Interactive Agency

How to select the right digital marketing agency for 2016

As 2015 draws to a close, it’s time to start thinking about how to meet your company’s marketing goals in the coming year. The need for a strong digital marketing strategy continues to grow apace, as consumers abandon print and television media in favor of Internet outlets. The Internet is rapidly becoming the most relied-upon source for information and entertainment, which means that traditional methods of marketing, from phone books to magazines, no longer have the reach or vast distribution channels they once enjoyed. As a result of this titanic shift in consumer watching habits, digital ad spending is expected to overtake TV as the biggest advertising category by the end of 2017, according to Interpublic Group’s Magna Global.  In order for your business to continue to thrive in the next twelve months, you need a tightly targeted, forward-focused digital marketing plan.  This makes finding the right interactive agency a top priority. If you’re wondering how to select the right digital marketing agency to guide your online efforts in 2016, try looking for these three essential interactive capabilities that are expected to prove critical in the coming year:

Strong Social Ad Skills

In 2016, the ability to create effective paid social advertising campaigns will be a necessary skill for any professional digital marketing agency. Over the past year, changes were made to the way Facebook and Twitter operate that made it virtually impossible for businesses to gain a wide customer reach through organic postings. Other social media platforms have announced plans to make similar adjustments to the way they operate, highlighting the importance of paid social postings as the best way to reach consumers through social media. Before hiring a digital marketing agency, verify that they are experienced at creating action-oriented social ads. You should expect to see some examples of Facebook Click to Website ads and Twitter Lead Generation Ads that the digital marketing agency has created, along with figures that chart the response the ads generated.

Native Advertising Savvy

Native advertising is going to be a critical area for businesses in 2016. Now that Apple has announced that iOS9, its latest mobile operating system for iPhones and iPads, supports ad blockers, businesses will need to turn to native ads in order to reach mobile customers. Native ads are different from standard digital ads because they look, act, and read like non-promotional content, which allows them to skate past the guards and traps that ad blockers throw up. Look for a digital marketing agency that is experienced at building brands through created online content that informs, entertains, and educates viewers. Ask if the agency can show you some advertorials (which look like articles but deliver sponsored content), sponsored posts, and other forms of native advertising that they have posted for themselves or businesses they represent.

Complete Video Capabilities

Businesses of all sizes and kinds are realizing the power of video to connect with customers.  From the unboxing videos that have been mesmerizing children across the country, to short videos that demonstrate recipes and answer tech questions, video marketing seems certain to be an essential part of most companies’ digital marketing strategies in 2016. The challenge lies in finding an agency that is just as skilled as tracking the effect of their video ads as they are at creating them. Look for a digital marketing agency that can show you some tight, effective marketing videos they’ve created, along with analytics that demonstrate the marketing reach they were able to achieve.

As you search for the right digital marketing agency to direct your company’s online efforts in the coming year, consider Blue Interactive Agency. We’re a full-service interactive agency in Boca Raton, experienced at utilizing the latest digital marketing strategies to effective promote our clients.

Contact us at Blue Interactive Agency today at 954-613-2476 for more information on the latest interactive marketing strategies to ensure the success of your small business in 2016 and beyond!