Our agency has been operating in Asia for over a decade; every day, our Business Development team is involved in new commercial discussions through various agency selection processes, including tenders, Requests for Proposals, and direct approaches. From Fortune 500 clients to fast-growing startups, we have observed that our potential clients often fail to ask the right questions before selecting their future partners.
Hence, we shared our humble recommendations to help organisations ask unusual questions and anticipate mistakes to pick the best digital marketing agency that fits their needs.
Here are the key questions you should always ask before choosing the best Social Marketing Agency:
01. Talent Seniority: Can you elaborate more about your team structure and organization?
Why it matters:
Employees’ wages can be significant in cities such as Hong Kong or Singapore, and agencies are logically considering diverse options to optimise salaries. As a future client of the Agency, you need to assess the agency organisation, making sure the team structure fits your needs.
Ask your Social Marketing Agency:
- How many interns and or fresh graduates work in your agency?
- Which team member is in-house or external?
- Where is your team based, and are they available to meet face to face?
02. Agency Credentials: Can you tell me more about your client’s portfolio?
Why it matters:
It’s not an easy job to review your future Digital Marketing agency credentials, often future clients refer to the agency portfolio to check credentials from similar brands or even better, from direct competitors. Agencies understood these concerns and frequently share an extensive list of clients to impress future clients. Due to a lack of time, future clients don’t always take the time to screen references and credentials properly.
Ask your Social Marketing Agency:
- Can you showcase one-shot campaign versus retainer references from your client portfolio?
- Can you specify which references are active vs inactive?
- Can you share when this collaboration happened for each credential?
03. Tech Stack: Can you tell me more about your technology, Ad Tech or Influencer Tech?
Why it matters:
Digital and social media agencies use marketing technology daily. In contrast with tech, agencies are considered people or service businesses. Still, some agencies are not always transparent about the technology they use, especially regarding ownership, pretending that the technologies they offer have been developed internally when they haven’t.
This happened frequently when dishonest agencies developed a simple branded layer on top of WordPress (Open-Source), pretending to have built their Content management system. It’s also frequent with influencer marketing platforms offering a white-label solution to agencies.
Ask your Social Marketing Agency:
- Can you clarify whether your tech stack belongs to your agency or a third party?
04. Asian Top Management: What is the representation of Asians in your top management?
Why it matters:
Asia is a fragmented region with diverse cultures, ecosystems, and regulations. While every marketer can learn how to navigate specific markets, partnering with a marketing team that reflects your target audience’s multicultural diversity and understands their codes remains strategic. Many Westerners run Social Marketing Agencies, often with a traditional structure where Westerners occupy top management positions and locals handle execution. We recommend ensuring people who understand your target audience the most are involved in top-level decisions and strategy definition to maximise your chances of hitting your goals.
Ask your Social Marketing Agency:
- What is the percentage of Asians in your Top Management? Where are they from?
- What’s their position?
Key Takeaways: How to Choose a Digital Marketing Agency
- Seniority: 90% of our team has at least 3-4 years of experience
- Credentials: We highlight the duration and status of our previous projects.
- Tech Stack: We are clear about the identities of our Tech partners, as we believe it is our responsibility to concentrate on Services by utilising top Tech partners.
- Asian top management: 60% of our Top Management is from Asia.
Check our previous articles: Social Marketing Agency: How to choose a digital marketing agency (article 1/3)
