It has been a few weeks since our last post, lot's has happened that we are really excited about.
So, this is where I get to brag about our team. This last Tuesday we took two new sites live, both a complete redesign of their former site. It is always challenging to take one site live, but the staff was excited to tackle both sites on the same day. What made this more challenging, the sites were built on two COMPLETELY different platforms, one was built on HubSpot (hooray), the other on Joomla.
This is the advantage of working with a digital marketing organization that has marketing professionals that have the experience to handle large projects and make them happen with virtually no impact to your business. And we proved it on Tuesday -- granted it was a late night monitoring the switch, but both sites are now fully operational and getting rave reviews.
Items to consider if you are redesigning your website
Maintaining your brand image is imperative, therefore our checklist when redesigning a new site includes other components such as social media properties, optimized landing pages, mobile-friendly designs, Google Analytics, SEO, email templates, powerpoint presentations, digital advertising, and online reputation management have all made companies feel overwhelmed. However, the right digital marketing company can help you make sense of it all by looking at the bigger picture and ensure that your brand image carries through to all channels.
1. Choose a HubSpot Certified Digital Marketing Agency
Your chosen agency must have a certification and there is no better digital marketing certification than being a HubSpot Certified Digital Marketing Agency. Not every digital marketing company can receive this all-important certification. Agencies that have met the criteria are ones that are at the forefront of digital marketing. They are well versed in creating leads online and they excel at establishing metrics and key performance indicators you can track to define the success of a given online strategy.2. Focus on a History of Performance
Don't go in blindly. Don't accept anything at face value. Your chosen digital marketing company should have a history of performance on their side. They should be proud to show you what they've accomplished. They don't need to have specific industry experience, but they should show you how separate digital campaigns increased their customers' revenue. Any digital marketing company worth the time will have no problem showcasing their success stories.3. Look for a Customized Solution
Avoid those firms who just want to bill you and move on. There are far too many agencies that focus on just one part of the problem. Your company needs a complete solution. Your company deserves a digital marketing company that can provide a customized solution to online reputation management. Avoid any digital marketing company that only provides one solution or one approach. It doesn't work.A digital marketing company that only does website design won't help with lead generation, and a company that only focuses on digital advertising won't increase conversion rates if your website isn't optimized. Go for the complete package because anything short of a total solution isn't a solution.
4. Referrals, Referrals, Referrals
Any digital marketing company worth considering is one that will have several readymade referrals available. However, go further than just a random, meaningless customer quote. Go deep. Understand how a company's online reputation was managed and how specific actions lead to an increase in business volume. Referrals mean nothing if there's nothing behind them.5. An All-Encompassing Plan for Online Engagement
The best digital marketing company is one that thoroughly understands each of your buyer personas. They know where they gather online. They know how to reach your customers, engage them, incentivize them and motivate them to act. Online engagement is a full-time responsibility. It takes an all-encompassing plan, one that is specific to your market, your buyer personas and your existing customers. Ultimately, it's about improving existing customer relationships by increasing online engagement.Every company is trying to develop an online reputation that stands apart from the crowd. Unfortunately, not every company has a marketing team large enough to manage all their digital strategies. If you choose a digital marketing company, then go with the one that has the certifications and history to back up their claims.
Contact us if you need someone to manage your existing customer relationships, or are looking for a firm to make sense of it all.
Written By: Doug Milnor
