Too Good to be True!
When customers are faced with a slew of branding problems, they get someone who is cheap, promises a lot, and doesn’t have much genuine case studies, it usually too good to be true. And when something seems too good to be true, it normally is. Sadly a large number of clients come to us, cautious and scared, and like another ‘age old adage’, they are ‘once burnt, twice shy’.
This usually leaves a lot that is negative towards the digital medium, but the harsh truth is, because of “saving” marketing ‘expenses’, or viewing marketing as an expense rather than an opportunity, many of these clients become shy of choosing the right digital media agency, and worse still, unsure of the digital medium.
Effective digital campaigns can create a whole load of opportunities to a business’s bottom line, provided it is done well and by an effective agency. It has the potential to create and generate new revenue streams and provide a transparent two-way channel to engage with your audience.
Best of all, everything is monitored, traced and much more effective than any other medium out there. This means that you are not only able to look at ROI figures sooner, you can change your strategy on the fly if the earlier strategy is not working.
Why is it so difficult to choose a Right Branding Agency?
If now, you are thinking “here we go again”, hear me out first. In an effort to help you choose the Right Digital Marketing Agency, and to assist you with promoting your business, I am going to expose the telltale signs of an agency or consultant or freelancer, that just wants your money and nothing else to do with your business. And when I am done with that, hopefully, you have all the information to better choose an effective digital supplier, even if it isn’t us.
Another adage, “You get what you pay for”. The first sign of a dodgy supplier is when they are ready to undercut all competitor quotes, and quite simply, are willing to say yes to all your requests, without concrete advice or queries. The role of the Right Branding Agency is to first, always identify what is possible, effective and generates returns. Sometimes it means they have to go against the flow, and completely disagree with what you are saying, but if you are truly looking for an excellent Agency you need to understand, they are actually doing you a huge favor. If someone offers you rates that are dirt cheap and responds to all your requests without a second thought, you’re already with the wrong agency. The truth is, a reliable supplier doesn’t come cheap, and you are in for a load of additional charges down the road, or a completely unresponsive supplier, once he gets paid.
Overpromising, and the yes sir, yes ma’am speech …
If you are promised, 1st place rankings with SEO, over 1000 fans for practically nothing on facebook, a website that will increase by over 500% in traffic without paid SEM, you know something’s wrong. Let’s be fair, getting on top of SEO rankings takes a lot of time, and if you are up in a month, the next Google Search update will most definitely penalize you severely, cause your agency is using blackhat techniques.
Paid facebook fans are not they way to promote your brand. Themes and templates for your facebook applications, don’t quite cut it, in the long run. And if this is what you are getting, your agency doesn’t give a “rat’s ass” about your brand or marketing, and you will understand this soon enough. Finally, do you really think that paying $15 for an app will bring you gigantic results? Again, you get what you pay for, remember that!
So what should you be looking for?
Really knowing what and where to look for, will help you avoid the real con-men out there, but believe it or not, there are the real agencies who want to give you a great product, and an even better service. But now the question is, which one do you choose?
Here are a few steps you should take before selecting the Right Digital Marketing Agency.
Look at their history, case studies, and study them: This probably sounds like a lot of work, but looking at their case studies, actually helps you understand how they operate, what they do. And most quality agencies, have long term clients who will share their experiences with you, first hand. This is the best way to gauge their level of work.
Meet the team: If you are looking for an agency of record or even an agency for a week, you need people you can trust and people you like working with. Meet the founders, meet the partners, meet the creative team, let them talk to you, strategize together, and if you really enjoy their energy, you can be sure that they will be good to work with.
Remember, you get what you pay for: It’s pretty simple really. If you pay peanuts, you get monkeys.
An agency that is allowed to think outside of the box and churns strategies and campaigns that are simple and effective always wins. The overly complicated strategy won’t stick with your fast moving consumers, and definitely won’t impress them. It’s the best to follow the KISS principles. (Keep it Simple, Stupid!)