How to Hire a Digital Marketing Agency in 2025

In this article

Share this

Over 3.1 trillion searches are conducted on Google each year, and more than 1.55 trillion users click on a page within 9 seconds of their search.

If your business isn’t showing up online, you might as well close shop.

Want to take advantage of this opportunity? You should be able to understand how to hire a digital marketing agency. And what steps you should take to make sure that you made the right decision.

Hiring a Digital Marketing Agency: What Should Be Your Expectations

Here are what your brand’s expectations may look like:

  • Our brand’s social media account should post consistently (30 posts per month across every social media platform)
  • There should be valuable leads coming in every week (at least 10)
  • Outperforming the competition (by increasing website traffic by x2)
  • Improve brand awareness and build a community on different social media platforms (grow social media following by 53%)

How to Hire a Digital Marketing Agency?

Once your objectives are clear, it becomes easier to look for a digital marketing agency.

We took it upon ourselves to shortlist a digital marketing agency for you.

1. A Simple Google Search

We searched for top digital marketing agencies and opened about four articles.

Each article was a listicle and evaluated digital marketing agencies on different metrics, but it seemed like most of these articles were promoting their own services.

4 Articles

10 agencies per article

We picked two at random from each article, which meant the total pool of digital marketing agencies to evaluate was 8.

This was an important step as we had to ensure that all biases were put to the side and only relevant digital marketing agencies were being taken into consideration.

2. Who’s the Expert in What?

Trusting whatever a company wrote on their website wasn’t enough.

We wanted to go the extra mile, like cross-checking every single aspect such as clients they worked with and the reviews.

We even emailed a few digital marketing agencies (let’s see if they reply with general KPI, or actual numbers backed with data. 

So, 5 shortlisted digital agencies were grouped into 2 different categories, namely:

General Digital Marketing Agency:

This type of agency has everything to do with Search Engine Optimization, e-commerce, content marketing, and social media. But don’t specialize in any particular service. 

Here are the agencies that fall under this category:

  • Smart Sites
  • Digital Silk
  • Ignite Visibility

Specialized Niche Marketing Agency:

Such agencies only focus on one type of service, such as social media or content marketing. In some cases, they might even be targeting a specific industry. 

Here are the agencies that fall under this category:

  • Design Ade Premier
  • Siege Media

3. Cross-Check References and Testimonials

Talking to or reading about the current and past clients of the company may offer insights that are crucial to making the decision. 

We used platforms such as Glassdoor, Clutch, and G2 to understand the quality of services that the company offers. During this stage, research is crucial. 

Here’s what people said about Digital Silk:

…and then there were 4

4. Getting a Consultation

Talking to or reading about the current and past clients of the company may offer insights that are crucial to making the decision. 

We used platforms such as Glassdoor, Clutch, and G2 to understand the quality of services that the company offers. During this stage, research is crucial. 

Here’s what people said about Digital Silk:

Once, you are satisfied with the reviews and testimonials of the said agencies, the next step is getting an online consultation from them.

This would give you a much clearer picture of how the organization communicates, the history, and how they can help us fulfill your objectives.

On each consultation call, ask the digital agencies the following questions:

  1. How much assistance will you need from our in-house team?
  2. How soon after you start on our marketing campaigns can we expect to see results?
  3. Who will be managing our account?
  4. How frequently do you communicate with your clients?
  5. Is there a case study or two of similar businesses you've helped? If yes, please send them to me over an email.
  6. What are some recent failures, and what did you do to correct them?
  7. What's the cost of your services? Are there any hidden fees?

5. Reviewing Offers and Prices

Once the consultation call is over, it’s time for you to review offers and pricing. Understanding which one best suits your needs.

Here’s a brief overview of the most common pricing models from marketing agencies

  • The hourly rates agency pricing model
  • The project-based pricing model (popular pricing model that brands prefer)
  • The retainer-based agency pricing model
  • A mixed agency pricing model (if one of the projects goes by successfully, you can move to this model)

You can then finalize the pricing model and 3 digital marketing agencies and understand exactly what you are looking for.

  • Design Ade Premier
  • BBDO
  • Disruptive Advertising

5. Request For Contract

Once, digital agencies have sent you the contract. Here’s a checklist criterion you should look for:

  • Terms and conditions
  • Duration of the contract
  • Termination clause and the notice period
  • Payment terms
  • Non-disclosure agreement (NDA) terms
  • Penalties

6. Make the Decision

Now is the time to push that ‘Big Red Button’ and make the decision on who would be a good choice for your business.

Make sure that your decision depends on pricing and transparency and how soon can you onboard the digital agency.

Process For Eliminating Digital Agencies

Here are some red flags that you can consider before eliminating an agency from your consideration:

  • Pricing are too low
  • Weak marketing campaign for their own agency
  • No focus or attempt at getting to know your brand
  • All talk, no tangible results
https://www.itsdesignade.com/#contact-us

Conclusion

The digital marketing agency that you shortlist, should be able to onboard as soon as possible.

So that your brand’s digital marketing efforts can take flight.

Hope it’ll answer the question: How to Hire a Digital Marketing Agency

Frequently Asked Questions

What are some reasons to hire a digital marketing agency

Hiring a digital marketing agency can help your business grow faster and reach more people.

These agencies are experts in promoting your products or services online using tools like social media, websites, and ads.

They save you time and effort by handling tasks like creating posts, running ad campaigns, and improving your website’s visibility. 

How much does it cost to hire a digital marketing agency?

The cost to hire a digital marketing agency can vary widely, but it can range from a few thousand dollars per month to tens of thousands of dollars.

The cost depends on several factors, including the services you need, the agency's experience, and the size of your company.