Several of my clients have had bad experiences with Digital Marketing "professionals" in the past. Website Designers pass themselves off as SEO experts. AdWords managers collect retainers but don't lift a finger once a campaign is up and running. Social Media Managers post poor quality content with no strategic intent. Here are some tips so you can avoid wasting your time and money.
- Don't build a website without consulting a Digital Marketing professional. If you go straight to a designer, you might get a pretty website, but it probably won't be the powerful, scalable marketing tool that you are counting on it to be.
- Build a website first. It's important to establish an outpost online as soon as possible. You will be able to keep the site updated with new content (blog, it's easy) and maintain a presence on social media yourself.
- Don't do Digital Marketing piecemeal. A proper Digital Marketing strategy usually involves a website and other tools working together. So, unless you already have a Digital Marketing Manager, you shouldn't hire someone who only does AdWords or social media.
- You should be earning more than just clicks from your paid (PPC) ads. I can think of a few things that can be done with the traffic generated by paid advertising. If someone is trying to sell you on paid ads and they aren't thinking beyond clicks . . . no.
- You need to see results! Digital Marketing strategies are designed to achieve specific goals (e.g. purchases, app downloads, calls, etc.). Your Digital Marketing person should be able to tell you how many times someone clicked to call you from your website in April and how much those conversions cost. They should send you reports that show you what you're getting for your money on a regular basis.