Straight Shootin’ Questions and Answers about Digital Marketing
I understand how challenging it is to evaluate digital marketing services. It’s all about asking the right questions. There are a lot of questions that can’t be answered with a UVP statement, catchy slogan or slick web design. Here’s some of those right questions:
Q. Do we need to use all digital marketing channels? Not at all. Sometimes finding the one channel that works best is the wisest choice. Build one successful channel first. However, you may find you need to do social media simultaneously with SEO to build links to your website to push your rankings higher. SEO is likely going to be your primary source of leads.
Q. I can’t decide to begin with a small budget or big budget. What should I do?
Ask for a proposal with 3 different budget levels based on the results you need. You can choose the one best matched to your needs.
Q. Is traffic volume still important? Shouldn’t we just attract the specific customers we want?
A. Acquiring traffic isn’t easy. When fisherman set their nets, they catch more variety than they wanted, but it’s preferable to casting a single line with a hook. The quality and relevance of your content will tell the poor quality prospects that you’re not the one for them. Your content and content strategy will dictate who contacts you.
Q. Must I have high quality, original content such as epic blogs, infographics, video, custom photos, whitepapers, charts, and case studies?
A. The content quality bar is set pretty high now. Even seasoned content creators are humbled at the lofty quality some marketers produce. To gain the attention of searchers, social users, and other web site owners, you’ll need something compelling and relevant for them. You can use other’s content, something called curating, but your call to action should be to move visitors to a form of content that’s uniquely yours, branded, and valuable.
Q. Besides advertising on Facebook or Twitter, is social media really worth the effort?
A. That would depend on your timeframe, commitment and whether you have someone who can interact well on Facebook, Twitter, or Linkedin. If you have a social media plan and you have valuable content to share (including opinions, views, and enthusiasm) your social accounts can help create and keep an emotional connection with customers. Research whether your targeted customers actually use social media and whether you can reach them. Reaching prospects locally is tough, but it can be done with the right effort. Consider how else you’ll create fans spread the word about you and your business.
Q. Should I hire an agency instead?
A. That depends on how big an operation you have. Agencies don’t normally bother with single professionals or small businesses. It doesn’t make sense for an entire staff to learn your business. If you can find a versatile marketer, it may be better to work with them. If they don’t have a web designer, webmaster, or good copywriter, they can find one to do the work necessary. Don’t assume a digital marketing agency has the talent you need or the experience in your industry.
Q. What about a money back guarantee?
A. If the agency or sole specialist has the financial backing to offer a money back guarantee, they should probably offer it. However, almost no one offers a money back guarantee because no one can control all the variables and therefore it’s almost impossible to forecast traffic or rankings. And normally, clients aren’t paying enough to justify a guarantee. Your digital marketer could be really good, but you normally get what you pay for. There is risk in pursuing free organic traffic.
Q. Should I spend most of my budget on a Website?
A. Unless you have an ecommerce site, the answer is no. Without a good marketing effort, you won’t go far. You can install a free wordpress template and modify it and enjoy a site nearly as functional and persuasive as a $20,000 site. More money and bells and whistles doesn’t translate to more sales revenue. However, having a designer create a polished and easy to understand layout is worthwhile. There are plenty of companies that have beautiful sites with no visitors. If you have the funds after you’ve accounted for online marketing, then hiring a good designer is wise.
Q. Should I do content writing and social media myself?
A. Most would say no. However, if you can write and there’s specific people/current customers you know will be reading your post/whitepaper, then you should definitely be involved. If the content is for new prospects, then it’s better to have a skilled copywriter do it. That way you can do your job instead of something you have little training or skill for. Visitors expect very high quality content within a great customer journey. Give it a try if you think you can and test the results.
Q. How do you improve results?
A. By testing. We’ll change one part of your content, ad text, landing page design, and conversion process. You can change page titles, copywriting, layout, and a whole host of variables to see which ones work best. If your current provider doesn’t test, move on. Optimization means testing.
I’m always on the customer’s side which is why clients look to me when there’s controversy or a failing. They believe I won’t lie to them. That’s put me in some stressful situations and has contributed to my desire to work independently. If I’m working with an honest agency there is never a problem. We’re geared to doing our best and standing by our commitment to the customer.
Take a good look the digital marketing service selection. It’s designed to provide strong, achievable results and no matter what industry you’re in, this offer is pretty tough to beat. Compare to it any company’s offer and please let me know if they can beat it. If so, I’ll improve my offer to you.
A digital marketing agency in Toronto, Markham, Richmond Hill, or Vancouver may be costly. As your dedicated digital marketing consultant, I will help you define the best SEO and social media strategies, and help you create leads and sales. From SEO to social media marketing, I will add tremendous value at a much lower price. Serving Toronto, Newmarket, Markham, Richmond Hill, and York Region companies.