Choosing a B2B Digital Marketing Agency: 6 Questions to Ask

You know you want to work with a marketing agency to work on your B2B growth strategy. You know that Google gives you hundreds, nay, thousands of options to choose from. There's a lot of noise, buzzwords, and a LOT of promises. 

To make an informed decision, you should ask key questions that explore their experience, strategies, and approach to marketing. By doing so, you can ensure that the agency aligns with your budget, industry, and goals. 

In this guide, we will outline the questions you should ask to find a B2B digital marketing agency that can create a killer marketing strategy tailored to your needs.

Preparing for Your Search: What to Consider Before Meeting a B2B Digital Marketing Agency

With an overwhelming number of digital marketing agencies in the UK (around 7,661), it can be challenging to narrow down the best fit for your B2B business. 

However, by considering certain factors before reaching out to any agency, you can set clear expectations and ensure that your team and the agency are aligned towards your future goals. 

Here are eight preparations you should undertake before starting your search:

Define your Goals and Needs 

Understand your business objectives and determine what you expect from your marketing efforts. Involve all relevant stakeholders to identify key focus areas and desired outcomes.

Evaluate Experience and Expertise

Look for agencies that have worked with businesses similar to yours or possess expertise in relevant marketing channels and tactics. Check their website, social media presence, and independent reviews to gather this information.

Consider Their Approach

Choose an agency that aligns with your business goals and values to ensure a productive and harmonious working relationship. Review their website copy and independent reviews to gain insights into their focus and approach.

Review their Portfolio and Case Studies

Assess the agency's previous work and results by reviewing their portfolio and case studies. This will provide a comprehensive understanding of their capabilities and expertise.

Request References and Client Testimonials

Seek out reviews and testimonials from previous clients to gauge the agency's reputation and level of client satisfaction. Platforms like Clutch can be valuable sources for independent reviews.

Assess Communication and Collaboration Skills

Look for an agency that maintains clear and regular communication, keeping you informed at all times. A collaborative approach is essential, where your feedback and input are valued alongside the agency's expertise.

Consider Pricing and Contract Terms

Understand the agency's pricing structure and contract terms. Choose an agency that offers transparent and fair pricing aligned with your budget and goals. Ask about any potential hidden costs in advance to avoid surprises.

Schedule a Consultation

After conducting thorough research, schedule a consultation with the agency to discuss your business needs, ask questions, and gauge their overall style and compatibility with your business. Address any concerns during this meeting.

By considering these factors, you can approach potential B2B marketing agencies with confidence, ensuring that you make an informed decision that aligns with your business objectives.

Don't settle for a cookie-cutter approach to B2B marketing. Let's develop a data-driven strategy that differentiates your brand and delivers results. Ready to embark on a journey towards business growth and success? Start by exploring our strategy services and how they can help you thrive.

Evaluating the Agency: The Questions to Ask

Evaluating the agency during a consultation is a valuable opportunity to delve deeper into their capabilities, approach, and compatibility with your business goals. 

By asking targeted questions, you can gain insights into their expertise, industry experience, strategy development, campaign measurement, communication practices, and pricing structure. 

Here, we highlight the key questions to ask during the consultation process, ensuring that you select the B2B digital marketing agency best equipped to meet your specific marketing needs and drive your business forward.

1. What is Your Experience in My Industry?

Assess their experience and familiarity with your specific industry. 

The agency's understanding of industry-specific challenges, target audiences, and competitors can significantly impact the success of your marketing efforts. Give consideration to the following:

• Industry-specific expertise – Enquire about the B2B industries the agency has worked with in the past. A reputable agency will have experience across a range of B2B sectors, demonstrating their ability to adapt their strategies to different industries. 

• Understanding of industry-specific challenges and trends –  Different B2B industries have unique challenges and trends. The agency should demonstrate knowledge of these specific challenges and be prepared to address them through their strategies.
• Proven success in your industry – Request examples or case studies that highlight the agency's success within your specific B2B industry. Look for results-driven examples that demonstrate their ability to overcome industry-specific challenges and achieve meaningful outcomes for their clients.

When evaluating agencies, prioritise those that have a proven track record in your industry or demonstrate a genuine willingness to learn and understand your specific B2B industry.

2. What is Your Approach to Creating an Effective B2B Marketing Strategy?

Developing effective B2B marketing strategies requires a deep understanding of your business goals and a tailored approach to meet those objectives. 

When evaluating a B2B digital marketing agency, it is crucial to assess their ability to align their efforts with your specific goals and key performance indicators (KPIs). Here's what to look for in their response:

• Comprehensive discovery and goal-setting process –  A reputable agency will emphasise the importance of an in-depth discovery phase. They will conduct thorough research and analysis to gain a deep understanding of your business, industry, target audience, and competitors. 

• Customisation based on your unique business needs – A strong agency will recognise that every B2B business is unique, with its own set of challenges, strengths, and target audience. They will develop customised strategies that address your specific needs and align with your business goals. 

• Alignment of marketing strategies with the buyer's journey – A successful B2B marketing strategy should be designed to engage potential customers at different stages of the buyer's journey. The agency should have a clear understanding of your target audience's needs, pain points, and decision-making process. 

Look for an agency that prioritises customisation, data-driven decision-making, and continuous optimisation to deliver measurable results that contribute to your overall business growth.

3. How Do You Measure the Success of Your Marketing Campaigns?

To gauge the effectiveness of your campaigns, it's crucial to determine the metrics that matter most to your business, such as MQLs, SQLs, sales conversions, website traffic, engagement, reach/brand awareness, and ROI. 

Understanding how an agency measures the success and return on investment (ROI) of B2B marketing campaigns is essential for evaluating the effectiveness of their strategies. Here's what you should consider when assessing the strength of a digital marketing agency to deliver returns:

• Key performance indicators (KPIs) – Find out more about the specific metrics and KPIs the agency tracks to evaluate campaign performance.

• Data analytics and optimisation – A reputable agency will have a strong emphasis on data analytics and optimisation. Ask about their approach to data analysis, including how they use analytics tools to gain insights, identify trends, and make data-driven decisions to optimise campaign performance.

• ROI measurement – Investigate how the agency measures ROI for B2B marketing campaigns. They should have a clear methodology for calculating the return on investment and be able to explain how they tie marketing activities to revenue outcomes.

By partnering with an agency that prioritises data analysis and optimisation, you can ensure that your marketing efforts are continuously refined and aligned with your business objectives, resulting in improved ROI and long-term success.

4. Can You Share Examples of B2B Digital Marketing Campaigns That Successfully Targeted Key Persona Segmentations?

Sharing examples of B2B digital marketing campaigns that successfully targeted key persona segmentations is a great way to evaluate an agency's expertise in understanding and engaging specific audience segments. 

The agency should be able to provide you with specific case studies or examples that showcase their ability to effectively reach and resonate with different personas within a B2B context.

Bear in mind the following key factors when the agency details their approach to building and targeting relevant audiences: 

• Descriptions of personas and their pain points – How does the agency go about defining who these audiences are, and the needs that they need addressing?
• Messaging and content strategy – What is the agency’s approach to creating key messaging for these audiences, and how do they syndicate the overarching messaging across different persona types and needs? 
• Channel selection and targeting – Does the agency understand where these personas are consuming their content and are they targeting them through highly strategic touch points?
• Measurement and success metrics – At the start of any strategy or campaign, measurable KPIs should be put in place to measure the success of the various digital marketing outputs. It is important that the agency you choose understands these metrics and is able to work hard to deliver ROI. 

In essence, a viable digital marketing agency should be able to clearly showcase their expertise in crafting tailored marketing strategies that effectively engage and convert these specific segments.

5. What Kind of Communication and Collaboration Can I Expect?

With a B2B digital marketing agency, their approach to communication and collaboration with clients should be one of the first things you assess. 

Effective communication lays the foundation for a successful partnership, and collaborative efforts ensure that your business objectives are aligned with their strategies. Direct your attention to:

• Preferred communication channels – Find out more about the agency's preferred communication channels and their flexibility to accommodate your preferences. Whether it's email, phone calls, video conferences, project management platforms, or in-person meetings, the agency should be able to adapt to your communication needs.

• Frequency of updates and reporting –  A reliable agency will have a structured approach to providing regular updates on campaign progress and results. They should be able to explain how often you can expect progress reports, what information they include, and how they present the data in a clear and understandable manner.

• Client involvement in decision-making – Ask about the agency's approach to involving clients in the decision-making process. They should value your input, insights, and feedback.

• Transparency and accountability – A stand-out agency will prioritise transparency and accountability in their communication. They should be honest and upfront about the progress, challenges, and results of your marketing campaigns.

By asking about their approach to communication and collaboration, you can assess the agency's commitment to maintaining a strong working relationship.

Look for agencies that value open communication, provide regular progress updates, involve you in decision-making, and are transparent and accountable throughout the engagement.

6. What is Your Pricing and Contract Structure?

Understanding the agency's pricing structure and how they determine budgets is essential for evaluating the financial feasibility of their services. 

Ask about their pricing models (hourly, project-based, retainer, etc.) and their approach to budget allocation for B2B marketing campaigns. This will help you assess if their pricing aligns with your budgetary considerations. Delve a little deeper to find out if the agency you are meeting with can scale the budget according to your needs by evaluating the following: 

• Pricing models – Ask about the agency's pricing models. Each model will have its own advantages and considerations. Ask the agency to provide a breakdown of their pricing structure and any additional costs or fees that may be involved. This will help you determine the most suitable pricing model for your business.

• Budget determination process – A reliable agency will have a systematic approach to determining budgets for B2B marketing campaigns. They should consider factors such as the scope of work, campaign goals, target audience, competition, and desired outcomes.

• Transparency and value – It's important to work with an agency that is transparent about their pricing and can clearly articulate the value they bring to your B2B marketing efforts. They should be able to explain how their pricing structure aligns with the services they offer and the value they deliver.

• Flexibility and scalability – Explore the agency's flexibility in accommodating different budget ranges and their ability to scale marketing campaigns based on your evolving needs. A strong agency will offer flexibility in adjusting their services to align with your budget constraints while still delivering effective strategies. 

Partnering with a B2B digital marketing agency that offers a pricing structure that suits your financial capabilities and goals ensures a mutually beneficial working relationship, where you receive quality services without compromising your budget constraints.

Digital Litmus’ Approach to B2B Digital Marketing

Since 2016, Digital Litmus has been living up to its promises! We’ve helped an abundance of B2B companies grow with integrated marketing, sales and customer success.

We are open and proud about our achievements. We’re a Platinum HubSpot Partner and deliver services covering strategy, MarTech, content marketing, campaigns, growth-driven design and sales enablement.

We focus on building strategic partnerships with B2B businesses to convert your target audience, generate high-quality leads, and improve your website and conversion rates, all while keeping results at the heart of all we do.

Here’s what one of our clients, CEO of RocheMartin, Guy Halfhead said: “We needed a strategic partner who could help us execute an integrated approach to our marketing, sales and customer success efforts.

“Digital Litmus has helped us achieve that whilst also unifying our tech stack with HubSpot. The results have been clear - our pipeline has increased 600% in the last 6 months and we are closing bigger and better deals faster than ever before.” 

To read more about the strategy we adopted to achieve this significant pipeline increase, you can check out our case study here. 

Empower Your Business with the Right B2B Marketing Agency

By equipping yourself with the six critical questions outlined above, you can maximise the value of your consultation meetings with potential digital marketing agencies. 

These questions will ensure that you gather the necessary information to make an informed decision when the time comes. Remember, your business is unique, and it requires a team who understands and appreciates your distinct needs, insights, and feedback. 

When you find the right B2B marketing agency that aligns with your goals, the experience should be transformative, propelling your business to new heights, outpacing the competition, and driving sales growth or enhanced brand awareness. 

Embrace the power of a strategic partnership with a marketing agency that can truly help your business thrive.