You want to focus on the results instead of the unknown. That's why we are giving you 4 steps on how to chose a digital marketing agency.
Howdy, partner.
Swinging his left leg slowly off his 17-hand horse, he slides to the ground, boots creating an explosion of dust. When it clears, you see a smiling face, and a callous-free hand outstretched.
Will you offer your hand to this city slicker? Â
Youâre hesitant to proceed. Why all the talk of horses and dust clouds?
But youâre curious.
Hereâs the thing: Every small business weâve encountered is hesitant at first to try a new strategy/spend money/put themselves out there.
We get it. This is your livelihood, your sweat, your sleepless nights. Thatâs why working with a partnerânot a vendorâis so important. Weâre here to help you on how to choose a digital marketing agency.
The way we earn trust and years-long clients is to be honest, approachable PARTNERS.
As an execution agency, we thoughtfully create, deliver, and improve digital marketing for small businesses. Â
What makes a good partner?
We want small businesses to have fuel to grow. To do that, you need to focus on tactics that get results. If we wanted to focus on making you look good, weâd create a brand book, a style guide, and emblazon t-shirts with your logo. We love swag, but it wonât help your business grow.
We work with our clients to set measurable goals for projects, whether thatâs paid advertising or a website refresh. That way youâll know that an investment in digital advertising, messaging, or website design generated leads, helped you recruit talent, or whatever your goals might be.
Transactional relationshipsâyou give me a can of Skyline Chili for $7 (dang, inflation)âare good for retailers. They are not good relationships for businesses that need strategies and solutions for growing their business.
A partner, on the other hand, tends to pause and ask questions, seeking out the next right thing, and then the next.
A small businessâ ability to make smart decisions often hinges on their partnerâs guidance in explaining strategies and steering them away from magic bullets and toward proven strategies.
As a partner, we want to help our clients accomplish more, understand their options, and support the decisions they make.
Many agencies think in terms of projects. We won the branding work! We won the ad account!
On the flip side, we like to consider the lifetime value of a relationship. We won a new client! How do we over-deliver, build trust, and help their business grow?
Weâll admit this approach isnât perfectly altruistic, because we want mutually beneficial relationships. It can be daunting when deciding how to choose a digital marketing agency. Weâve found that when we approach projects as a means to build relationships, our clients get better results and we get to do work that matters to us.
Many clients stay with us for years and yearsâand many of those started with a bite-sized project.
As of writing this post, almost one-half of our clients have been working with us for 5 years or more. Thatâs long-term partnership!
âIt feels like theyâre in the next room!â or âThey anticipate our needs!â
Thatâs exactly what weâre hoping to hear, and often do. Â
Are you irked when the product you ordered at 9:34 p.m. last night still hasnât arrived by 11 a.m. the next day? Â
Our brains have been rewired to expect everything, RIGHT. THIS. MINUTE. Urgency prevails. But for now, letâs slow down.
We know that with small businesses, creating a new messaging strategy, redesigning a website, and launching digital ads is a lot to manage at one time. We have the patience to come at things strategically, and craft a feasible execution plan that will reach marketing goals at a more modest rate.
Do we want to get to executing so we can test to see what works? 100%. And when clients are up for moving quickly, so are we.
Even when businesses want to move with a sense of urgency, they deserve to have realistic expectations and define achievable goals, to avoid frustration. Â
The truth is, results require patience.
Results from digital marketing depend on your sales cycle, whether you sell products or services, and your budget, among other things. It can take 12 to 18 months or more to get the numbers and marketing momentum you want. Â
There are, of course, exceptions.
We recently launched an ad campaign seeking to recruit new hires for a product delivery company. Within two weeks, they had dozens of leads. Good partners donât over-promise. They work hard to over-deliver. Â
CLD Partners is one small business whose growth accelerated after working with us as their agency partner.
Partners have your back and will help you to:
Many small businesses have great leaders and are earning revenue. But the reality is, using confusing messaging or ignoring digital advertising will limit your growth. With the right agency partner, you can accomplish much more.
If youâre wondering how this is possible for your business, letâs chat. We wonât assume weâre the right fit for your company, but we will ask lots of questions. We are here to help you choose a digital marketing agency that works best for you.
David Brecount
CEO & Co-Founder