The world of advertising has changed a ton thanks to the internet and new technologies. Many old-school ad agencies have struggled to keep up and show clients they’ve got the digital skills to compete today. But there are some great ways agencies can flaunt their digital expertise and stay on top. Let’s get into it.

Bring In Staffers With Strong Digital Experience

If an agency wants to up their digital game, step one is hiring people who’ve already done great digital work. When looking for strategists, designers, writers and more, make sure candidates have experience running digital campaigns or projects. Key skills to hunt for include:

– SEO wizards

– PPC pros

– Social media gurus  

– Content marketing bosses

– Email marketing veterans

– Website/mobile design heroes

– Data crunching analysts

Having an in-house crew with varied digital superpowers gives agencies the talent needed to rock new platforms, tools, and strategies. These digital dynamos can guide campaigns.

Commit to Continuous Digital Training 

With the fast pace of change in digital media, agencies can’t just hire digital staffers once. Ongoing training and learning are essential for agencies to keep expertise sharp. Support your team in chasing digital certifications, conferences, courses, and more to stay on top of the latest skills.

Also invest in hosting in-house training workshops to get everyone up to speed on digital trends and topics. Putting budget toward continual digital education shows you’re serious about being experts.

Develop Digital-Focused Service Offerings

Rather than trying to tack on digital as an afterthought, forward-thinking ad agencies are proactive in developing specialty service offerings catered specifically to digital projects and campaigns. This could include dedicated services around:

– Digital strategy consulting

– Search marketing

– Social media advertising 

– Influencer marketing

– Content marketing

– Email marketing

– Marketing automation

– Web design

– Mobile app design

– Digital analytics

By assembling packages of digital offerings, ad agencies demonstrate to prospective clients that they have the expertise required to handle digital initiatives from start to finish.

Showcase Thought Leadership on Digital Topics

One of the best ways for an ad agency to position themselves as digital experts is to build up their reputation as thought leaders on the latest digital topics and trends. Some options include:

– Publishing blog posts and articles on topics like AI and advertising, crypto/Web3 marketing, digital privacy laws, and more. This provides valuable insights.

– Speaking at conferences and events about digital transformation, martech, and emerging tech. This establishes credibility.

– Creating guides, ebooks, or videos that teach audiences about digital skills. This demonstrates expertise. 

– Hosting webinars or podcasts featuring digital experts. This shows commitment to education.

– Sharing case studies of successful digital work the agency has completed. This highlights real-world results.

The more ad agencies can prolifically publish and present valuable digital content, the more they will be viewed as authorities.

Obtain Industry Certifications

Several respected industry certifications exist that ad agencies can leverage to verify their digital expertise. Some top certifications include:

– Google Ads Certification

– Google Analytics Certification 

– HubSpot Inbound Marketing Certification

– Facebook Blueprint Certification

– Mobile Marketing Certification (MMA)

– Adobe Certified Professional Certifications

Gaining these credentials through passing exams gives agencies official qualifications in key digital advertising platforms and tools. Promoting and displaying certifications on websites and in thought leadership content offers helpful validation.

Invest in the Latest Digital Technologies

Ad agencies need to practice what they preach when it comes to adopting innovative digital tools and technologies. Businesses will be skeptical if an agency claims to be digital experts but is relying on outdated software and systems internally. 

Some digital investments ad agencies should consider include:

– Project management software – Basecamp, Asana, Trello, etc.

– Collaboration software – Slack, Microsoft Teams, Google Workspace, etc. 

– Content marketing software – HubSpot, Contently, Kapost, etc.

– Marketing automation platforms – Marketo, Pardot, SharpSpring, etc.

– Analytics programs – Google Analytics, Sprout Social, SEMRush, etc.   

Staying on top of digital innovations shows an ad agency is actively practicing digital expertise.

Develop Robust Digital Metrics and Reporting

Any ad agency can talk about the importance of data and analytics, but digital leaders back up the talk by implementing robust metrics tracking and reporting across all digital initiatives. They develop frameworks for defining and analyzing key performance indicators (KPIs) for each platform and campaign. Ad agencies can then report on the hard data and results achieved to demonstrate expertise.

Collaborate with Other Digital Specialists 

No ad agency will have digital specialists across every emerging platform and discipline. That’s why it’s crucial for agencies to develop partnerships and collaborative relationships with other experts in areas like development, UX design, AI, AR, and more. 

Building a network of trusted digital collaborators allows ad agencies to tap into cutting-edge skills and thinking beyond their core competencies. Being able to assemble the right digital team for each client shows adaptability.

Conclusion

By following the tips outlined above, traditional advertising agencies can make major strides in proving their digital expertise to modern businesses. While establishing digital credentials takes concerted effort, it’s an essential investment. Ad agencies that fail to add digital skills and services run the serious risk of becoming obsolete. By hiring experienced staff, pursuing ongoing training, developing digital service offerings, demonstrating thought leadership, gaining industry certifications, investing in technology, implementing robust analytics, and collaborating with specialists, ad agencies position themselves for continued success in the digital age.