Effective marketing and branding is critical for every company or brand, but is one of the most difficult investments for a business owner to make. In our experience, there are many reasons for this, but it basically comes down to this: it is really hard to find a good digital marketing agency. New District Maven clients often join our family with years worth of horror stories about the time and money wasted with “expert” companies that produced no tangible, money-making results.

This isn’t due to lack of availability, of course. Business owners often entrust their marketing efforts to the wrong team due to conceptual barriers. There are many creative firms out there, each boasting expertise in overly complex and technical concepts while using unfamiliar vocabulary. This makes it particularly easy for one to be tricked by disingenuous agencies that exaggerate their marketing and SEO capabilities or utilize shady, black hat techniques.

It is much easier to find the right marketing company for your business when you know how to spot a terrible one. Avoid disaster by spotting the following key warning signs that are all trademarks of a lackluster agency.