In a continuation of the topic – SEM Agency Selection Process – this is the first of five blog posts that detail a number of implementable steps to minimize risk when choosing an SEM firm.
Finding a fitting SEM agency is a complex recruitment process that requires you to identify your business goals and selection criteria, prior to initiating your search. With the proliferation of SEM businesses in the market, offering a wide cross-section of services at varying price points, it is important to identify how SEM services fit into the achievement of your business goals.
Similar to being directly responsible for a poor recruitment decision when hiring your business employees, this accountability is applicable in selecting an SEM agency. Have you clearly identified your business goals? Do you know which strategy gaps you would like the SEM provider to fill? Enter the SEM discussion with a clear idea of what you are looking for in order to critically evaluate the service proposition.
Step 1: Determine business goals & online marketing goals
You need to establish your short-term & long-term business goals and formulate what role SEM will play in successfully meeting these objectives.
Various business objectives will tie in accordingly with the online marketing goals required to achieve them. For example, growing brand awareness will require a different online strategy to increasing website driven sales. An SEM agency will more effectively address the online marketing goals if you assist them in developing a detailed understanding of your business goals.
iProspect, an SEM company recognised 5th in the Advertising Age’s Search Fact Pack 2008, Top 25 Search Marketing Agencies, addresses online marketing goals in their white paper “How to Select the Right SEM Firm”.
Step 2: Identify any unique selection criteria
Upon outlining your online marketing goals the next step is to identify any selection limitations that will make your search more targeted. These limitations will be dynamic to each business. A few are discussed below:
• Budget – Should a particular budget constraint limit which company’s services you are able to commission, identify this budget range and search for indications of pricing on SEM agency websites. Many firms will provide some budgetary guidance on their contact forms, indicating the minimum required to take on the project.
Should the services of a preferential SEM agency be inaccessible owing to cost, perhaps bookmark the agency for future reference. Given the myriad of providers, a service offering that meets your current business circumstances may not be applicable within a couple of years.
• Location – It is common for an SEM agency to service clients nationwide and even internationally. Given the nature of online work and the vast range of communications tools available to agencies, face-to-face contact is no longer a prerequisite to doing business.
However, for some clients this criterion may be a ‘deal breaker’. If you wish to work with an agency that has a local presence, factor this into your search criteria.
• Size & Years of Experience – This is a subjective assessment, however clients often enquire about company size and years of expertise.
Given Google moved into the mainstream in the last decade and only started offering its paid search marketing service in 2000, the online advertising industry remains on the cusp of its revolution. Many of the industry’s top entrepreneurs find themselves under the age of 30, while even the most established SEM agencies have only been in operation circa 1996.
Do not make hasty judgements based on age. Social media remains fledgling but looks promising, and the gurus best placed to magnify your social media presence will no doubt be young mavens with a few years of priceless experience.
Company size may cast a light on service expectations. Small agencies, with 1-10 employees may present a more boutique offering while a larger company will present a structured and scalable service.
Company size will not be a definitive indicator of service quality.
A consultant that works alone may undertake a limited number of projects and will offer a more personalized approach, however a larger company offers the benefit of pooling resources and is capable of presenting a wider cross-section of services.
Upon outlining your online marketing goals and ascertaining your selection criteria, you can then commence your search. Effectively utilising the search engines to find a SEM provider will be covered in the next post.
The allocation of a budget to any project is a complex assignment that requires a critical assessment of the associated risks, costs and projected gains. As the economy continues to reel, budget appropriation for selected projects will receive deliberate scrutiny, risk aversion will be amplified and opportunity cost felt more brutally should the investment not deliver bottom line accountability.