Every business needs a marketing agency whether it’s a startup or an established company that’s been in the industry for over a decade. Digital marketing agencies can help an organization expand its digital marketing footprint so that it can remain relevant among its targeted audiences.

Digital marketing agencies are a dime a dozen these days so allow us to help you find the best ones by identifying 10 of the best agencies you can hire in Orange County.

Before we get started, let’s agree on what we mean by digital marketing agency and outline key things to look for before choosing the agency that’s right for you.

What is a Digital Marketing Agency?

A digital marketing agency is a firm that helps businesses market their brand through digital channels such as social media, email marketing, video marketing, pay-per-click advertising (PPC), and search engine optimization (SEO).

In today’s modern world, marketing is more complicated than ever. But with the help of a digital marketing agency, businesses can focus on big-picture growth. The main goal of a good agency is to ensure that businesses stay relevant and keep up with digital demands.

Gone are the days when marketing was focused on print, radio, and TV. In the current environment, there are many digital channels to conquer. Social media alone has Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, TikTok, LinkedIn, and more obscure ones. Pay-per-click advertising is available on multiple platforms and there are thousands of sites to choose from for SEO. It’s easy to see why most businesses have a hard time doing everything on their own.

A digital marketing agency doesn’t have to use all digital platforms. Instead, it must strategically choose the strategies and channels where it can get the best results. Strategies also differ for every business and a good digital marketing agency tailor-fits each marketing approach.

Top Qualities of the Best Digital Marketing Agencies

There are more than 7,700 digital agencies in the country, many of which are based in California. To narrow down your choices, look out for the following qualities:

1. Diverse Team

A digital marketing agency doesn’t just do one thing; it is responsible for many things. The firm must have specialized teams responsible for various tasks like writing which is an essential aspect of digital marketing. The writing team must be versatile because content encompasses blogs, advertisements (in various forms), and scripts for videos.

Speaking of videos, the firm must also have a creative group of video content creators. They, too, must be versatile as content may range from YouTube videos to TikTok videos and video advertisements.

The writing and video teams churn out content based on marketing strategies which are prepared by a strategist and approved by a project manager. Other important members of the agency are the SEO gurus, social media manager, and email marketing specialist. Some digital channels also need their own specialists.

Every firm must have diverse members with specialized tasks to provide the business with a full marketing service.

2. Credibility

Research the previous clients of the firm you’re eyeing. You can also check unbiased sites that post reviews of digital marketing agencies. Most firms post their clients on their websites because they are proud of their work. If there are no testimonials or proof of output from previous clients, then you should be worried.

Don’t be turned off by negative reviews as long as they are only a handful. Some things that are negative to other clients may not matter that much to your business. What’s more important is there are overwhelmingly positive reviews that you can verify.

3. Awesome Website

A website is a major part of a brand’s digital footprint. A great digital marketing agency must have an equally great website that is always updated and showcases its marketing abilities.

A great website will have a modern and responsive design, recent informational and educational blogs, an intuitive interface, and an overall exceptional user experience.

4. Good Workplace Culture

You can only learn about a prospective firm’s workplace culture when you schedule a meeting with them. After doing your due diligence and narrowing down your prospects to around three, your core team must meet with the digital marketing agency’s team. It is through this meeting that you can gauge if there is rapport and if you can work with the agency as a partner.

Good workplace culture is subjective. The workplace culture is only as good as your preference, meaning, find an agency that shares similar values and principles as your business. A digital marketing agency will be your partner, ideally, in the long run. So, collaboration must be seamless and a natural-fit.

5. Accessible

Find a digital marketing team that you can easily reach. The agency must be available to cater to your marketing needs. There must be a point person who will immediately respond to your queries and personally take care of your account.

6. Modern Marketing Tools

Digital marketing isn’t just about launching marketing campaigns on digital channels. Results have to be measured to determine campaigns’ effectiveness. To find the right digital marketing agency, you must ask about the tools the firm uses to measure website performance, SEO efficiency, A/B testing, and paid advertising campaign performance among others.

10 Best Digital Marketing Agencies 2023 in Orange County, CA

To help you narrow down your options, here’s a list of the best Orange County digital marketing agencies in 2023.

1. Brandastic

Services:

• SEO
• Paid social
• Paid search
• Email marketing
• Content marketing
• Branding services
• Social media marketing
• Website development
• Ecommerce Marketing

Website: brandastic.com

Location: Orange County, CA

• Regional branches:
  • Los Angeles, CA
  • Austin, TX

Phone number: 877-763-3899

“Their prices are fair, the work is good, and the turnaround time is better than any agency we’ve used in the past.”

~ Clint Lawrence, Founder/President of Motorcycle Shippers

Every brand has a story to tell and Brandastic aims to tell your narrative through its digital marketing services. The firm provides every client with access to all its departments to ensure that their brand gets the full-marketing service from strategy to design, content, and more. 

Brandastic values long-term partnerships. It creates marketing strategies that boost a brand’s reach and help it achieve business success. Brandastic goes beyond marketing too since it designs impactful websites. Its growing creative team comes from diverse backgrounds and marketing specializations that are focused on getting results for every client.

Among Brandastic’s notable clients are UFC Gym, Meathead Movers, Health Mate Saunas, The Original Super Glue, and Hampton Inn. Their lineup of clients shows Brandastic’s versatility. This award-winning agency is Magento-certified and is a Shopify and Google partner. 

2. Human

Services:

• Content marketing
• Email marketing
• SEO
• Paid search
• Social media marketing
• Web development
• SMS marketing 
• Ecommerce marketing

Website: human.marketing

Location: Irvine, CA

Phone number: 949-416-2043

“Human hit the ground running and haven’t let up on their speed or quality of impact.”

~ Abishek Iyer, Director of Product Marketing, Cybersecurity Company

Digital marketing agency Human kept their name simple to send a clear message: people are the most important part of any business. Their goal is to work with clients using a human-first philosophy and developing strong relationships among team members. To do that, Human prefers working with a limited number of clients to ensure the quality of their service. The agency maintains a 1:1 employee-to-client ratio to ensure that a Human team member is always there to cater to the client’s needs.

Human works at having long-term partnerships with clients but it doesn’t lock in long-term contracts for the comfort of clients. Some of its customers are Fastech, Brandini Toffee, Propeller Industries, and My Blanket Shop.

3. Storm Brain

Services:

• Content strategy
• Brand strategy
• Digital marketing

Website: stormbrain.com

Location: San Diego, CA

• Regional branches:
  • Santa Monica, CA
  • New York, NY

Phone number: 619-618-0344

“The customer service and response time are impeccable. Web maintenance, support, and ongoing updates are incredibly important to the optimization of our business outlets and marketing channels. I have never worked with such friendly people at such a rapid pace!”

~ Jake Brenna, Fender Guitars

Storm Brain wants its clients to take the industry by storm through smart branding and marketing. Services are divided into three distinct divisions: branding, web assets, and marketing. All these are designed to guide the entrepreneurial journey to success. 

Storm Brain puts a lot of focus on research to better understand the client’s target market. Research also plays an important role in analyzing the industry and the competition to make smart websites that attract customers. With every step, the firm consults the client for their ideas and vision to ensure that their marketing campaigns reflect the brand’s values. It also provides lead generation services through a multi-channel approach.

Some of the most popular companies in their respective fields have brainstormed with Storm Brain: Bank of America, Zillow, Century 21, and Fossil. 

4. McAdams Group

Services:

• Brand marketing and strategy
• Corporate branding and identification
• SEO/CRO (conversion rate optimization) strategies and tactics
• Full-service web solutions
• Media production

Website: mcadamsgroup.com

Location: Irvine, CA

Phone number: 949-833-8333

“Their brand focus is on point and they can help drill down what makes each company unique.”

~ Director of Marketing and Events, NAVCO

Simplicity isn’t plain and boring; it is relatable and consistent. McAdams Group thrives at making marketing as simple as can be while ensuring that it is effective and results-oriented. Their approach has brought out the best in new companies because it has helped them curate a distinctive brand that blends art and strategy. 

The McAdams Group has seamlessly matured into a digital advertising agency during its over 25 years in the industry. Through experience, it has perfected branding and marketing. The firm also smoothly adapted modern strategies such as search engine optimization and conversion rate optimization. What’s more? You can get a free website review where the firm tells you what to change on your site to increase traffic. 

Coca-Cola, Toyota, Disneyland, and Starbucks are among the biggest businesses in the world. They all have the McAdams Group in common. 

5. Directive

Services:

• SEO
• Paid media
• Design
• Revenue operations
• Video
• Strategy

Website: directiveconsulting.com

Location: Irvine, CA

Phone number: 949-214-4024

“Directive provides a true team-based approach, meaning they cover multiple marketing disciplines and get ‘economies of scale’ benefits associated with leading campaigns for over 200 SaaS companies.”

~ Mike Greeves, Head of Digital at Sumo Logic

SQL, not MQL — this is what Directive intends to accomplish with its customer-led marketing solutions. Marketing-qualified leads are good but sales-qualified leads are better for conversion. To work on those SQLs, the Directive team creates a plan for each of the client’s business goals. 

Directive specializes in software spaces which is a complex industry to navigate. Communication is always open with transparent reporting so clients are aware of where they stand and whether their strategies are generating good numbers or not. Reports are always comprehensive and include unique value propositions, jobs to be done, and their position. These are accompanied by marketing solutions to improve the brand’s industry standing.

Among Directive’s clients are New Relic, ZoomInfo, Betterment, and Bill.com. These tech-centered organizations partnered with Directive to create customized and targeted marketing strategies.

6. Firecracker PR

Services:

• Public relations
• Content marketing
• Social media
• SEO marketing

Website: firecrackerpr.com

Location: Brea, CA

Phone number: 888-317-4687

“We set high expectations for media coverage and Firecracker managed to exceed them.”

~ Terry Van Gelder, CEO of Ancon Development Company

There can be no business if a company remains a secret. It doesn’t matter how amazing a business’ products and services are if the entity is relatively unknown and there is no brand identity to speak of. The result is no sales and no profits.

This is why Firecracker PR has committed itself to the simple mission of making its clients known. Firecracker PR thrives at storytelling and uses various digital channels to share its clients’ narratives.

Firecracker PR works in a variety of industries: B2B technology, software as a service (SaaS), green technology, artificial intelligence, healthcare, and more. The firm ensures that there is a relatable story to be told no matter the industry. It then builds an online reputation and greater brand awareness to encourage more sales. 

Firecracker PR has worked with Fujitsu, SRI International, Sparkcentral, and Beyond Limits. The firm’s press releases and articles have been published in the world’s most popular publications such as Wall Street Journal, the New York Times, Forbes, and TechCrunch. 

7. Minim

Services:

• Creative strategy
• Brand design
• Campaign development
• Full-service production
• Screenwriting
• Photography and film
• 2D/3D visual effects

Website: weareminim.com

Location: Los Angeles, CA

Phone number: 424-226-6014

“We could tell that they wanted to create something with very high quality just as much as we did.”

~ Jeff Buchanan, Founder and Director of Drive Your Growth Inc.

Since people often prefer to watch rather than read, no modern company can survive these days without videos. However, videos have to be well-made to gain traction and go viral which is an important consideration in today’s modern world. 

Minim is a video bureau for the visionary. It creates moving pictures proven to get results: more sales and engagement. Minim provides a niche service in the digital marketing industry. It has produced video content for various digital channels using the latest technology and software. All outputs are also on-brand and 100% aligned with the client’s values and culture. Members of the production crew have decades of experience doing commercials, TV projects, and corporate productions. 

Minim has produced videos for Microsoft, NFL, AT&T, and Wilco Offroad. The video-centric firm can complement every business’s marketing strategy by implementing a visual approach to content that encourages clicks, engagement, and sales. 

8. Coalition Technologies

Services:

• Branding
• SEO
• Web design and development
• PPC
• Digital marketing
• Ecommerce

Website: coalitiontechnologies.com

Location: Culver City, CA

Phone number: 888-498-1974

“They’re on top of everything, and they delegate work very well in order to get things done in a timely manner.”

~ Basel Al-Kadri, CEO of Lofi Delivery

Strategies work when they are based on hard data. Coalition Technologies creates all projects, from SEO to PPC, to social and email marketing based on facts and scientifically tested techniques. To help with its services, Coalition only hires team members who have the education and training in different aspects of digital marketing. The firm works with advanced technologies and tools powered by artificial intelligence to employ efficient marketing techniques and post-campaign analytics. 

Coalition wants to make long-term partnerships but offers month-to-month contracts to provide greater flexibility for its clients. The firm is also confident in its ability to deliver. 

Some of its clients are SwimSpot, Pink Lily Boutique, 1Inc.com, and Starfire Direct. Coalition also has partnerships with Google, Magento, BigCommerce, and Shopify.

9. Cleverly

Services:

• LinkedIn lead generation
• LinkedIn content service
• Cold email lead generation
• LinkedIn paid advertising
• White-label lead generation
• SEO content and blog writing
• Google Ads management

Website: cleverly.co

Location: Los Angeles, CA

Phone number: 213-785-1303

“I enjoy working with Cleverly because they’re very communicative, timely, and easy to reach out to.”

~ Maddison Shannon, Founder/CEO, Shannon Recruiting

LinkedIn has over 700 million users in the world. Most of its users are on the platform to establish business connections. LinkedIn is still underutilized as most businesses prefer to focus their marketing on the more popular social media platforms. Cleverly provides LinkedIn-focused digital marketing because there is so much untapped potential on the business and employment-oriented platform. 

Cleverly aims to help businesses make LinkedIn a revenue-driving machine. Services include prospect list building, engaging LinkedIn content, and personalized outreach. There are several hidden sales opportunities on the platform that Cleverly can optimize to close more deals. One unique thing about Cleverly is that it is transparent about its pricing. 

Among its clients are Burt Hanmer, Cadilus Inc., Elite Business Solutions, and HR Starters. It even has other digital marketing agencies as clients. 

10. Wiideman Consulting Group

Services:

• Consulting & Training
• Audit and strategy
• SEO roadmap
• Expert witness
• Event speakers

Website: wiideman.com

Location: La Mirada, CA

Phone number: 562-732-4417

“Their team was able to uncover and identify several key errors that helped us from a technical perspective.”

~ Ashley Bailes, Assistant Brand Manager, Outback Steakhouse

If you have an issue with the visibility of your website or e-commerce site, you need SEO and SEM (search engine management) experts which Wiideman provides. SEO and SEM are quite complex and experts like Wiideman guide clients in creating strategies to generate traffic to their sites. The agency also provides technical training for paid and natural search engine optimization. Moreover, clients are introduced to SEO audits and paid search reviews to ensure that their strategies are working. 

Wiideman also provides extra services that are not directly linked to marketing but has everything to do with branding. One such service is the provision of an expert witness in case the business is taken to court. 

The agency’s most popular clients include Walt Disney Parks and Resorts, Skechers, Homes.com, and Belkin. 

Bottom Line

Hiring a digital marketing agency is a given. The hard part is deciding on which one. More importantly, which one is right for your business? While there are numerous digital marketing agencies in Orange County, every business requires a different set of services so you must know what you require from a firm. Digital marketing agencies offer a wide range of services and specializations but the service you choose must be customized to your needs. 

Generally, you know it’s an exceptional firm when it has credibility, it’s open about its clientele, and maintains a great website. It also helps if they have a good portfolio, a sizable list of past clients, social proof, a strong reputation in the industry, and values similar to yours.