If you are the person at your company who has been entrusted with sourcing a company to handle your digital marketing efforts, it can be a daunting task. The inevitable first question ends up being: how much do I need to know? Truthfully, this is a fair query. As a starting point, you should be aware that the digital marketing space and its inclusive nuances are fleeting at best. Professional strategists must be in a constant state of study in order to maintain viable ranking and relevance in their content delivery. In layman’s terms – this means that digital strategies are not a ‘set and forget’ type of marketing. In other marketing endeavours, there may be a “let’s toss it against the wall and see what sticks” mentality; however, the digital landscape is more persnickety in its ROI.
So, when you contact a Digital company, what should you know in order to ensure you’re making an informed decision? Like any business decision, you should have a clear understanding of what you’re trying to accomplish. What is your end goal via these marketing dollars? It is not necessary to know the specifics of all the companies with whom you have contracted work. Firstly it’s not feasible, and secondly, it’s not a smart decision to second guess the paid experts you have installed.
When choosing your digital marketing ally, be sure that you are constantly focused on the measurables you’re trying to achieve, and allow the hired company to create the roadmap to get you there. This isn’t to suggest that you turn a blind eye, but moreover to assess the ROI and to tweak the recipe with them for desired results.
Here are 5 critical to-knows:
1. Google quite literally controls, decides, implements, and changes the rules of digital relevance as it deems necessary. Non-adherence to these regulations has powerful repercussions.
2. Digital Marketing should be a necessary part of an ongoing budget.
3. Reputable safe strategists should be sought – Ask them.
4. Peaks and valleys occur, and sometimes there’s nothing that can be done besides wait. This can be the result of Google changes, increased competition, negative SEO etc.
5. Digital Marketing now relies much more heavily on brand exposure and development as part of the comprehensive strategy.
Making the Choice:
The choice should be based on fit, knowledge, and a common ground of understanding your needs. We all have budgets we need to operate within, however, making this or any business decision based solely on the budget – will prove costly.
Your Digital Ally must fit > your business.
