Instincts Matter When Choosing a Digital Marketing Agency
This article was published on April 23, 2026
Categorized in: Digital Marketing
In our 21 years of working with digital marketing clients, we have learned that instincts play a bigger part than we may realize. Instincts play a part with choosing an agency, articulating the nature of your business, and even developing a strategy. Unfortunately, it is all too easy to dismiss our instincts in favor of data or understanding of “best practices”.
The bottom line is, you need to be comfortable with the digital marketing agency you work with, and the agency also needs to be comfortable working with you. We can gather all the information we want, but it’s the instincts that will make or break the relationship. Here’s a look at some elements that play a part in developing our instincts about each other. Here’s a look at how your instincts can work in your favor:
Find the Right Fit Beyond the Obvious
When searching for a digital marketing agency, the first thing you may do is think about your goals, and then determine if the agency will help you achieve those goals. This is the right way to think about it, but it doesn’t always tell the whole story. Finding the right fit often has more to do with the intangibles than the on-paper considerations.
What do we mean by intangibles? These are factors like communication style, genuine understanding of your business, level of transparency you require versus what the agency provides, confidence in their ability to create results for you, and more. This means that, aside from talking about the specifics of the strategy with your potential agency, you should develop a feel for these intangibles, such as if you will genuinely like working with them. This is where your instincts come in.
Determine if You Can Build a True Partnership
What you are really looking for is evidence that you will be able to build a true partnership with the agency that you decide to work with. People tend to focus on wanting to work with the agency that can get the best results. On the surface, this may look obvious. However, selecting and hiring an agency partner is about much more than that. You need to find an agency where you can function as “partners” so that you can develop a good working relationship with each other.
This is where the intangibles are really a factor, and this is where your instincts will really help you. Do you feel that the agency you are thinking of working with can be a true partner to you? Essentially, this means that you need to trust them, enjoy their company, and feel good about who they are and what they can do for you. This is the basis of a great partnership. And yes, a great agency partner will get you the results you want. However, note that there are many agencies who can do this. Your goal is to find someone you really enjoy working with.
Your instincts matter when choosing a digital marketing agency. Trust them, along with the other data, to find the one that is right for you.
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About the Author: Brick Marketing President, Nick Stamoulis
Nick Stamoulis is President of Brick Marketing and has over 25 years of digital marketing experience. He works directly with clients on strategy and implementation, helping solve complex marketing, lead generation and sales challenges. Nick Stamoulis is a strategist and expert with Search Engine Optimization (SEO), AI SEO or Generative Engine Optimization (GEO), content marketing, social media, pay per click advertising, and conversion improvement. Nick Stamoulis has worked with over 500 companies in many industries and also provides digital marketing consulting and Fractional CMO solutions, helping companies improve performance and achieve desired outcomes.
