5 Things to Consider When Choosing an Online Ad Agency

Choosing an online ad agency for your business can be a difficult choice because hundreds of agencies make many claims about their services and specialties. But, you should consider several factors while choosing an online ad agency, beyond just the services and specialties they offer. Ultimately, you will have to choose the agency that is the best fit to your needs, but here are 5 things you should always consider when choosing an online ad agency.

An important factor to consider is the agency's background. Is this an experienced agency or are they a new agency? Take some time to learn about the senior staff members of the agencies you are considering and get to know their experience and expertise. Many agencies offer a portfolio of case studies that will give you a chance to look at some of their past results and the clients they have worked with in the past. Has this agency worked with clients in your industry before? Have they delivered impressive results? A little background research can go a long way in helping you choose an online ad agency.

Look closely at agencies' websites to get a feel for their brand and attitude. You can trust your gut feelings when considering an agency's brand. If you don't like their brand or attitude, then you shouldn't trust them to manage your brand! Is their website full of jargon, or does it explain their services in a helpful and informative matter? Were they friendly and welcoming when you spoke with them? You want to be totally comfortable with the attitude of the agency that you choose.

A lot of online ad work can be done over email or the phone, but you will definitely want to meet the agency face-to-face at some point. Long-distance relationships between agencies and businesses can be difficult because of the travel involved. Another advantage of choosing a local agency is that a local agency will have a better understanding of the local market, which is very important for localized marketing efforts.

Listen carefully to what agencies suggest to you for your online advertising campaign. Do their suggestions and expectations meet your needs? Are their suggestions and expectations realistic? If their suggestions don't make sense to you, ask for further explanation of how their techniques work. If you don't get satisfactory answers about how their services will drive results, you may want to consider another agency.

Look at agencies' websites for award listings. Several awards can be a good sign of a good agency, but keep in mind that awards from industry leaders probably hold more weight than local business awards. Award contests can be expensive to enter, so agencies without awards should still be considered, particularly if they have a great history of great results.