Nine Common Mistakes to Avoid When Choosing a Digital Marketing Company.
Your Simple Guide By: Pete Balciunas
Mistake #1
Choosing a marketing company based on impressive metrics language and over promised results. Measuring the progress of a marketing strategy is important, yet metrics that do not translate to concrete growth in audience, growth in foot traffic forbrick-and-mortar, and overall sales is meaningless. Marketing is pre-sellingwith a story, to qualify your future clients and position them to purchase aproduct or service they need. There is a lot of jargon in this industry. We concentrate on what matters: Is your business growing or not?
Mistake #2
Low price could be a problem in three ways: 1. Low price can be the bait that attracts a conversation only to be switched later. 2. Low price only represents a fraction of the overall service that should be done. 3. Low price could mean cheap alternatives to getting the job done that impacts your company negatively in the long run. A confident budgeted price should gain more return than the price itself.
Mistake #3
Picking a marketing company that doesn’t understand your business. If the marketing company doesn’t take time to understand your business, it is impossible to optimize a strategic marketing approach. Not every social media platform is the answer. Many times digital marketing companies funnel customers into a cookie-cutter marketing plan. There is more than one tool in the marketing toolbox. A hammer is good for some things but not everything. Strategizing what’s important in your business allows a marketing company to choose the right tools for the job for your business growth.
Mistake #4
Choosing a marketing company that doesn’t offer a satisfaction guarantee for their service. Every marketing company should be fully accountable for their work. If you aren’t pleased with the job performed in every way, it’s the marketing company’s responsibility to make it right, period. Not all marketing companies offer a satisfaction guarantee for service. Ask the marketing company if they offer a money-back guarantee and what the criteria of the guarantee involves. Minimize the risk of your valuable time and financial investment with a guarantee.
Mistake #5
Agreeing to a subscription-based payment with a contract. The trouble with a subscription-based payment with a contract model is: Lack of personal attention, cookie-cutter service options, and unfavorable business growth. Now you are locked into a contract if unhappy with the marketing service. Subscription contracts could be a sign that the marketing company is looking for as many customers as possible at a lower price to be on the hook monthly. Marketing should be about relationship between a marketing company and its client; not customer. A customer is a consumer-based commodity. A client is one you have a relationship with that includes a fiduciary duty to do the right thing by that individual. Contracts for agreed monthly services aren’t necessary if marketing efforts translate to business growth.
Mistake #6
Choosing a marketing company without proof of effective past and present work of clients (local or other.) Any marketing company can say anything about their past jobs. Sadly, some of what they say may not be true so make sure you ask for references. Wingman is proud of the clients we’ve helped to grow their businesses. It’s all about business growth.
Mistake #7
Choosing a marketing company that does not do their work in-house. The trend now is to contract as many aspects of marketing content creation as possible. A marketing company that does this in-house has advantages: The marketing company knows how to do the services they're offering, the marketing company can create cohesive marketing strategies and content faster, changes can be made quicker, communication is clearer, and execution of tactics/processes will be more efficient. In-house content creation equals focused marketing energy for your growing business.
Mistake #8
Choosing a marketing company that uses consumer grade equipment, software, and marketing tools. Marketing isan image-based art form that relies on professional equipment in the hands ofskilled artisans. This is what you can expect from Wingman Digital Marketing: Professionalphotography with industry-standard cameras, lenses, and flashes. Professionalvideo with industry-standard cameras, lenses, lighting, and editing. Hybridanalog audio recording for music production to spoken word. Professional webdesign platform to represent your business and make you look your best. Consumer grade equipment equals consumergrade results.
Mistake#9
Settling for doing your marketing by yourself. You could find someone within your organization to do the marketing for you. The higher question is should you? The greater return of your hard-earned dollar is by putting those dollars to work for you with experts who know and understand marketing and your business. You could save money in the short term doing it yourself at the exchange of lost time and financial growth. Save time, put your money to work to maximize your business with a marketing team that, in the long run, will be less expensive by generating a greater return. Allow you and your employees to concentrate on what you do best while we concentrate on what we do best.
