Tips for hiring a digital marketing agency
Marketing a dental practice these days requires quite a different skill set than it used to. While traditional marketing techniques still have a place in your marketing plan, digital approaches are quickly becoming key to driving new patients through your doors.
For many practices, hiring a digital marketing agency is a quick and easy way to tap into online marketing expertise without having to work through the learning curve on multiple platforms.
Understanding the problem
Honing in on a quality marketing agency can be tricky because the industry offers very little barrier to entry. Just about anyone can publish a website claiming to be a digital marketing guru. You’ll need to dig deeper before signing a contract with an agency that says the right things but can’t show you outright proof of past successes with previous clients.
Experience matters
When it comes to digital marketing, practice makes perfect. You don’t want your practice to be footing the bill during an agency’s first project. Find out how long they’ve been in business and for how long they’ve been managing digital campaigns.
Watch out for too good to be true pitches
An agency that knows their stuff also knows that it takes time for a campaign to gain results. Claims like, “We’ll get you to number one on Google within a month,” are more red flags than signs of expertise. This is especially true for anything related to SEO. SEO is very important but there is no secret sauce that will game the system for your practice overnight.
Invest appropriately
You get what you pay for. If an agency is priced well below all other competitors they’re either not good enough or might consider using “black hat” methods that can damage your practice’s online reputation.
Do your due diligence
Ask to see case studies. Request to talk to one or more of the agency’s current clients. Read through past client reviews. Read through their blog. Does the language resonate with you? Have they worked with dental or medical practices in the past? Do their other clients seem to be similar to your business or completely different?
