Whether it’s time to create a plan or update your online marketing strategy, it may be a bit of an overwhelming task to figure out where to start. This is usually where many businesses jump straight to the idea of needing a great website and immediately start calling around for quotes. This can be a dangerous game. If you’re unfamiliar with online marketing, it’s extremely easy to be taken advantage of by online marketers who use out of date practices. Many marketers can talk the talk, but at the end of the day your online strategy has to be much more than a cookie cutter website that gives you little or no return on investment.
Arm yourself
Much like a job interview, the initial meeting with your marketing team is as good a chance for you to learn about them as it is for them to learn about you. There should be lots of questions flying back and forth. Here are 3 things to help you get the most out of your discussions when it comes to finding the right partner to work with you on your digital brand.
1. Be ready to talk about yourself
Have you ever gone shopping for something and the salesman does nothing but spout numbers and buzzwords at you? It’s usually the mindless drivel that some corporate office forced upon this guy in order to sell their product. Make sure that you watch out for the same tactics in a marketing firm.
^^ I’m not gonna lie though. We’ve all used some of those bad boys at some point.
It’s always great to do some research on the company before you go and see them. A good marketing company will also have already done the same to you. Remember that you’re looking for someone that can help take your online brand to new heights, so it’s important that your marketing team knows as much as possible about how your business works.
Some of the questions you can expect to answer are:
- What are you doing for marketing now? This includes both traditional or online
- How do your current clients find you?
- If you had to group your customers into 3 – 4 types of people, who would they be?
- Do you have any metrics for your online endeavours?
- Have you thought of adding X, Y or Z to your brand?
- What are your goals for a project like this?
- How are you going to measure the success of this project?
Don’t let a marketing company waste your time by only talking about themselves. Make sure they know you well enough to be able to provide a return on your potential investment.
2. Have a budget in mind and expectations to match
Budgets are something that companies big and small deal with every day. It’s one of the tougher questions we ask at the first meeting. What is your budget?
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