How much does digital marketing cost?

Engaging in digital marketing is an ongoing investment that produces a positive return for a company. But how much does digital marketing cost?

It's not a one-time investment where you take the plunge and hope it will generate new business quickly. Fruitful digital marketing requires careful assessment and planning, then the relentless execution of digital campaigns.

Before the age of the Internet, traditional marketing for most companies consisted of attending trade shows, sending out direct mail, buying ads in publications, or perhaps buying TV or radio spots. This still goes on today and can produce positive results. Everyone thought COVID killed trade shows, but the opposite is true. Trade shows have adapted and are thriving because people still believe in getting together and seeing products for themselves. All of these traditional marketing tactics can have a place in your promotion strategy, but they need to be complemented with digital efforts. Why? Because people spend so much time on their smartphones or laptops.

Digital marketing typically consists of the following activities. You don't necessarily need to be doing all of them, but a marketing strategy that produces activity at the top, middle, and bottom of the sales funnel is highly recommended. Why? Because it takes time and positive marketing impressions to get discovered by new customers and eventually make a sale.

Brand Design Project Costs:

Creating or refreshing your company brand (logo, fonts, colors, style guide) is typically in the $8,500 - $15,000 price range. Much of the cost variation depends on the complexity of the task and the rounds of revisions. Once a branding project like this is complete, you should have a brand book and digital assets to help you activate your new image.

Messaging Project Costs:

You may have been in business for years and like your logo, but do your prospective customers or website visitors understand exactly what your company does? Clarity is king, and US Digital Partners has a proven framework for dramatically improving your company messaging. People are not going to give you much time to explain your products or services and why they might need them, so every second counts. Messaging projects typically start at $8,500 and produce new messaging, sales narratives, taglines, customer journeys, and copy for your website. This new messaging should also be used in your sales pitches, email blasts, print pieces, video scripts, etc.

Website Project Costs:

Building a new website is a tall task, and it looks different for every business. Creating a website with USDP can cost anywhere from $15,000 to over $100,000. To help you figure out where into this range you fit, we have a website pricing guide that breaks it into three levels.

Digital Advertising Costs:

For both digital advertising and SEO (below), there are two costs you must consider. The first is the cost to plan, create, track, optimize, and report on the campaigns you run. The second is the cost you pay for the actual ads to platforms such as Google, Meta (Facebook & Instagram), LinkedIn, TikTok, etc.

Many ad agencies just have you pay one amount to them, and then they pay the platforms. They typically take 25% to 40% of the ad spend as their management fee. This doesn't sit well with USDP because it's not transparent, and the agency is incentivized to spend more of your money because they would collect a higher fee. Boooooo!

With USDP, we will give you a clear set-up cost and a clear monthly management cost. Here are some examples by platform.

Email Marketing Project Costs:

Good email marketing is still a highly effective awareness and sales strategy. USDP plans, writes, designs, and executes email campaigns for everything from sales drip sequences to marketing newsletters. These projects range from $2,500 to $8,500, depending on the complexity. We can help you select an email marketing platform and track the results.

Of course, it requires planning and preparation before you launch any digital marketing efforts. There are many SaaS platforms created for digital marketing. You can indeed get started on your own or hire an agency to help. But be careful; your company can also waste a lot of money on poor ad campaigns, ineffective videos, or a website that just doesn't convert.

Thanks for reading our thoughts on the cost of digital marketing. The best way to find out if we are the best partner is to discuss your needs. We look forward to learning more about you!