We are digital marketing advisors that prides ourselves on matching clients with the very best digital marketing agencies in the United States. There is no one-size fits all solution. What works for one client may not work for another, which is why our advisors carefully match the responses our clients provide to our agency matching questionnaire to the core competencies of the agencies we have vetted.
How Agencies are Vetted
The agency vetting process is very important to ensuring our clients get matched with agencies that are most likely to provide the best results. Our reputation as advisors rests on our vetting process.
Our Vetting Criteria:
- Does the agency focus on national or regional campaigns? It is okay if they do both, as the majority of agencies do, but we need to be certain as to what their competency is.
- Does the agency have nationally recognized achievements by their industry peers? Sometimes the best judge of the abilities of the agency is the judgement coming from other agencies or experts. The two most prominent recognizing bodies in the digital marketing industry is the Search Engine Land Landy Awards and the U.S. Search Awards. The judges of these awards are industry veterans, some of which are at competing agencies. The winners of these awards are often considered the best of the best.
- Is the agency a thought leader? Being a thought leader presents ideas to the world and is contributing to the digital community at large. We look to see if the agency is contributing in a meaningful way. One of the things we look at is if they have their own blog, which meaningful posts and not just short blurbs. We give stronger consideration to those that have contributed to industry publications such as Search Engine Journal, Search Engine Land, Search Engine Watch, and other similarly recognizable publications.
- Quality Case Studies: We examine the case studies presented to us to get a good understanding of their thought process when creating campaigns and solutions, and the successes that they achieve. If they don’t have case studies, the agency won’t even be considered.
- Reporting & Client Management: We carefully consider how each agency communicates with their clients. We look at the frequency of that contact, the methods of that contact, their client management philosophy, and how reports are presented. We also look into how transparent an agency is, since transparency is key to any successful relationship.
- Customer Reviews: The quality, volume, and frequency of customer reviews are taken into account as to gauge the satisfaction level of an agency’s current client base.
- Pricing: We get a sense based on public and non-public pricing proposals, what an agency typically charges for their services based on project type and industry.
The Matching Process
- Agency Matching Questionnaire: This is the part of the process where a business becomes a client, at no cost to them, and provides necessary feedback to our comprehensive set of questions. for the best match possible, answer the questions to the best of your ability. Some of the common missteps are for questions like “What is your monthly digital marketing budget?”. It is important to answer a question like that honestly, because we want to match our clients with the correct agency. If the agency typically has a $2,000 minimum retainer, we don’t want to consider them when your budget is only $500/month.
- Questionnaire Review: Once the questionnaire has been submitted, you will be assigned a personal digital advisor on our team, unless one has been previously to you. Your advisor will carefully review each and every response and match you with who they feel is the best possible provider for you.
- Completed Match & Introduction: Once a match has been found, we inform both the client and agency to make an introduction and subsequent handoff. The questionnaire responses are shared with the agency so that they have insight into what your business is looking to accomplish. Typically the agency will then reach out to you to begin a dialogue and work to generate a proposal to present to you.
Our Service is Free to Businesses
We don’t charge a fee for our service to the businesses seeking to be matched to a client. We charge a reasonable connection fee to the agencies that have been vetted. The fees are similar in amount and in no way guide the matching process. We make our very best effort to make a successful connection. Our business clients are under no obligation to sign a contract with the matched agency. We can make no guarantees as to our service other than the creation of a match based on the set criteria. The relationship between business client and agency is separate from that of our own. Our reputation is important to us and we build our reputation on successful partnerships brokered on behalf of our business clients and agencies.
Are You Interested in Getting Matched with an Agency?
After reviewing our process and seeing the thoughtful consideration that goes into creating successful matches, we hope that will have the opportunity to assist your company and matching you with a highly reputable digital marketing agency. If you are ready to get started, fill out our Agency Matching Questionnaire and we will get started right away!