These days, digital marketing agencies seem to be popping up like kettle corn at a NH fair. That could be a good thing, if it were not for the fact that many seem to have the goal to run a digital marketing company and offer SEO, but figure they’ll learn how to do the work afterwards. I have worked with many people over the years who were good at selling services; they were young, dynamic, and were great at promoting and selling services, but when it all came down to it, they didn’t know jack about marketing.

The problem is, these types of digital marketing companies cause real damage to businesses they work with, or at the very least, are a complete waste of money. Also, when these businesses are burned by a supposed marketing professional, they become overly skeptical about next digital marketing company to cross their path. I bring this up because it’s the story of my life. It seems most of my clients start out with skepticism and considerable caution due to their most recent experience with another so-called "digital marketing agency."

In order to help you work your way through the massive amounts of posers out there, here’s some sound advice:

1. A real digital marketing professional should be able to answer questions in a face to face meeting, without using Google, and without pause. Don’t get me wrong, sometimes certain questions require a reasonable amount of preparation to answer, especially because it’s important to not give bad marketing advice. However, for most questions, a real marketing professional would have answers for most scenarios and would understand specifics about certain technologies and concepts.
2. If they are working out of their home, you should think twice. If they are dong good enough, they will at least lease an office space. Working out of their home demonstrates that this is a part time venture, or something they will walk away from if it gets too tough. I hear this from clients all the time, so don't think that you will be served in the long run by working with people like this. Perhaps you can hire them on your marketing staff, but hiring a marketing agency that runs out of a studio apartment in Boston, is not going to get you the same results a real agency will get you.
3. They should be educated in marketing. A designer designs things. That doesn't make them good at marketing. If they don't have a foundation in marketing to understand the concepts, they are not going to be able to effectively market anything. Also, education itself is not enough, they need real-world - outside of their mother's basement - experience. This is related to my next point...
4. Someone who is really good at marketing will have worked for other companies. People who have only worked as "self employed" don't usually have what it takes to work in other industries; thus, they don't understand the complexities of working in manufacturing. They don't understand the budget constraints since you have multiple tradeshows that your company needs to attend this year. Ultimately, you need a marketing professional that has a background outside of their own business. 
5. A marketing expert cares more about the project than they do the price they are paid. That doesn’t mean they should be cheap, it simply means their focus should always be on your project, and the pricing is, well, what it is.
6. Marketing experts may work with you to negotiate a fair price, but if they are good at what they do, they won’t be cheap. That doesn't mean they will be overly expensive either, but they should not be cheap. If your intention is to increase business by 25% this year, don’t think you can do that by hiring someone charging pennies on the dollar. These types of companies are fly-by-night businesses that won’t last, don’t know what they are doing, and want to build a large portfolio of clients to help keep them in business. In the end, you won’t be saving money, you’ll be wasting it, and could damage your marketing efforts due to poor marketing tactics.
7. A good digital marketing agency will have a reliable team to manage your project. They will work on your reasonably set deadlines, and won't constantly have an excuse for not delivering. If you can’t rely on your marketing company to handle deliverables, how can you rely on them doing the things that need to be done for you to grow your business?
8. Lastly, an expert in marketing should make you feel like they know what they are talking about. If they don’t project their knowledge, you either got them on a bad day, or they simply have no idea what they are doing.

These are just a few of the things to look for. When it comes to choosing a digital marketing agency, whether you consider us, or decide to work with someone else, make sure you take these recommendations into account. Whether you are paying hundreds of dollars, or thousands, you don't want to spend money just to spend it. Without good marketing behind your product or service, you won't get far. Instead, keep a lookout for the kind of professional that makes it clear they know what they are talking about, and can do far more than just talk.