Beware of Online Marketer Websites
Sara, a partner in a law firm needed a new website and lead-generation. She chose an online firm that specialized in the legal industry. The pricing was steep – but they had worked with hundreds of law firms. She signed up for a 2 year agreement but after 6 months, they were getting nowhere fast. The new website didn’t reflect their firm at all – the photos were wrong and the content was generic – it didn’t reflect their firm.
Fixing it was difficult – their rep wasn’t reachable by phone and email replies were slow. She was feeling frustrated and stuck.
Read more about 3 popular online appeals and red flags to beware of.
Online marketer websites are easy to read and make marketing sound easy. But move beyond their ‘three easy packages’ and you may find a few hidden drawbacks. It is best to know what you’re getting your business into – before you can’t get out of it.
#1: Marketing is Complicated. That’s Why it Costs More.
Business leaders are busy and may get overwhelmed by all the marketing choices, so it’s easy to see how someone can confuse big price tags with quality. While many online marketers promote simplifying your life, they often come with a pretty hefty price tag.
This is a bit of a trap, because higher pricing does not always mean higher quality. As any wine enthusiast will tell you, price is not a true indicator of quality.
#2: Single Industry Specialization
There are online marketing firms that cater to just one industry, such as professional services, law firms or gyms.
What they don’t tell you is they often rely on a one-size-fits-all approach to marketing your unique value. They often use canned content and common website themes in efforts to keep costs down. But this may not garner you the results you were expecting.
While there is something to be said for catering to one industry, the true value of marketing is identifying the customers who will buy from you. This relies less on generic marketing and more on targeted analysis and campaigns that best match your company’s unique traits.
#3: “We Do One Thing Really Well!”
Robert’s janitorial service wanted to attract new clients but wasn’t sure how. They hired a firm that specialized in Search Engine Optimization (SEO), as a colleague had gotten good results from SEO. He soon realized that this firm did not have answers about other marketing tactics – they were uber-focused on SEO. He was unsure if he made the right decision.
Some marketing firms specialize in just one tactic, such as social media management or LinkedIn. While these sound appealing because of their reported expertise in one area, is that the tactic you should be using in the first place? There are 250+ marketing tactics available today. Typically, a combination of tactics work better than just one alone.
A good marketing professional wants you to succeed. So it’s extremely important to know whether or not the tactics you pay for are the ones that will be right for your business.
Red Flags: Because many of these services rely on volume in order to be profitable, prompt customer service may not be their strong suit. Also beware of contracts that lock you in for 12+months. Check online reviews of the firms you are considering.
Since marketing can be a fast-moving world, developing a trusted relationship with your marketing advisor who understands the uniqueness of your company, is accessible, and responsive to your needs may be more cost effective than you think.
If you would like to know more about what your specific marketing needs are and are ready to hear unique ideas about how to grow your marketing share contact us today.
