The times have obviously changed and the way businesses used to operate and reach success can still be done but won’t be as effective without incorporating digital marketing… There’s just no denying it because we simply live in a digital era now, and the best way to grow your customer base is to reach them where you know they’ll be… and that’s online.
Now, just because we live in a digital era and digital marketing is a necessary tool for success, that doesn’t mean you need to hire the first firm you come across. Hiring a digital marketing firm is a major investment in your company so you want to make sure you’re doing all you can to ensure you’re investing in the right company.
The only thing about making sure you’re hiring the right marketing firm is that it’s not always so easy to tell if you are hiring the right firm… They all say the same things like how trustworthy they are and that they are “results-driven,” of course, and those are all things you want to hear, and they know that… They’ll tell you anything to get you to sign that dotted line!
So you just have to do your due diligence to research these companies and ask questions. Not doing so will result in you giving your money to a company over time and having no online presence or increased website traffic to show for it. Unfortunately, this type of ad fraud happens all the time and it’s a fraud that you don’t want to happen to your business. But it doesn’t have to happen to you if you know what to look for before spending any money on them.
Follow these tips to recognize the red flags that come with a shady or questionable digital marketing firm.
Warning Signs to Look For in a Bad Digital Marketing Firm
They Guarantee You a #1 Ranking
Whether a business owner knows nothing at all about digital marketing or not, they at least know that it will help their search engine rankings. So for a digital marketing firm to make the promise of a #1 ranking, that’s an immediate red flag to invest elsewhere.
They Have Hardly Any Social Media Presence
We are in the era of the “informed customer,” meaning before people make any purchases, they will look up and research a company before investing in it, including on social media platforms. So if you happen to be looking up a particular digital marketing firm and they don’t have their own social presence, it should be a major red flag for you. Creating a social presence is the job of a digital marketing firm so why wouldn’t they have their own?
They Have Too Many Clients Already
There’s nothing wrong with asking a company how many clients they’re currently working on. If they choose not to tell you, you definitely want to move on because asking how many isn’t violating any type of client confidentiality clause, if that’s what they say. But if they do tell you how many they have and it’s a high number, it has to make you wonder how they can take you on as a client and give your business the attention it needs when they have 22 other clients needing the same type of attention.
That company is simply being too money hungry. And with having a current client base that high, they’re more than likely delivering poor service.
What Deems a Digital Marketing Firm as Reputable?
Well, it quite simple really. A reputable, results-driven digital marketing firm operates with integrity, and because of that, they will have no problem providing you with verifiable customer references and testimonials, offering realistic prices for their services, and openly communicate with you on their innovative ideas on how they plan to increase your company’s website traffic.
With a little skepticism and “digging,” you’ll be equipped with all the information you need to learn and recognize the red flags of a bad digital marketing firm before investing any money.
