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A Guide To Choosing Ecommerce Agency
August 21, 2019

How To Find The Best Ecommerce Marketing Agency

If there is one thing everyone can agree on it’s this: Bacon is the sweet meat.

But seriously, we can all agree marketing is constantly changing and evolving. So are expectations. Gone are the days when marketing was an expense or line item to an organization.

Now executives and managers expect to show a return on investment (ROI). And traditional marketing just doesn’t work in this environment.  For ecommerce companies, we are seeing more and more competition, more channels and constant changes in marketing technology.

So, businesses are turning to agencies to help them grow their sales and their brands. Partnering with an agency is a huge investment and shouldn’t be taken lightly. But done right, businesses can see large-scale growth from the right partnership with an ecommerce marketing agency.

We break down what to look for in an agency, what things you should consider before beginning a relationship with an agency and what questions to ask during the selection process.

What’s In This Post?

  1. What Does an Ecommerce Marketing Agency Do?
  2. Why Work With An Ecommerce Marketing Agency?
  3. Ecommerce Marketing Agency Partnership Considerations
  4. Questions to Ask Before Hiring An Ecommerce Marketing Agency
  5. Ecommerce Marketing Agency Case Study
  6. Finding The Best Ecommerce Marketing Agency
  7. How Can AdShark Marketing Help?

What Does an Ecommerce Marketing Agency Do?

Ecommerce marketing agencies will help you get more sales through customized marketing strategies and tactics that drive your ideal customer to your site and improve your brand presence online. The services marketing agencies provide vary by the agency, but in general, you can expect to receive the following:

Research

Before executing any marketing campaigns, you should understand who your ideal target audience is. If you haven’t done the proper research, an agency can help figure out who you should be focusing on and the right channels you should be using to reach them.

SEO

Ranking for the right keywords isn’t about just building awareness or getting more traffic to your site. Ranking high for keywords with a specific intent can improve your bottom line and gets you in front of the right customer at the right time in their buyer’s journey. You can find a dedicated SEO agency, but most digital marketing and ecommerce marketing firms off SEO services.

Google Ads

Get your products in front of users who are looking for them with Google Ads. Running the right campaigns for your audience can be highly profitable, but also really confusing for those who aren’t experienced in paid search. Looking for an agency that not only offers Google Ad services but also provides advanced strategies to help your dollar go farther is really important. Specific tactics used within paid search include Google Ads, Bing Ads, Google Shopping, YouTube video ads, Display ads and remarketing ads.

More Google Ads Articles:

Facebook and Instagram Advertising

Most digital agencies that offer paid search also offer paid social advertising services. Facebook and Instagram use the Facebook Ads Manager platform and feature multiple targeting options and a large audience. With ecommerce marketing, you can use Facebook and Instagram to execute advanced targeting strategies based on users’ behavior. Agency clients can see ROAS as high as 22x or more and conversion rates skyrocket. Social tactics used include image ads, video ads, carousel and collection ads, instant experiences, product catalogs, dynamic product ads, abandoned cart ads and remarketing campaigns.

More Facebook Advertising Articles:

Web Design & Development

For ecommerce companies, your website is the glue that holds your business together. Finding the right partner to migrate an ecommerce store or build an online store from the ground up is a decision not to be taken lightly. The right design and development of your website will set you apart from your competition, drive more traffic to your site, build your brand online and help establish trust with your customers.

More Web Design Articles:

Creative

Strategies are important, but a good strategy that is executed poorly will still not perform. Understanding how graphic design and creative copy play into human decision making is a make or break skill that you need when executing digital marketing campaigns. Also, knowing what to test and when is something an agency can focus on so your campaigns can be as successful as possible. Most ecommerce agencies have a creative staff dedicated to client accounts.

More creative articles:

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Why Work With An Ecommerce Marketing Agency?

Digital marketing has a plethora of channels and tactics to choose from and it is constantly changing. An agency that focuses on digital marketing will have the knowledge, expertise and time to keep up with changing trends. It’s tough for busy professionals and entrepreneurs to stay on top of the latest trends, learn new platforms and master digital marketing.

Hiring an agency is the way to go if you lack the resources, time or knowledge internally.  

Ecommerce Marketing Agency Partnership Considerations

Partnering with an agency is an investment. Before you sign on the dotted line you want to make sure that you are ready. Here is a list of things we think are helpful to consider before going into a partnership with an agency:

1. Marketing Budget

Knowing your minimum and maximum budget for an agency will determine the strategies the agency maps out for you, ultimately affecting your success. It will also help determine how to adjust your business goals and timelines. Things that can drive your budget up include creative needs, timeline (quick turnaround), and length of the contract.  

2. Goals and Objectives

An agency won’t have insider information into your company’s business goals. So, you will need to come prepared with both the businesses goals and your marketing goals and objectives. Knowing what you want to get out of the partnership before you come to the table is a key factor in being satisfied with the agency you work with.

3. Define Your Requirements

Will you need a new website? Do you need to migrate your shopping platform? Do you have creative staff in-house to create the ads you want to be placed? Does your executive team want updates monthly, quarterly, weekly? Is your Google Ads account setup? All of these questions are requirements an agency will need to understand from the beginning. Be prepared to list what your needs are so you know if the agency you choose is a good fit.

4. Agency/Client Fit

Services offered is one thing. If an agency can do the work, you need them to do—great! But what about culture and personality? You want to make sure you can trust the people you hire to do the work they say they can do. You also want to be able to voice your opinions and feel like a partner and not someone who’s there to be told what to do. The right agency will take the time to listen to everything you’ve tried and knows the right questions to ask to learn about your industry and clients.

5. Agency Location

In today’s world geographic area doesn’t really apply when it comes to digital marketing. As long as your agency makes itself available through other means of communication, then you can choose the right agency and not worry about the location. However, if you are the type of person that needs in-person meetings, then look for an agency close to home.

6. Agency Portfolio and Reputation

Have you checked out the agency’s portfolio? How did you connect with them? Referrals are a good way to find the right partnerships because it shows their current clients are happy. So much that they are willing to recommend them to others. How long have they been in business? Find out their history, but more importantly ask them what the future holds for their business.

7. Client Reviews

Agencies are all about results. Look for an agency that has client proof of their experiences. Testimonials, case studies, Google or Facebook reviews are all ways you can research how others perceive the agency. Look for common themes among all the reviews.

8. Timeline & Resources

Is your company set up for growth? How quickly do you want to see results? How much do you want to grow? Consider all the options for a huge success. This is even more important for ecommerce companies who aren’t currently using digital marketing tactics. Just remember that things do still take time.

9. Continuing Education

Because of the constantly changing environment, digital marketing agencies need to be on top of the latest trends. You want to hire an agency that has the knowledge and expertise to pivot when needed and focuses on continuous education for their employees.

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Questions to Ask Before Hiring An Ecommerce Marketing Agency

  1. What industries do you have experience in?
  2. What’s your expertise?
  3. How does your agency strategy align with our goals?
  4. Where do you see the most opportunity?
  5. How do you operate your agency? Will I have a dedicated account manager?
  6. What certifications do you have?
  7. Do you have any guarantees?
  8. What reports do you provide?
  9. Will I have access to actual ad spend?
  10. What metrics/KPIs do you focus on?
  11. How will we communicate?
  12. How can you help me stand out from the competition?
  13. What is the cost?
  14. Give me examples of successes and failures?
  15. What do you need from me to accomplish the goals I have?

You can also ask specific questions related to their expertise or the services you need from the agency. These are good general questions to understand if the agency is the right fit for you.

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Ecommerce Marketing Agency Case Study

Now we can take a look at the benefits agencies can bring to the table. We take a look at an ecommerce client’s success with digital marketing strategies.

Northland Tackle

At AdShark Marketing, we worked with Northland tackle to help improve conversions on their site. Northland Tackle came to us to because they were having difficulty converting browsers into buyers.

Facebook Dynamic Ad for Northland Tackle

After reviewing their site and current strategies, we quickly implemented a remarketing campaign using Facebook Dynamic Product ads to target the following audiences:

  • Website visitors
  • Users who added products to their cart and didn’t purchase
  • Users who viewed a product, but didn’t purchase

In three short months, Northland Tackle attributed more than $25,000 in sales to Facebook Dynamic Product Ads. Overall their campaign generated a 22x ROI and 8.3% conversion rate.

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Finding The Best Ecommerce Marketing Agency

The right agency could be the difference in growth or failure. Smart agencies will grow revenue, handle everything you need, and stop you from spending the money it takes to build a team in-house, leaving you to focus on what you want to focus on. It’s not a decision to be taken lightly and understanding how to prepare during the selection process can make it that much easier on you and your team.

How Can AdShark Marketing Help?

AdShark Marketing is a digital and ecommerce marketing agency that has expertise in Google Ads, Bing Ads, Facebook and Instagram Ads, Website Development and Website Design, Ecommerce Marketing and Ecommerce Web Design. Can AdShark help you solve your digital marketing problems? Let’s chat and discover the difference we can make together.

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