Be Cautious of These Things That Most Marketing Agencies Do
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Long-Term Contracts
Many digital marketing agencies require long-term contracts for you to purchase their services. These contracts can be nearly impossible to get out of without spending thousands of dollars. And if you don’t want to pay out, then you’re stuck with an agency that may not be producing the results you wanted or expected.
This could be costly and lead you to fall behind your competitors. When you’re not forced into signing a long-term contract, you gain a marketing agency that works harder for you. They care more about maintaining your trust and building a relationship, which is demonstrated through their high quality of work.
Misleading Reporting
Reporting should be about more than what position your website is ranking for a set of keywords. You should be able to see which phrases people were searching for, how many people were searching, how many of those people clicked on your website, and from there how many of those users converted into new leads. If you’re not already seeing this picture in your monthly reporting, it’s time to get some clarification.
Focusing on metrics like page views, for example, can’t tell you how long someone spent on the page or if they came back to the site again at a later time. You can’t look at one or two specific metrics and expect that to tell you the whole story. But by looking at your users’ behavior, you can understand their journey on your website and why they converted. Check out data such as where users came in from, which pages they viewed, and where they bounced or converted.
Customer Support Only During Business Hours
Your website doesn’t shut down after 5. Neither should your hosting & maintenance company. Many of the leading web companies leave the office and don’t start things back up until the next morning. If your website goes down, it may be down for hours or even days. If Google My Business marks you as permanently closed, you’re losing out on leads until it gets addressed. If your email goes down in the middle of talking with a huge commercial contract, you could lose the job. That’s why working with a 24/7 support system is so important!
The last thing you want to deal with is not being able to communicate with anyone from your marketing agency, especially after hours. A marketing agency that is open 24/7 provides a vital service to companies who find themselves in this situation as they are available immediately to help get your website back online and running.
Charging for Website Changes
Making changes to your website should be encouraged, not penalized. Everytime you ask to add in pictures, promotions, content, videos, and products, you are actually feeding Google new information to associate with your business. This should happen as often as possible, especially when trying to rank on Google! Before starting with a digital marketing company, make sure you will not be charged for simple website changes, those should be 100% free.
Furthermore, having a great technical team who is responsible for those changes is ideal. Your team should have the knowledge and experience to make your website attractive, easy to navigate, and user-friendly. Technical teams will also optimize the website in a way that is favorable for search engines, which means your company can be found even easier online.
Ownership of Your Digital Assets
The ownership of your digital assets is an essential step to the full ownership of your company’s digital collateral. Some Companies may decide to set up accounts for their customers stating they will help and do everything for you. In that process, the admin ownership doesn’t happen for the good of the contractor. Be wary of companies that say they will do it all for you. Make sure you are the admin owner and the main account notifications are owned by you only. Share access sparingly and avoid giving full admin access unless your web partner is trusted and reputable.
In Conclusion:
A great digital marketing agency should never lock you into a long-term contract or charge you for website changes. They should always be accessible to their clients, truly invest in their success, and be available no matter what time is night or day. If you’re not getting the service you deserve from your agency or notice these practices in marketing agencies you’re considering, look elsewhere!
A good marketing company should understand that a healthy relationship with their clients is key and that nurturing that relationship benefits everyone involved. The best way to build a strong relationship is by always communicating with each other.
