs at the major television network.

Digital agency employees can also find inspiration and modern trends through trade magazines, exclusive networking events and even by following leaders that are well-known in the digital marketing industry, but that external clients are unaware of. With motivation at every bend, agencies will inevitably discover the latest trends… or create one themselves.

The best trends are those that focus on users. Whether it’s a functional website or a cohesive brand identity, keeping the customer’s wants and needs at the forefront of every decision is the best trend any digital agency can follow.

“The main thing for both designers and the client to remember is that we aren’t designing for ourselves. Businesses and designers need to talk to consumers and learn as much information as possible from them — how they shop, how they look for products, and so on,” says Tatyana Khamdamova, head of design at Blue Fountain Media. “They need to create the best user journey possible to achieve the goals that the company has.”

Digital agencies stay on top of the latest trends because they work non-stop in the digital space. Many top agencies also offer special in-house seminars, career growth workshops, and information on the latest courses, certifications, and conventions that update any employee’s working knowledge.

So, inevitably, digital agencies and their employees will learn about the newest tools or experiment with the latest trends that are set to innovate the digital space and improve their clients’ bottom lines.

Just like the way to get to Carnegie Hall is “practice, practice, practice,” the same mantra rings true for any professional service. The fact is, the best digital agencies are constantly working with new and exciting clients of all sizes and various projects across multiple channels, and this practice propels them closer to perfection.

Who are the team members working on my project and what is their personal expertise?

When you enlist the help of a digital agency, you aren’t actually hiring the firm. Instead, you’re hiring the experts who will be working on your project. Thus, you need to feel confident in the skill set and expertise of every member of your team before you sign a contract.

The following questions will give you a strong idea of the expertise each potential team member has and what they can bring to your project.

• Who will be working on our project?
• What is their personal expertise?
• What aspect of the project will they be focusing on? (analytics, design, branding, marketing, etc.)
• What successful projects have they worked on and what was their role in the project?

What process will you use to ensure the project is completed well and on-time?

When you outsource a project to an agency, you’re entrusting them with your business. So, you’re well within your rights to question them on their process and organization, both internally and with clients (i.e. you).

Asking the questions below will ensure that the agency you choose can complete every task in a timely and reliable manner.

• Who will our point of contact be at the digital agency?
• How often will we have meetings?
• How much of our team’s professional time will be dedicated to our project? Will they be working on other projects as well?
• What is your process for determining a roadmap, deliverables, and a progress yet achievable timeline?

How are you going to measure results and how often?

At the end of the day, a digital agency has to deliver great results that grow your business. While some firms have struck a strong balance of creative campaigns and goal-oriented business focus, others may not be so skilled.

So, when you’re choosing the best digital agency for your company, don’t be afraid to put them to the test with the following questions:

• How will you determine the goals of the project?
• What is a reasonable timeline that this goal(s) can be achieved in?
• How will the goals be measured (traffic, conversions, SEO ranking, revenue, etc.)?
• What numbers can we expect in our measured category?
• How often will you track and report results?

How Are You Going To Price The Project?

It’s tempting to ask about pricing immediately, but the cost of a project with a digital agency should last on your list of questions. The price of their services isn’t rendering a specific product or good -- instead, it’s the cost of expertise and a return on investment. While a lower upfront cost may sound tempting, a larger ROI from a more lucrative digital agency could be better for the business in the long run.

To secure a better understanding of how an agency prices their expertise, be sure to ask the following questions:

• Is the project a flat rate cost or by the hour?
• If the project is paid by the hour, whose expertise are we paying for on the team?
• What deliverables are included in the cost of the project?
• Does the pricing include meetings and phone calls to touch base on the project’s progress and questions?
   

Although digital agencies have a wide variety of expertise -- including marketing, design, analytics, and more -- many agencies excel in one or two areas over the others. Therefore, when you’re searching for a top digital agency to work with, always take into account the expertise of a certain team and company as a whole.

You can identify a digital agency’s primary strength and service by doing your homework. Look at their portfolio, case studies and clientele and examine the work that they have done for them. Then, be sure to ask them which areas of a project excel and why. This will allow you to determine if their skill set matches your needs.

The way in which a digital agency operates and communicates with its clients is just as important as the end results. After all, you’re paying for a long-term service, and you deserve to feel comfortable with the trajectory and timeline of any digital project.

What’s more, ensure you’re in the loop on how and where the digital agency team finds inspiration and cultivates a successful and creative campaign. “The design and advertising industry are in danger of pointless banality and an ocean of blandness from designers pulling the same references to the lack of provocation,” says Apple Art Director Stanley Chen. “It’s important to ask the question "why" before we get to ‘how’ and ‘what.’”

An airtight and comprehensive contract is the most crucial logistical element when forging a partnership with a great digital agency. After all, results aren’t always guaranteed, but deliverables and disclosable information can be.

Work with your legal department or applicable representative to draft (or oversee) a fair, legally-binding document that outlines important information such as the project’s time frame, any applicable deliverables, who your team members and point of contact will be, and what information is under non-disclosure. This will protect you AND your business down the road.

Perhaps most importantly, you need to be able to trust the digital agency. Essentially, you are handing over the keys to your company and depending on your outsourced team to maintain a strong brand identity while improving the overall business.

Don’t just rush into a partnership with any old agency. Instead, take pitch meetings. Ask in-depth questions. Fully understand exactly what you can expect from your team and know how they plan to protect their business as if it were their own.  

Full-service digital agencies should be capable of handling every aspect of a brand’s digital presence and be ready to provide the essential strategies, tactics, and execution to generate online growth. From advertising campaigns to website design, a top digital agency will offer a 360-degree approach to digital growth. When all digital marketing services are handled under one roof, the level of cohesion and consistency is unmatched.

The best digital agencies will have credentials and qualifications that are both impressive and relevant to the project at hand. Expect qualified agencies to showcase award-winning work and highlight their employees as thought leaders. Working with an agency that has the appropriate credentials is critical to driving your brand’s success. In a field that is constantly evolving, it’s essential that the experts you work with can stay on top of digital technology and industry trends. This ensures that the agency’s work is always cutting edge and innovative. 

The best digital agencies put forward ideas and strategies that are focused on observable business growth. They will share a plan to track and measure results before beginning work on any given project. Each strategic recommendation should be made with a brand’s core objectives in mind, and each platform should support the digital growth model at hand. Digital projects that look flashy but aren’t effective at driving sales or leads are ultimately a waste of marketing dollars.

Every brand is different. The best digital marketing agency for your brand will customize the strategy to meet the unique objectives and goals of the business. They will tailor their approach to meet the specific needs of your target audience. The most effective digital strategies are unique to the brand, not cookie-cutter solutions duplicated from previous projects.