As a small business owner, you realize you can’t cover all your digital marketing needs in-house.  Here are 4 tips on how to choose the right agency to outsource digital marketing.

Digital marketing, it could be argued, is marketing.   Today, It’s hard to think of any type of business content or promotional activity that doesn’t find its way onto a smartphone.  Even word-of-mouth referrals happen via text and social media.

That’s good news – for the most part.  Prospects with an active need for your services find you.  Hot leads coming to you – a sales fantasy come true.

But there is a catch.  Digital, website-based marketing is multi-faceted.  Online search, social media, website design, demographic targeting, and reputation management turn digital marketing into a full-time job.  And you don’t have time for another full-time job.

So you look to digital marketing agencies (like Marketing 360®) to outsource the work, but even those choices are confusing.  What do you need to outsource, and what can you do yourself?  How much of the process do you need to understand?  What software and design tools do you need?  How much does it cost?  How will you know if it’s worth it?

Here are 4 tips on how to outsource your marketing and choose a digital agency that provides ROI.

 

Tip #1:  Walk Away from the Magic Wand

Certain red-lights flash when you research marketing agencies and outsourcing.  An internet marketing company with a website you’d be embarrassed to call your own.  Confusing contact info and poor responsiveness.  An inbound marketing agency that cold calls.  Content writers in Bangladesh.

But less obvious is the marketing consultant who promises to transform your marketing in one, fell swoop.  The miracle worker who guarantees success.  The smooth talker who implies there are no risks.

When a marketing company suggests they can wave a magic wand and create unprecedented success for your business, walk away.  It’s puffery, and their methods will get you in trouble (like using black hat SEO, for example).

There is no magic wand, no fell swoop.  Marketing takes time, diligence, and patience.  Anybody peddling quick and effortless is just trying to sell you.

 

Tip #2:  Determine What Services You Want to Outsource

There is no one-size-fits-all solution to digital marketing.  Much of what you need to outsource depends on what you want to do for yourself.

If you have a design background, for example, you may not want to hire a website designer.  However, if you’re unmotivated to write, you should be looking for a blogging copywriter.

If you choose, you can learn how to use Google tools like Adwords and Analytics.  But do you have the time and motivation to use them?   Will you be able to keep up with updates?

As a small business owner, perhaps the biggest question you face is developing a strategy.  Do you understand how to analyze target demographics, competitive markets, and online data?  Can you translate that understanding into successful tactics?

If not, you’ll benefit a lot from working closely with a consultant who can help you develop a competitive marketing strategy.

It’s also possible that you have a strong sense of how to do online marketing, but – along with your other tasks – you just don’t have the time to execute.  For this, you need an organized way to assign and track work.

 

Tip # 3:  Get Specific About Tools, People, and Resources

Outsourcing digital marketing can be frustrating because you simply don’t know what you’re getting.

Is the solution a software tool you have to manage yourself?  Is it just strategy consultations with no execution?  Is it a limited scope SEO project?  Is it a monthly service paid on retainer?

As you deal with different digital marketing agencies, you’ll have to delve into what they actually offer, then determine how it aligns with your needs.

The problem many business owners run into is there’s a lot of software tools with limited support or a lot of support with no cohesive software tools, but few services that offer both.

Again, if you’re strong with strategy but have no time to execute tactics, you could use marketing software to support your own efforts.  If you have neither the time or knowledge to execute a marketing plan, you’ll need to outsource the work to a full-service agency.

 

Tip #4:  Align Your Goals

With marketing, you must understand your goals so you can communicate them to the agency you’re outsourcing to.

For example, if your goal is mainly about creating brand awareness on social media, you’ll want to look for a consultant who specializes in that area.  On the other hand, if your goal is direct online conversions, you need a service that’s stronger in advertising and sales.

Don’t expect a marketing agency to be a mind reader.  If you don’t know what you’re trying to accomplish with your marketing, they won’t be able to figure it out for you.

Consider what your KPI’s will be, and how you’ll determine the success of your efforts.  You and the team you outsource to must be on the same page with this.

As you iron out these details in early consultations, you’ll also get a feel for what the communication is like with the agency.  It is important to understand how you’ll talk, email, and share data.  Lack of clear communication is one of the biggest problems in the client/agency relationship.

 

Is Marketing 360® Right for Me?

Is our solution right for you?

Here are the main considerations:

1. Marketing 360® is a comprehensive software, design, and support solution.  While we do one-off projects, our best clients are those looking to outsource most of their marketing work.
2. Marketing 360® is designed to be a one-stop solution.  You can get all phases of marketing strategy and work done using our software and resources.  It works well for the business that doesn’t want to have to juggle between more than one agency.
3. Marketing 360® is a hybrid of software and consultative services.  If you need marketing software and guidance on making it effective, we are the best solution available.
4. Marketing 360® is tailored to small businesses and start-ups who need to focus on revenue generating results from their marketing.  We lean heavily on advertising, direct-response marketing, and conversion goals.  We support larger brand marketing campaigns, but usually don’t develop the strategy from the ground up.
5. Marketing 360® is huge on communication.  If you want to talk to your marketing executive often to brainstorm ideas, you’ll love it.  If you want a set-and-forget where you don’t need to be involved, we might not be the best fit for you.
6. Marketing 360® is neither the cheapest nor most expensive solution.  You can spend a lot on marketing, or you can find very cheap services.  We occupy the sweet spot of value that works best for the serious SMB looking to grow their business.

Good luck!  If you think Marketing 360® looks like a good option, learn about our plans and pricing now.

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