Digital Marketing
You’ve made the commitment to “digital marketing”. Now you need to wade through the sea of companies with the word marketing in their name to determine which is best for you. Here are some tips to help you read through their message.
Tip 1: Look for what is left out.
Most companies advocate for the services which reside within their core competencies. If you see they talk about custom graphics but not about photographs, it is quite possible they have a third party they work with remotely to generate graphic images, but do not have a quality local photographer. If they advocate for social media posts but never mention email, they may not have a broad enough understanding of the medium to deploy it effectively for you. One of the easiest ways to find what is being left out is to create a comparison chart similar to what you’d see on Amazon when you’re evaluating several similar products. Take several companies and make an aggregate list of all the things being advocated and then check off which companies offer what.
Tip 2: What is their process for crafting your message?
The key for developing an effective campaign is understanding the feel of a company. I’ve had representatives of digital marketing companies tell me they like to spend an hour getting to know the company before they craft the message. Getting to know enough about a company to humanize their brand takes hours of research, followed by asking a lot of probing questions (some of which may be uncomfortable). Whether or not a company charges for this evaluation is based upon their individual business model, but don’t hire a company who says they can tell your story after one meeting.
Tip 3: Ask what they think of your current marketing efforts?
Unless you are having a discussion during a chance meeting, anybody looking to help you with your marketing should have taken time to do a basic search of your online presence. They will have looked at your website and the major social media sites. If they haven’t done even this level of background research, RUN! If they have, they should provide you with what I’ll call a Crap Sandwich. They should start by telling you some things they like, followed up by the bad news of where you’re missing the mark and then finish with a reiteration of the pluses and how it gives them a good place to start. While this is admittedly formulaic, it is also a skill everyone looking to tell your story should have mastered.
If you haven’t guessed already, I just put forth things we’re really good at. Our job is to listen to your dreams, help you turn them into a clear vision and then lay out the step stones needed to cross from where you are to where you’re trying to go. We’re a partner who develops strategies, properties and assets, allowing clients to see the heart of your brand.