Getting Started With Digital Marketing

Most business owners today understand that to be competitive, they must have an online presence. At the very least, they know they need a website, and most have an inkling that they should be on social media in some capacity. And for most businesses, this is true.  Some of the biggest questions small to medium business owners have when it comes to digital marketing is whether or not to take the DIY route or hire an internet marketing company, and how much of their budget should go to marketing. Call us today to discuss a digital marketing strategy that fits your business and budget.

While the short of it is that you can go it alone, there are a lot of things to ponder when considering whether or not to tackle your digital marketing on your own.

• How much time do you have to dedicate to your marketing?
• What is your expertise level? Are you willing to learn and adapt to a rapidly changing digital landscape?
• What is your marketing budget? How much should you be spending on your marketing?
• What are your marketing goals? What do you hope to get out of your marketing?

How Much Time Do You Have?

In case you hadn’t realized it when you sit down with a consultant or reach out to an agency, full service digital marketing is a full-time job. A time-consuming full-time job! While there are several great automation tools available to us now that make things faster and smoother, they are not a “set it and forget it” solution. They require a lot of monitoring and data input and analysis to get the most out of them.

Some business owners may delegate digital marketing tasks like social media management, content marketing and SEO to staff members under the impression that they are “easy.” Not only is this the wrong attitude to have, but for these strategies to be effective they’re require an ongoing commitment and are quite time consuming. This often leads to burnout and disengagement from the staff. Using a digital marketing agency lets your employees focus on their core strengths and other important duties.

What Is Your Level of Expertise?

While there are all kinds of DIY software out there, and you can learn how to do almost anything on YouTube, there are definitely occasions where it pays to just call in an expert. When showcasing your business, you want to put your best foot forward with a professional website that runs smoothly, well written content, and ads that a tailored perfectly to your business and goals.

The digital marketing landscape and behind the scenes best practices change rapidly. Most business owners are far to busy with the operations of their business to worry about what Google has decided to change this week.  When you work with a digital marketing agency, you get a team of dedicated individuals who are focused on your marketing and not distracted with the day to day of running your business.

Another benefit of working with an agency and going the DIFM (Do-It-For-Me) route over DIY is the focus on results. While a tech savvy business owner may understand that they need a decent website and an online presence of some sort, a results-driven digital marketing agency will build a customized marketing strategy tailored to your business’s needs and optimized to maximize your return on investment. A professional digital marketing agency knows which metrics to analyze in monthly reports to see what’s working and where your marketing dollars are best spent.

What is Your Marketing Budget?

Of course, it goes without saying the more marketing budget you have, the more options you have available to you! But realistically, how much should you spend on online marketing? Cut and dry, there is no right answer to this question. According to Small Business Trends, the average small business spends 1.08% of their yearly revenue on marketing. B2C businesses typically spend a little bit more than B2B business. Every business’ number is going to be a little bit different. Take a look at how much your business can afford to spend, and what the industry average is.

The most important part of determining your marketing budget is to measure your results to see which marketing channels are generating the most revenue. You can then determine if you are allocating your budget to fullest. A digital marketing agency will measure the success of each marketing strategy and suggest how to further improve them to increase your ROI. Additionally, they will tell you if a campaign is not worth your efforts and needs to be improved upon or abandoned.

Hiring a digital marketing agency is often more budget-friendly than having an in-house marketing team in the first place. The fees related to paying an internet marketing agency are often less than the cost of one staff member’s salary, not to mention the additional costs related to research and development on the latest marketing trends, and all the additional platform fees agencies pay to do the work for you. Save money by hiring an agency and leave your business a larger budget to spend on marketing. Win-win!

What Do You Want to Get Out of Your Marketing?

Like most things in life, with digital marketing, the effort you put in directly effects the results you get. It takes the right mix of strategy, expertise, staff, and budget to see a return on your investment. Whether your marketing goals are focused on lead generation, brand awareness or growing your online reputation, a digital marketing agency can find that delicate combination that most business owners simply don’t have the time for or is frankly outside of their scope.

Consult with the Experts

You’re already an expert at the other things running your business entails! Though it’s not impossible, it’s a little unrealistic to expect you to be an internet marketing expert too! Save yourself the frustration, time, and budget and get in touch with our Edmonton digital marketing agency today to build the ideal strategy to achieve your marketing goals.

Lynne Motkoski, Marketing Strategist

Specialty: Online Marketing Strategies
Education: MA Communications & Technology, BComm [U Alberta]
Author: The Online Marketing Handbook for Busy Entrepreneurs (coming soon)

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Lynne is known for her strategic approach to marketing communications, technologies, and lead generation. She has a passion for education, keeping up with current marketing trends and practices, and helping clients keep ahead of their competition.

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