Let’s talk for a moment about digital marketing services and how they can benefit small businesses. Once upon a time, smaller businesses relied heavily upon what are known as “old-school” marketing techniques: billboards, flyers, radio, television, newspaper ads, you know the list. And while some of these are certainly still valuable in today’s marketing world, they have been by and large supplanted by digital marketing services for small business.

What exactly constitutes digital marketing services? This can really be anything from social media marketing to email marketing to website optimization. It’s all about getting leads and driving traffic to your brand. A digital marketing agency who understands how to do this can be a huge benefit to any small business, regardless of industry.

That’s the thing, some small business owners tend to hem and haw about whether or not they actually need digital marketing services. They argue that because of their industry, digital marketing is not quite as important as other forms of marketing. This however, could not be further from the truth. 

Today, essentially every business within just about every industry requires some form of digital marketing footprint. This is where digital marketing services for small business come into play.

Identifying the Ideal Digital Marketing Services Firm

Once you realize that yes, you do need help with your digital marketing, this is when you have to find that agency or company that will be best suited to your specific needs. But how exactly do you find the ideal digital marketing services firm? There are numerous factors that you should be looking at. Not to mention, you want someone who is going to be a good fit with your company. There is a great deal to be said for the importance of “fit.”

• What type of experience do they have? Experience is incredibly important. That’s not to say that you should reject someone who is new to marketing, however, in the long run you are going to be better led by a marketing expert who has years in the industry.

• What is their educational background? Do they have a college degree? Advanced degrees? If so, what are their degrees in? You always want to be asking these questions.

• Do they have a philosophy of digital marketing? Digital marketing can be done hundreds of different ways. That’s what makes it so exciting, and also at times, so complex. A firm with a philosophy is one that’s ready to navigate your brand’s path forward.

• What is their familiarity with your industry? While you don’t necessarily have to go with a marketing firm that is specifically geared toward your industry, it certainly cannot hurt.

• What is their overall approach? In other words, do they take a one size fits all approach with their customers? Do they utilize off-the-shelf packages that are generically adapted for each client? Or do they custom tailor their marketing packages specifically for your business and brand?

These questions really just scratch the surface. Do your homework. Talk to their past clients. Get references — those are incredibly important when searching for a digital marketing services agency.

Interviewing a Digital Marketing Services Agency

Just as with any job interview, there are going to be key questions that you want to ask of a digital marketing services firm prior to hiring them. Again, you want to make sure that they are a good fit with your brand. And you want to make sure that they know their “stuff.“ Below are a few sample questions that you might ask a digital marketing services company in the process of interviewing them.

• In your opinion what kinds of content make up the ideal digital marketing campaign? Their answer here can be quite telling. The term digital marketing is really an umbrella term for a broad array of content types. A good digital marketer will understand that the various kinds of content really do work together to create a comprehensive campaign. So, this may include blog posts, video content, social media content, emails, even podcasts. You want to see that they are willing to explore all avenues as they cultivate your digital footprint.

• What metrics do you look at and analyze? Digital marketing campaigns are only as good as the results that they get. Which means, that a digital marketing services firm will stay on top of those key metrics. They will constantly be measuring and constantly be re-evaluating the effectiveness of their marketing plan. They might look at click through rate; they might look at search traffic; also, they’ll consider new leads. There are a host of metrics that they should be looking at in evaluating the effectiveness of any digital marketing plan.

• What is your approach as far as the overall sales final? A sales funnel is simply a digital marketing model that brings customers from one point to another. In other words, it guides them through every single stage of the buying process. It first creates awareness by virtue of social media posts or YouTube videos or blog posts. The middle part of the funnel will then enable people to evaluate your company and what you are selling. And finally, the last part of the funnel is meant to convert. This is where you convince consumers to become customers.

• Describe a typical digital marketing campaign that you might implement for a company. This is an important one. They should have a vision for your brand – specifically for your brand. This question is going to look and sound differently for every single person that you interview. That’s because digital marketing services really do run the gamut. The key is that they have to convey why their approach will work and why they believe that it’s most effective for your brand.

SBMS: Doing Digital Marketing Differently

We understand that there are a ton of digital marketing services agencies out there. So the question is… Why should you choose us?

• Collectively, we have decades of experience working in digital marketing. We don’t rest until we find the golden solution for your brand. And this is where experience really does come into play. We are incredibly well-versed in terms of what works and what doesn’t work.

• We’ve sold more than $40 million in services and have been responsible for more than $2 million in ad spend for our clients. While we’re not one to brag, we do think that this number reflects the trust that our clients have in us and consequently the results that we get for them. We establish lasting relationships with the brands we partner with.

• We do not as much automation as other digital marketing agencies. That is to say, we’re not about off-the-shelf approaches or generic solutions. Everything is customized. We prefer using professional Adobe products for graphic designs and services. That’s because we only utilize the best for our clients.

• We get that brand exposure is pivotal. Managing brand reputation is what we do best. Increasing brand exposure, extending a brand’s reach, solidifying a brand’s identity, this is our focus, and this is what drives results.

If you’re currently looking for a digital marketing services firm, we would love to consult with you. Our results and our many satisfied clients speak for themselves. Call today for your consultation by clicking on the Blue “Request a Consultation” button on the upper right hand corner of your screen.