The 7 Types of Digital Marketing Agencies and What They Do

A Digital Marketing Agency takes information from you about your brand and your target audience and creates marketing campaigns around it. It also refines your target audience, handles website and social media updates, and refines your email campaigning to increase your brand’s outreach. It has specialists trained entirely in marketing and growing your business with rapid results.

  1. 61% of marketers rank lead generation as their number one challenge. (HubSpot)
  2. 80% of marketers think marketing automation generates more leads (and conversions). (APSIS)
  3. 66% of marketers generate leads from social media after spending only six hours per week on social marketing. (Social Media Examiner)

Placing customer acquisition and communication in a high-performing marketing agency’s hands, you can quickly put your entire focus on running your business without worrying about the expansion or the target audience getting to know about you. The main focus for the business would be to run the business; a Digital Marketing Company will take care of how your business is projected or, in simple language, how your target customer feels about your company. Ok, in even simpler terms, how is your brand perceived?

To be clear, a digital marketing agency acts as a valuable business partner, leveraging a wide array of strategies to boost your online presence and cultivate customer engagement throughout your journey.

Digital marketing is a multifaceted approach aiming to target, connect with, and foster customer relationships across various online channels. The ultimate goal is to drive conversions and encourage repeat business.

The impact of digital marketing is profound. Brands that incorporate blogging witness a 67 percent increase in lead generation compared to those that neglect it. Furthermore, SEO yields a conversion rate of 14.6 percent, dwarfing the mere 1.7 percent conversion rate delivered by traditional outbound methods, which include:

  • Content Marketing
  • Search Engine Optimization (SEO)
  • Video Marketing
  • Google Ads/PPC (SEM)
  • Email Marketing
  • Social Media Marketing

Digital marketing agencies employ an assortment of tools, strategies, and tactics to help businesses accomplish their marketing objectives and maximize sales. Nonetheless, executing a successful digital marketing campaign can be arduous, particularly for solopreneurs and smaller marketing departments.

Considering the extensive scope of digital marketing, it’s useful to explore the most popular types of digital marketing agencies and the services they offer.

The 7 Types of Digital Marketing Agencies and What They Do

Choosing a digital marketing agency can be challenging, especially for those unfamiliar with the industry. Agencies vary in terms of specialization and service offerings. It’s important to consider factors such as budget, digital marketing goals, objectives, and preferred level of involvement in order to find the best fit for your business.

Here are seven common types of digital marketing agencies:

1. FULL-SERVICE DIGITAL MARKETING AGENCY – THIS IS NIGHTHAWK!

Compared to other types of agencies, full-service digital marketing agencies are generally larger and provide a wide range of digital marketing services. Businesses often seek their expertise for specific projects like lead nurture campaigns or website redesigns. These agencies can also enhance existing marketing departments, providing additional capabilities at a lower cost compared to new hires.

2. DIGITAL MARKETING AGENCY

A digital marketing agency employs omnichannel, multichannel, or single-channel marketing strategies to reach customers online. Through websites, blogs, email, social media, and more, agencies interact with customers in one or multiple channels. Omnichannel marketing aims to provide a seamless customer experience across channels and devices throughout their journey. Traditional marketing services are typically not offered by digital marketing agencies as a general rule.

3. INBOUND MARKETING AGENCY

Inbound marketing agencies specialize in inbound marketing tactics and strategies, which differ from traditional outbound strategies. They focus on positioning businesses online where customers can easily find them, build trust over time, and eventually drive sales. Although inbound strategies may take longer to yield results than outbound ones, they can significantly impact in the long run (usually spanning six months to a year or more) before experiencing exponential growth in leads and sales.

4. SEO AGENCY:

Digital marketing agencies specializing in search engine optimization (SEO) assist clients in achieving high search engine rankings for their websites and content. They employ specialists who perform various tasks, including:

  • Keyword research
  • Website audits
  • Backlink audits
  • Website and blog content development
  • Metadata assessment (URL quality, title tags, meta descriptions, etc.)
  • Video description optimization
  • Link building

To accomplish these tasks, SEO companies utilize data analytics as well as website developer tools such as Google Analytics, Google Search Console, SEM Rush, and SEO Moz. They are early adopters of search engine optimization best practices and adhere to Google’s constantly evolving search algorithm.

5. DIGITAL AD (PPC) AGENCY:

Paid search, also known as paid advertising, is an effective method for driving traffic to a business website. Unlike organic traffic, paid traffic involves bidding on keywords and ad placement in search results. Digital ads can be displayed on websites, search result pages (SERPs), and social media platforms.

Digital ad agencies possess expertise in creating attention-grabbing ads that are optimized for various digital platforms. Some popular services include Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, YouTube ad creation and deployment and Google Ads Manager account management.

6. ONLINE AD AGENCY/PPC AGENCY:

Another approach to generate website traffic is through paid search or paid advertising. Unlike organic traffic, paid traffic requires financial investment to bid on keywords and secure ad placements in search results. Digital ads can be displayed on websites, SERPs, and social media channels. This method can yield quick leads, but it necessitates proper campaign setup to reach the target audience effectively.

Digital marketing agencies that specialize in online ads excel at producing attention-grabbing and optimized ads, adhering to best practices. You may choose to hire an online ad agency independently or in conjunction with other agencies as part of a comprehensive online strategy. While PPC can yield favorable results on its own, combining it with a cost-effective long-term strategy maximizes the potential of the paid traffic generated.

7. SOCIAL MEDIA AGENCY:

Companies seek social media agencies for assistance in establishing and maintaining a strong social media presence. These agencies specialize in managing and producing social content and setting up advertisements on platforms like Facebook and Instagram. They also offer services related to customer interaction on social media platforms, including responding to and reacting to customer engagements. In addition to these, some social media agencies provide influencer outreach services for cross-promotion or affiliate marketing.

8. WEB DESIGN AGENCY:

A web design agency is comprised of creative designers who develop customized and optimized websites or web pages for businesses. The responsibilities of web designers encompass the aesthetical aspects, as well as the functionality of the pages, whether it involves creating a completely new website, a redesign, or handling smaller projects. Common services rendered by web design agencies include user experience (UX) and user interface (UI) design and research, image creation and storage, web development, and web hosting.

9. DIGITAL MARKETING CONSULTANT:

A digital marketing consultant is a skilled professional who possesses expertise in digital marketing and may or may not be affiliated with a digital marketing agency. These consultants guide businesses in formulating effective digital marketing strategies by identifying weaknesses in the current approach, areas for improvement, and the most practical ways to maximize gains. Furthermore, they often have an extensive network of other marketing professionals or agencies, which they can recommend for additional assistance.

What Does a Digital Marketing Agency Do?

Companies collaborate with digital marketing agencies for their expertise in online marketing. These agencies possess knowledge of the latest trends, best practices, and tools and strategies required for achieving digital marketing success.

Here are the specific aspects to expect when partnering with a digital marketing agency:

INCREASING ORGANIC WEBSITE TRAFFIC

The primary objective of any digital marketing endeavor is to generate significant organic traffic to one’s business website. Professionals at digital marketing agencies hold expertise in inbound marketing, customer journeys, and search engine algorithms. By working with a digital marketing agency, your website will experience an increase in organic traffic – visitors who find your website through search engine results. Moreover, this traffic will result in more leads at a lower cost. These leads will also exhibit better quality, increasing the likelihood of purchasing.

GENERATING SALES-READY LEADS

Digital marketing agencies’ professionals possess knowledge about your business, marketing goals, sales funnel, and target audience. They are well-versed in various inbound marketing tactics, including content marketing, social media marketing, web design, and search engine optimization. Within your sales funnel, specific inbound marketing tactics prove more effective based on the leads’ position in the funnel. Collaborating with a digital marketing agency enables you to deliver the right message to each lead at the right time in your sales funnel through the appropriate online medium. Consequently, a digital marketing agency helps generate sales-ready leads by progressing leads from the top to the bottom of the sales funnel.

EXPANDING BRAND REACH

Your customers are online, and every digital marketing agency understands that. Specializing in promoting brands online and establishing online customer relationships, digital marketing agencies possess the knowledge to expand your brand’s reach in the online space. By partnering with a digital marketing agency, your website gains enhanced visibility through keyword research and buyer persona development. Additionally, if you entrust your social media marketing to a digital marketing agency, your brand will gain increased online presence across various social media platforms.

Digital marketing agencies enhance marketing strategies by providing comprehensive services. When selecting an agency, it should align with your internal marketing team and compensate for any lack of specialized digital marketing knowledge or resources. By partnering with a digital marketing agency, you gain expertise and identify weaknesses in your current campaigns. For instance, activities like web design, SEO, public relations, email marketing, and social media marketing require specialized skills that may not be readily available in a small marketing team.

At Nighthawk Marketing, we offer a wide range of digital marketing services, including search engine optimization, pay-per-click advertising (PPC), social media marketing, marketing automation, content marketing, Facebook advertising, PR services, email marketing, video production, event coordination, and website development; just for starters.

Tips Concerning Hiring a Digital Marketing Agency

Before hiring a digital marketing agency, it is crucial to assess your company’s needs and evaluate its marketing skills, strengths, and capabilities. Determine if your business requires assistance with content overhauling, SEO implementation, or website UX redesign. Consider whether your marketing activities are handled in-house or outsourced. By asking these questions, you can decide on the suitability of working with an agency and determine the specific digital marketing services your business requires.

When considering the selection of a digital marketing agency, it is crucial to conduct thorough research in advance. It is equally important to ascertain your digital marketing objectives, financial resources, and desired level of involvement in executing a digital marketing campaign.

Here is a list of technical inquiries to pose to potential digital marketing agencies:

  1. Will the agency assign a dedicated contact person or project manager?
  2. Will the work be executed by in-house specialists or freelancers?
  3. How does the size of your contract compare to those of other clients?
  4. What online tools and software does the agency employ?
  5. What portion of your budget will be allocated to administrative expenses?
  6. How does the agency define an ideal client versus a challenging one?
  7. What key performance indicators (KPIs) does the agency utilize to measure success, and how will the agency communicate this information during routine meetings?
  8. What outcomes can you anticipate during your contract’s initial 90 days (or equivalent starting period)?
  9. How frequently will updates on your digital marketing campaign status be provided?
  10. What is the agency’s pricing structure?
  11. Can the agency provide evidence of their success working with companies similar to yours?
  12. What do testimonials, BBB ratings, or Google Reviews reveal about the agency?

Before entrusting a digital marketing agency with your operations, it is essential to make an informed decision that aligns with your business needs.

Nighthawk Marketing utilizes the inbound marketing framework tailored to the modern customer mindset and behavior. By attracting potential customers at the precise moment of purchase readiness, we eliminate the reliance on cold-calling and uncertain buyer readiness.

To optimize your marketing efforts, we conduct an in-depth analysis of your specific business needs. Recognizing that each business is unique, we employ our 6-step inbound marketing methodology to identify inefficiencies within your sales and marketing funnel. Subsequently, we reverse-engineer a comprehensive strategy to address these issues.

Our team of T-shaped marketers boasts extensive expertise across diverse marketing facets. While possessing a broad knowledge base, each member channels their unique talents, whether it’s crafting exceptional content, driving unparalleled traffic, or creating visually captivating graphics. This ensures a targeted and impactful approach to achieving desired changes.

The outcomes produced by our results-driven process at Nighthawk Marketing include:

  • Revenue growth
  • Augmented organic website traffic
  • Generation and nurturing of sales-ready leads
  • Strategic expansion of brand reach through new channels, facilitating customer acquisition
  • Reduced lead acquisition cost

Nighthawk Marketing: Your Data-Driven Digital Marketing Agency, Enabling Revenue Growth

While effective digital marketing can attract leads and generate customers, executing it proficiently and economically can be arduous. Many businesses enlist the services of an external digital marketing agency. If you’re eager to discover areas of improvement within your marketing endeavors, we invite you to contact us for a free 30-minute strategy session. During this session, we’ll assess your strengths, weaknesses, and untapped opportunities.

Scroll to Top