It’s important to understand what actions the agency is taking on your behalf. That’s why you should know these 15 tips to evaluate a digital marketing agency — whether you’re already working with one or considering doing so.
1. Make Sure Marketing Goals Are Clearly Structured
It’s essential that the marketing goals set by the agency are clear and realistically achievable, as they will be reflected in key results — such as attracting new clients and increasing sales.
For example:
Reaching a total of 500 followers on Instagram within a 15-day period.
As you can see, it clearly outlines what needs to be achieved and within what timeframe. It’s important to verify that the goals set by the agency include these elements, as this will allow you to evaluate and measure the agency’s performance on social media and other digital platforms.
2. Check How Often the Digital Marketing Agency Communicates With Clients
A key factor when evaluating a digital marketing agency is how consistently it communicates with your audience through mass content. This content should be engaging, relevant, and reflect the brand’s commitment to its consumers — not just random posts. Make sure the agency has solid content pillars to develop meaningful materials. The goal isn’t just to send content for the sake of it — overdoing it could overwhelm your audience and lead to disinterest.
3. Make Sure the Agency Responds to Client Requests for New Content
If an agency chooses to shift focus away from platforms like Facebook or Instagram, it should only be at the client’s request. When a client wants to explore a new network, the agency should be willing to create a plan to adapt the content strategy for that platform.
4. Timing Matters
Agencies must consider important dates when planning content. At the same time, you as a client should establish your expectations for when results should begin to show. While good work takes time, there should be a healthy balance between patience and efficiency.
5. Are They Producing Enough Visual Content?
According to Forrester Research, 90% of consumers say videos help them make purchasing decisions. Make sure the agency is creating meaningful visual content — not just basic image posts. The same research says 85% of consumers trust brands more when they use video content.
6. Do They Include Your Website in the Strategy?
While social media is valuable, it’s important not to forget that many people turn to Google for specific searches. That’s where your website comes in. A strong site provides info, services, and catalog access — which helps attract leads or sales. A good agency includes your website as part of a complete digital positioning plan.
7. They Should Promote Great Customer Service on Social Media
Agencies must be responsive to feedback, complaints, and changes requested by clients. Even when comments aren’t positive, the agency should emphasize that the brand values great service and is committed to improvement. If the agency is adaptable and empathetic, that’s a good sign.
8. Creativity, Strategy, and Organization Must Work Together
The three pillars of a digital agency’s success are creativity, strategy, and planning. Neglecting any of these can hurt the results. A balanced agency should be strategic, well-organized, and creative — not stuck only on technical posts or promotional content without purpose.
9. Agencies Must Always Consider Feedback From Social Media Users
An important factor to take into account when evaluating the performance of a digital marketing agency is whether it creates content that encourages customer feedback and interaction. This can be done through engagement strategies on social media, websites, or other digital channels. Gathering user opinions helps the agency understand its audience better — what they need, what can be improved, and how to build stronger relationships.
If the agency ignores this input and becomes closed off to external opinions, it risks repeating the same mistakes and stagnating in performance. Listening to the audience is a critical part of ongoing improvement and success in digital marketing.
10. Agencies Must Stay Up to Date With the Latest Digital Trends
A good agency must always remain current with digital marketing trends. Check that their content plans, campaigns, and communication ideas reflect a fresh, modern, and appealing tone that captures audience attention. An agency should constantly explore new content formats, platforms, and digital media strategies to expand their reach and stay competitive. Creativity combined with relevance is a key part of successful branding today.
11. Target Audience Members Should Be Turning Into Customers
One of the main challenges for a digital marketing agency is converting regular users into leads or digital consumers. A good way to measure this is through the conversion rate — the percentage of people who, after seeing your content, take action: subscribing, purchasing, booking an appointment, or contacting you.
This metric is a powerful indicator of how persuasive and effective the agency’s work really is. If your conversion rate is low, that’s a sign the agency may not be delivering the results you need.
12. Agencies Should Have the Right Tools to Measure Results
To properly evaluate a digital marketing agency’s capacity and performance, you need to make sure they can measure their own results. When a campaign or project ends, they should be able to provide clear data and explain how it relates to your goals.
This includes using tools and processes that help analyze every activity they carry out. An agency that truly values the impact of its actions will always incorporate evaluation and data interpretation into its workflow — and that’s the kind of agency that achieves long-term success.
13. Take a Look at Their Portfolio
Reviewing a digital marketing agency’s portfolio is one of the best ways to evaluate their experience and results. A historical record of past projects will give you insight into the types of clients they’ve worked with and the outcomes they’ve delivered.
Agencies that showcase their work on their website or social media make it easier for potential clients to assess their quality and creativity. Their past work speaks volumes — especially when it includes satisfied clients and successful campaigns. A strong portfolio is an excellent starting point for your evaluation.
14. A Solid Database Can Improve Advertising Effectiveness
Many digital marketing agencies manage customer databases that can be used to create more tailored and effective advertising campaigns. These databases often reflect the agency’s past experience and contain valuable insights about user behavior, interests, and demographics.
With this information, the agency can design content that’s far more targeted and efficient in reaching potential buyers — increasing your chances of generating high-quality leads and conversions.
15. Review the Agency’s Own Content on Social Media
After checking the agency’s portfolio or learning more about the brands they’ve worked with, take a closer look at their own social media profiles and the content they post about themselves. Ask yourself: What is their value proposition? What makes them different from others?
By analyzing how they present their own brand — how they talk about themselves, how consistent and creative they are — you’ll get a better idea of the effort and care they might put into managing your brand too.
In Conclusion…
There are many ways to evaluate the strategies and performance of a digital marketing agency. Doing this is essential if you’re planning to hire one — or are already working with one — because, at the end of the day, you’re investing your money in these strategies.}
Getting to know the agency in depth will help you make smarter decisions. Take your time — it’s truly worth it.
Also, don’t forget that the digital world includes various types of agencies. Marketing agencies are just one of them, and they can offer tremendous value to your business communications — as long as you evaluate them properly before hiring.
A good digital marketing agency should project a strong image through the work and strategies it delivers. If you want to know more about the tools that will help you grow in the digital world and how to find a top-tier agency — leave us your contact information and we’ll get in touch!