Content Marketing Agencies

Our Evaluation Methodology for Choosing the Top Content Marketing Agencies

Our in-depth, metrics-based research provides a detailed, unique view of the workings of the best content marketing companies out there.

While creating the list, we assessed multiple factors like professionalism, project management, online reputation, ratings and reviews, customer service, and the growth rate generated for clients.

Scroll down to find our detailed methodology.

Check the Company’s Website

Upon landing on the agency’s website, we determine whether they really exist by checking the address, business email, contact number, and past work. We also check how long they’ve been around. Although not a decisive factor, the age of an agency gives us a good idea of their level of experience.

Then, we learn about the agency’s expertise. Some content marketing firms specialize in one area or one type of content, while others offer a wider range of services.

Finally, we check whether they practice what they preach. Specifically, we consider the following things:

• Are they updating their blog?
• Do they innovate and discover new ways to engage their audience?
• Do they have an active social media presence?
• Do they keep up with the content marketing trends?

Examine Their Content Marketing Strategy and Process

Content strategy is the basis of every successful content marketing campaign. We scan the case studies and portfolios of these content marketing companies to discover whether they invest time in creating an actionable plan with long-term goals.

Next, we scout the agency’s previous work and look for signs of authenticity. Each piece of content should be unique, and with a strong point of view.

Last but not least, we examine the quality of writing. The content needs to be well written, engaging, appealing to the target audience, and above all, relevant. Also, we take note of the content design and whether it’s aimed at selling ideas to the reader.

Project Management

How the content marketing company handles its workload is an excellent indication of its capabilities. We look for content marketing professionals who create a process-oriented strategy, from planning to publishing to promotion to analytics.

We appreciate content marketers that are able to create a clearly defined path that each piece of content should follow with an editorial calendar that helps them track the content through its stages.

Going a step further, we discover who is responsible for publishing and optimizing the content. Some content marketing agencies will complete these tasks themselves while others will deliver the content to you, the client, so that you can upload it. The first option usually works better.

The Creation Aspect

Following the steps of our evaluation methodology, we come to the next phase: the creative product. Once again, we go through case studies to see how proficient they are in the top performing types of content marketing and whether they focus on written or visual content.

As a rule of thumb, the content marketing firm you choose should be proficient in creating different types of blog posts and also have a strong focus on visual content like infographics, videos, and graphics—all of which have high engagement rates. Here’s a complete checklist of the nine best performing types of content:

• Blogs
• Infographics
• Videos & Animations
• Case Studies
• Checklists
• Social Media Posts
• Podcasts
• Product Guides
• Whitepapers

The agencies we feature on our list base their content creation on a thoughtfully defined buyer persona. Furthermore, their content creation relies on the buyer’s journey, ensuring every visitor that lands on their clients’ sites receive useful information.

The Marketing Aspect

Content is the soul of SEO, and these two strategies must go hand in hand. So a content creation marketing agency that doesn’t care about SEO is a no-go.

We choose to evaluate only the content marketing agencies that prioritize SEO and work with in-house SEO experts. Multiple search engine optimization aspects must be considered—from keyword research and quality content to UX optimization and link building.

Social media is yet another fundamental part of the content marketing machine. For a social media strategy to be successful, it’s vital that it aligns with the content marketing strategy. Hiring a SMM agency is always an option but the best content marketing agencies provide this service in-house. Here are some of the things that we take into consideration:

• Can they establish brand personality, voice, and tone?
• Can they define the target audience and effectively reach it?
• Are they able to meet the KPIs set by the client?
• Do they build a monthly social media content calendar?

Metrics and Reporting

The next step is aimed at discovering how the best content marketing firms consider metrics and analytics. We conduct interviews with the agencies’ project managers and previous clients to establish how efficient they are in establishing KPIs and whether they’re flexible in this field because different businesses use content in different ways.

KPIs can vary, but here are the most important ones:

• CTR
• Traffic
• Article Views
• Social Shares
• Sales Conversion Rate
• Revenue
• ROI
• LTV

Also, we take note of how they share insights with clients. We look for content marketing companies that give detailed reports about their progress and what they’re doing to reach their clients’ goals.

Client Reviews and Testimonials

We audit review directories, social media, and the agencies’ sites looking for opinions of their past clients. From these, we learn how satisfied their clients were with the work and how reliable the agencies are.

Additionally, client reviews and testimonials help us uncover any possible points of concern.

Pricing

Finally, we get to the price. When curating our list, we came across different pricing models, such as content marketing services packages, custom builds, retainer, and a-la-carte. We tried to get quotes from the agencies and come up with an average hourly rate. Unsurprisingly, when it comes to content marketing, expenses might vary. Needless to say, we listed only the best agencies that have also proved to be cost-effective.

What to Consider Before Hiring a Digital Content Agency

Before choosing an agency from our list, you need to do your due diligence. This will help you determine exactly what you’ll need from your marketing agency as well as help you work together better.

Define Your Audience

A successful content marketing strategy requires a clearly defined audience. This enables you to choose an agency that can successfully reach your business’s most relevant audience through the right channels. To define your target audience, you could collect demographic data, create a buyer persona, and get customer feedback. Once you get the general idea of who your customer is, you can categorize customers according to location, needs, etc.

Set Your Goals

Defining your goals and ensuring your content creation agency is on the same page is very important. Determine what’s most important for your business:

If you have narrowed your list of potential candidates, you can further inform your decision by asking the right questions.

Which metrics do they look at when measuring a campaign’s success?

The best content marketing company should list significant metrics like unique visitors, page views, and conversions. Also, they should be able to explain how the metrics influence their decision making.

What’s their take on voice search?

Voice search continues to grow at a rapid pace; therefore, it’s essential that your content is optimized for voice queries. Besides top-notch SEO skills, your agency should be adept in voice search optimization, which requires a conversational writing style that answers the most frequently asked questions about a particular topic.

What’s their organizational structure?

Good organization is the key to good content marketing. It impacts communication, progress, and the flexibility to change. You should know in advance whether you’ll be working with a content management agency that uses a flat or hierarchical structure. Also, ask them what communication/project management tools they use (Slack, Azendoo, and Trello are only some of the options).

How do you stay on top of changes in the content marketing industry?

Content marketing is an ever-changing field, and your agency needs to keep up with it. This means working with a team that has seeks out learning opportunities like conferences, in-house training sessions, research, and reading, or maybe something entirely new. Any of the professional content marketing agencies will foster an educational environment for their team members.

Who will be creating the content?

Ask the agency who will be in charge of content creation. Do they have an in-house team, a couple of freelancers, or a combination of both? Usually, these agencies have a reliable in-house team as well as a network of apt freelancers that they work with regularly.