There are more and more people joining the hunting for money in search marketing. Here are some tips for identifying good search marketing agencies/companies to work with.
- Previous clients and testimonials.
Ask for a list of their previous clients. Big names like P&G would give you confidence. In addition, if the agency had clients in similar industries, you would benefit from their experience. If you know a friend or two in those listed companies, you can talk to them and about for their opinions about the company. - Case studies.
If the agency shows some case studies in which they solved a similar problem you are facing now, you probably can help you too. - Industry awards.
- 2006 OMMA Awards
- ad:tech Awards
- MIXX Awards
- DMA ECHO Awards
- Word of mouth.
Do a blog search and forum search to find out what other people say about them. The buzz sometimes tells something you can’t find elsewhere. - Websites & Blogs.
Visit their websites and read their blogs, which usually tells a lot about them. If you are looking for search engine optimization services, you may want to check out their rankings in major search engines on industry keywords like “search engine optimization”, “Singapore SEO Company”, etc. - Ask them.
Listen to what they say and do a comparison. Ignore those fancy words like “top notch”. Check out more about what they have done in the past and find out their unique selling points which are going to bring you results. In addition, tell your requirement and ask for a proposal. - Meet them in person.
Invite a sales person and a person in operation. Sales people are good at telling stories; operation people tell you the real ones. You can also attend some well known conferences like ad:tech and Search Engine Strategies where you can meet lots of professionals.
It is important to keep an open mind while selecting search marketing agencies. Do your homework and test them.
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