Digital agencies may talk the talk when it comes to online marketing, but preliminary findings of a survey suggest that they do not follow what they preach. Andrew Ballenthin, president of Sol Solutions, recently conducted a sample review of integrated marketing agencies to see where they were at in their own application of social media as part of their digital media services.

One hundred websites were analyzed and within that group 50 agencies were studied to see how they were applying digital media for themselves. Agencies included in the March study included MediaCom, Taxi, Leo Burnett, Ogilviy & Mather and Lonsdale Saatchi & Saatchi, according to Ballenthin.

It found that less than 15% had integrated their own digital marketing practices into their website to a significant degree. Statistics from the review will be released in an upcoming white paper, Ballenthin says.

His initial conclusion? "The challenge for agencies in the future will be transparency in their own ability to deliver results for themselves to the same extent they do it for their clients."

Ballenthin also suggests companies consider the following when looking to hire such services:

1) Soft metrics are gaining popularity - but pay attention to how the digital agency evaluates how social media impacts customer acquisition, retention and referrals. While the number of comments, reposting, Tweeting, bookmarking, content context all build online visibility and reputation, stakeholders will need to see the value that keeps people employed.

2) Zero in on evidence of being able to drive long term top search engine ranking returns, unique page views, conversion to sales, etc. "Success with two or three clients does not make an agency an expert: competency is established over years of consistent results or a wide range of clients," he says.

3) There are no shortcuts in digital marketing budgets. Labor and advertising spend usually have to be invested within the same amounts offline marketing requires. "If it sounds to good to be true chances are it is and your money will be exchanged for excuses and unsatisfactory bottom line returns."

4) There are a lot of statistics digital marketers work with that can be impressive. One of the most important measurements is Return On Investment. "Enlist an agency who wants to be accountable for the whole process of generating closed sales so you get more than amazing top line campaign numbers."