To stay competitive in today’s electronically savvy world, you must create and maintain a solid online presence.

This requires much more than launching a website and profiles on social media platforms—because competition in the online world is fierce.

Every single one of your competitors has added online marketing to their marketing strategy—many of whom turn to a digital marketing company for assistance. If you have ever wondered what exactly a digital marketing company does, you have come to the right place.

What Is Digital Marketing?

Digital marketing is a broad term used to describe a wide range of online marketing functions. As a whole, the primary goal of a digital marketing company is to do 3 things:

Increase your online presence.Perform market research.Integrate your online profiles and platforms.

What Does a Digital Marketing Company Do?

So what exactly does a digital marketing company do? Within the 3 primary goals mentioned above, falls a multitude of avenues. While you may not require all of these from an outside company—or all of these for your business, they include functions such as:

Website DesignWebsite OptimizationContent OptimizationContent CurationApp DevelopmentSearch Engine MarketingSocial Media MarketingMobile Marketing and IntegrationPlacement of Online AdsCross-Platform MarketingEmail MarketingOnline BrandingReporting The ROI of Digital Strategies and Tactics

These are just a handful of the reasons you may turn to an outside marketing company. When selecting an outside company to partner with, it is essential that you review what they create and distribute online. There is no one who knows your company and brand better than you, and you do not want to run the risk of inaccurate information being generated on your behalf. In fact, inaccurate online data has a negative impact on the bottom line of 88% of all companies—even if the inaccurate data was an honest mistake. That being said, the value of outsourcing digital projects is so high, that digital agencies within the UK are expected to grow 30% in 2014—so it is essential that you find a balance between outsourcing and your in-house participation