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What is a digital agency, and how is it different from a marketing agency?
A digital agency is an outside company that sells online services, usually some mix of websites, search visibility, ads, social media and email. A marketing agency usually sells similar work with more focus on bringing in customers. The two names overlap and mean different things to different companies, so the label tells you little. Compare what each will deliver in writing, who owns the accounts, how results are reported and how you can leave.
Why the names tell you little
No rulebook defines these labels. Companies usually pick the name that sounds right to buyers, so two agencies with the same label can sell very different things, and two with different labels can sell nearly the same thing. A web agency may run ads, a marketing agency may build websites and a digital agency may do both.
A name can hint at where a company started, such as design, advertising or websites. It does not tell you what you will receive, who will do the work or what you will see afterward.
The labels in one table
| Label | What it usually sells (a rough guide) |
|---|---|
| Digital agency | Online work chosen from a menu: websites, ads, search, social media, email |
| Full-service digital agency | Several of those under one contract and one report |
| Marketing agency | Work meant to bring in customers: messaging, ads, content, search, sometimes the website |
| Creative agency | Brand, design, video and copywriting |
| Web agency | Websites and their upkeep, sometimes hosting |
| Growth agency | Ads, tests and changes to a page or an offer, aimed at measurable growth |
What to compare instead
- Who does the work: the people named to you, or a subcontractor you never meet.
- Whether the agreement renews on its own, and what notice it takes to leave.
- The rest of the list is the same for any label: the deliverables in writing, the accounts in the business's name, a report that starts with inquiries and customers by source. The related answer on what a marketing agency does sets it out, and the one on what a marketing agency contract should include covers the paperwork.
Read this with one thing in mind
Ascent Vision sells several of these services and, as its FAQ says, is not an agency in the usual sense, so read this with that in mind.
The related answers on one full-service agency or separate specialists and on a marketing consultant or an agency compare the choices, and the one on how to choose a marketing agency gives an order to decide in.
Related answers
- What does a marketing agency actually do for a small business?
- Should you hire one full-service agency or separate specialists?
- How do you choose a marketing agency for a small business?
- Should you hire a marketing consultant or a marketing agency?
- What should a marketing agency contract say before you sign it?
SEO for service businesses
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