Need help finding the right digital marketing agency in South Africa to work with? Read on to find out how below.
Every business needs good marketing to succeed, and in our modern world, that means the majority of most businesses need to be done online. Marketing is time-consuming – after all, it’s what drives people to your business in order to buy, but finding the time to market can be difficult when you’re also wrapped up in the everyday running of your business.
So, rather than hiring an in-house team, which is simply out of the budget for most small businesses, you know that hiring a great digital marketing agency team in Cape Town is the right solution if you want to reach customers in South Africa. Over 60% of all South Africans have access to the internet via their mobile devices, so you need a team that understands how to reach these 36.5 million people. But how do you choose? Here are 11 things you should consider.
What Should a Good Digital Marketing in South Africa Agency Do?
The short answer is that a good digital agency should be able to integrate with your business, take on the responsibility of digital marketing for the brand, and help your company grow and become more profitable.
It’s their job to capture new eyes and draw them to you, so you can convert them into customers. Depending on what responsibilities your digital agency takes on, and your business model, this may be helping you to get new leads for your sales team so they can take customers the rest of the way.
Regardless of what you do, your digital marketing agency should:
Do Market Research & Analysis
Your digital marketing agency team should have specific practices and tools that help them find the right audiences for your marketing campaigns. They should be able to analyse who your current customers are and reach new customers. When you start talking to potential agencies, make sure you ask them how they’ll go about this for you.
Help You with Your SEO
SEO (search engine optimisation) is vital if you want to get your website seen, and a good digital marketing agency will be able to help you find the keywords that will get you found locally, with low competition, and optimise other aspects of your site so search engines start paying attention to you.
Ask potential digital agencies how they can help you improve, especially when such a large percentage of your customer base is likely to be searching on mobile, often with their voice via Ask Google or Siri.
Provide Social Media Marketing, If You Need It
How much time to spend on marketing each of the many social media profiles is a complex question, and a good agency will be able to guide you in the right direction. It is important to get it right – 22 million South Africans are social media users. Not every brand is going to need full social media marketing Cape Town services, but it’s something you need to consider as a part of your digital marketing strategy.
Talk to potential agencies about what they can do for you if you don’t currently feel on top of your social media marketing, or get in touch with Galactic Digital to get help with your social media marketing.
Focus on Mobile Marketing
This is now important globally, as more people move away from traditional desktops and laptops and simply use their tablets and smartphones. In South Africa, 53% of those using the internet do so on a mobile device. Making sure your content is mobile-friendly must be a priority. Some 40% of online transactions are via mobile, so if a potential agency is dismissive of it, move on.
Help You Create Content
Content marketing has never been more important, as people no longer go into a store to speak to a sales advisor before making a purchase – they research extensively online before ever walking into the store. Your content should help, inform, and/or entertain potential customers who are searching for answers early in their customer journey.
The earlier you can make a customer aware of your solution – even if they’re not yet certain they have a problem – the more likely they are to purchase from you. Content helps you develop trust with customers long before you ever prove yourself with your products or service. Your digital marketing agency team should know this and be prepared to help you with a content marketing strategy, even if you’re the one to execute it.
Email Campaigns
Never forget email is still the most effective digital marketing tool, delivering the highest ROI, better than affiliate marketing, paid searches, and social media. A digital marketing agency must be on top of the game in this area if you want your business to optimise its potential.
Advertising
Many digital agencies will also be able to help you create and run paid ads to your website, so if this is something you need, make sure you ask them how they’ll go about it for you and what kind of budget they expect to work with.
How Do I Choose a Digital Marketing Agency in South Africa?
So now you’ve thought about all the different aspects of digital marketing you may need help with, and what they should offer, how do you choose the right one? Ask yourself, or the agencies directly, these questions:
What have they done for other people?
Ask to see their portfolio, testimonials, or anything else they can give you as proof of what they’ve done for other South African businesses (and make sure you’re specific about the location).
Most agencies have a “special sauce” that makes what they do specific to them – a marketing philosophy that shapes the way they work. Look at their customers and results and think about if it feels like the right fit for your brand.
Do I need a specialist?
With some business sectors, you may need specialist knowledge, such as in pharmaceuticals or law. If your industry has to abide by specific regulations, it may be worth working with a digital agency that already has an understanding of them.
If you’re not in a specialist area, ask them if they currently have clients that are a competitor of yours, as you may not want your digital marketing agency team to have a conflict of interest.
What promises do they make?
You want your digital marketing agency to be confident, but if they’re being verbose in their promises, you should be wary, especially if you’ve already seen results. You’ll get a feel for this in your gut, as the right digital agency will sell itself to you in a way that feels right for your brand.
Also, ask about how long their contracts or retainers are, and how long they believe it will be for you to see the results you’re looking for. This should be a realistic time frame. Ask them how they measure their success for you. In most cases, this will be related to your goals, but they likely have a range of metrics (like cost-per-click, bounce rate, etc.) they use.
How much is it going to cost you?
Ask your agency how much it’s going to cost and any other associated costs you may incur. Some agencies will have a simple monthly fee, while others will charge for their work and for the marketing you do, so it’s important to look at the big picture.
Make Your Choice
Which digital marketing agency you choose is a very important decision and should be made carefully, but you don’t want to agonise over it for too long. Remember that the digital team should be helping you make more money, so talk to agencies until you find one you feel comfortable with.
At Galactic Digital, we can help you with all your digital and social media marketing Cape Town needs. We understand exactly what it takes to successfully market to South African customers. We, Galactic Digital, are the secret weapon you need to gain a competitive advantage and reach new customers you’ve been struggling to find.
If you’re ready to discuss your needs and find out if Galactic Digital is the best Digital Marketing Agency for you. Contact us today.
