Jeannie Moran, eCommerce Marketing Director of AutoNation, shares how to select an online marketing agency at SES
Many marketers have struggled with this topic: How To Select an Online Marketing Agency. I attended this session at the Search Engine Strategies conference a couple of weeks ago. Veteran marketer Jeannie Moran, eCommerce Marketing Director, of AutoNation, shared her experience with fellow marketers.
From a marketer perspective here is what to look for when selecting an agency:
5 Fundamentals- Per Jeannie Moran, eCommerce Marketing Director, AutoNation, inc.
- Sign a MNDA
- Be aligned with vision and be able to introduce the agency to your boss
- Build trust and set reasonable expectations
- Be honest about working with multiple partners
- Make sure it’s worth everyone’s while
Must haves - Groundwork for Success
- Understand what you are buying - educate yourself
- Ask the right questions - be cautious about guarantees
- Always meet with the team that will be delivering
- Make sure to use compatible technology
- Get all promises in writing
- Negotiate a trial period - test pilot for 90 days minimum
- Uncover any hidden costs
- Ensure one common platform for tracking
- Determine if application supports foreign languages and currencies
SEO Vendor Considerations
- Strong keyword research strategy
- Strong copy writing and link building
- Optimization plan for organic pages
- Measure organic conversion and ROI
- Proven results
Paid Search Vendor Considerations
- PPC programs in Google, Yahoo and MSN
- Web traffic measurement tool to measure your precise return on investment
- A/B testing of PPC ads and landing pages to identify the most effective campaigns
- Account managers that are Google AdWords certified and are Yahoo Ambassadors
Social Media Vendor Considerations
- What channels are you currently active in for clients?
- Give examples of how channels might be used to bolster the overall SEM effort
- Proven results?
Key Takeaways
- Educate
- Invest
- Agree and document billing model
- Start small and scale
- Monitor, measure, optimize
There are key advantages of one vendor for both SEO and SEM
Using a holistic strategy and partner will allow you to:
- Identify opportunities that can improve performance
- Optimize across all search channels
- Combine campaign metrics and reporting
Outcome: Increased ROI and Cost Savings
At WebsiteBiz, we offer both Paid Search, SEO, and Social Media capabilities. Our clients tell us the integrated approach yields higher returns along with cost savings and who wouldn’t want this? J
