5 Signs of a Great Internet Marketing Firm
As business owners, we all know that marketing is the key to the successful growth of a company. It’s an effective way to engage with customers, boost sales and build your brand’s reputation. Without proper marketing, your company won’t get the recognition that it needs to grow and stay afloat.
The scary part about owning a new company is knowing that roughly nine out of ten businesses fail within their first five years. These staggering numbers make it even more crucial that you hire a marketing firm to help with such an important component of your business.
There are tons of marketing agencies that you can choose from, which can make hiring the right one both confusing and daunting. After all, you don’t want to wind up spending more money than you need to or being stuck with an internet marketing firm that isn’t going to get the project done.
Here are five signs of a great internet marketing firm, consideration of these points should help you to hire the right agency:
Their Level of Experience
The internet marketing firm you choose to hire should ideally have several years of experience under their belt. Every company needs to start out in order to become a success, but you want a trusted and experienced firm to work with. Most marketing firms will outline their portfolio, which gives details of the different companies and projects they’ve worked on in the past. If they don’t have this information readily available, it could mean that they’re still a new company. Don’t be afraid to contact past customers and get details on what the company was like to work with. People who pay for services are often unbiased when it comes to giving their unique and true opinion. In general, the more experience that a company has, the better they will be at work on your projects.
The Size of Their Team
If you hire a marketing firm that has only one or two people on its team, the turnaround time for projects is probably going to take longer than you’d like. The more people on the team, the quicker your projects will be realised. Each member of the marketing firm’s team will probably do something different for their customers, giving you a more detailed and expert experience which will ultimately benefit your company’s growth and recognition. This doesn’t mean that you need to hire an agency that has hundreds of workers, which will prevent you from having a personal experience; however, you want an internet marketing firm that has enough people on its team to get projects done quickly and efficiently.
Their Offered Services
Marketing is a multifaceted industry, and you need an internet marketing firm that integrates a range of different services to help your business expand. For example, an agency offering just social media campaign marketing will help, but only with this specific form of advertising. Instead, look for a company that offers a range of services so that most things are done in-house and fully integrated. This eliminates the need for hiring multiple companies and spending more money than you need. For instance, the company you hire might offer search engine optimisation, website design, social media campaigning and marketing as well as pay per click advertising. These companies often offer services as a bundled deal to save you money.
Payment and Prices
The price you pay for your marketing will either make or break your company. It’s important to realise that marketing can be quite pricey, especially if you require a full range of services. If you’re on a tight budget, you might want to buy a bundle of services or go with one type of marketing at a time. Many firms work to budgets, so you should be upfront about what you can afford before signing anything. No two marketing agencies are alike, and one might offer their services at a more reasonable fee but be more expensive in the end, while another is just plain overpriced. Don’t go with the first agency that you find, research is essential. Be aware of how the company takes payments to avoid an unsecured financial situation. Be wary of companies that promise the world and want everything paid by money order. Also, most companies will do the work first and then expect payment, so be cautious with any business wanting money upfront.
Turnaround Times on Projects
As a business owner looking for a marketing strategy you obviously want to grow your company and get it off the ground. If the marketing firm you hire takes months for the project, this is months that you’re waiting to bring in valuable revenue. Be sure to ask the company you’re looking to hire how long it will take for the project to be done. You need a firm date for when you can expect the marketing to be finished and start bringing in new clientele so that your business can start to expand.
It can be awfully confusing to hire an internet marketing firm, especially considering the fact that many of them make promises and guarantees that you can’t be sure will be honoured over time. It is vital that you do your research beforehand so that you can be sure you’re hiring a reputable company, one that is going to offer superior services. If need be, read reviews on the company and ask past customers what they experienced when they worked with the agency in question. Contact the marketing firm and ask them any questions that you have before signing any type of contract.
