What is a full service digital marketing agency?
What is a full service digital marketing agency?
Introduction: You have many options for your website project
If you’re considering a website redesign project or want help planning your digital marketing strategy, a full service digital marketing agency is one of the options you’ll come across in your research. The word is one thrown around a lot in our industry, but what does it really mean? Also, you may be wondering if it’s better to work with a full service agency or multiple niche agencies. This blog will cover the differences between the two and why, in our opinion, a full service digital marketing agency is the way to go.
Want to know some specific steps to take when choosing a website agency, or specific questions to ask them? Check out The Complete Checklist for Hiring a Website Agency!
What is a full service digital marketing agency?
A full service agency manages all aspects of a company’s digital presence. While their services may focus on one area, such as website design or development, they also help clients with the strategy and execution of many other parts of digital, including social media, search engine optimization, content strategy and creation, and more.
What is a niche agency?
A niche agency, also sometimes referred to as a specialized agency, is a digital agency who only works in a very specific aspect of digital marketing. Often, companies turn to multiple niche agencies when thinking of reevaluating their website presence. It’s a possibility to hire one company to control your social media presence or, even more specific, to hire one company to control your Twitter, another company to control your Instagram, and so on.
Should I work with one full service agency or with multiple niche agencies?
A question many companies face once they’ve decided they want to revamp their digital presence is: ‘Do I hire several niche agencies, with one taking over Twitter strategy, one my website, one my Google analytics, and one my content writing? Or do I hire one agency that can help me in all of these channels?’ When making a choice, it’s important to think about your company’s goals. If you’re a larger company and your main priority for your digital presence is efficiency, then hiring different niche agencies may not work unless you have an employee responsible for keeping contact and communication open with each of them. However, the niche agencies are niche for a reason. Why wouldn’t you hire someone to control your Instagram who lives and breathes nothing but that specific social network? Unsure about what your specific goals are? No problem. Here’s a few points to consider:
Analytics and reporting
Niche agencies can dig deep into one platform for you and know exactly what to do with the data for that platform. Full service digital marketing agencies tend to look at analytics over the whole spectrum: what does the social media data vs. the website data look like, and what is that telling us?
One aspect or many?
Is your goal to gain exposure and followers on one specific aspect of your digital marketing strategy, or do you want to see what your digital presence looks like as a whole? Niche agencies are better at specifics for the platform you’re consulting with them on, while full service digital marketing agencies will look over everything.
Experience
Of course a niche agency will have a full service agency beat when it comes to experience, learnings, case studies, and feedback for the particular platform they work for, as they focus on it everyday. However, a full service digital marketing agency will be an expert in the digital space. If you want to figure out how these platforms can link together to align with your company goals, a full service agency will know how to create those pathways between platforms.
Brand voice
Full service agencies are more likely better at coordinating one brand voice across all your digital platforms, as they’re managing all of them and providing strategy. Niche agencies will be well versed and able to effectively speak to the audience for the one platform you’re paying them for.
Why we recommend a full service agency
In order to have an impactful digital presence, all aspects of it including your website, social media tools, presentations, and, for public companies, investor marketing materials, need to be effectively working together. Full service digital marketing agencies promise fluidity and cohesiveness when it comes to your company’s messaging, goals, and the way you to speak to investors. Multiple niche agencies will be harder to coordinate and sync together when looking at the digital components of your company.
Conclusion: Think about your company’s goals
As we said above, when choosing you need to first assess what your company’s main goal is in wanting to refine your presence on the web. Are 90% of your customers accessing you on Twitter or LinkedIn? If so, hiring a niche agency specifically for social media may work. If your website, presentations, email marketing, and more need to be synced up with the same brand voice, start talking to some full service digital agencies. Not sure what questions to ask any agency when you finally do decide? Download the Complete Checklist for hiring a website agency. It’s right below!
Marika Hirsch
As Blender’s Content Manager (aka ‘Resident Wordsmith’) Marika enjoys bringing readers the latest and greatest in both digital trends and IR tips. Follow along on Twitter:
