Some of the trickiest and most delicate conversations we have with current and prospective clients revolve around costs of internet marketing services. This month, we’ll be answering some of the toughest questions we’ve come across in our 11 years in the industry on the subject of cost.
Part I: Is Internet Marketing Cheap and Easy?
In the past, anyone who cultivated a great idea had to pay big bucks to engage newspapers and magazines across the world to get the word out about their products and services. With the shift from print marketing to the digital world we live in now, cheaper, environmentally friendly circulation through the Internet is the only thing we know – and it’s not going away anytime soon. Despite these technological advancements, a common misconception is that the web has become a level playing field for companies no matter the budget.
To get the most out of a digital marketing campaign, a business needs to understand the landscape of their industry — where it stands versus the major players, how much those major players are spending, and the reality of how long a campaign will take.
One of the biggest mistakes a business can make on the web is assuming it can be found easily online for little or no cost. Yes, your listing on a search engine is free (assuming you have a basic website or some sort of digital footprint via social media). But you are not going to magically jump to number one in your industry based on randomness. In all likelihood larger brands and companies are spending beaucoup bucks to stay on top, which means they are exhausting their resources on content, analytics, social media, pay-per click and more. You can do this yourself, but without the help of a professional you could be in trouble.
So how do you defeat this? The hard truth is you have to spend money to compete. We’re not talking millions of dollars, but the key is establishing what kind of results you want and finding a long term, cost effective plan for your business. And this is possible by hiring the right digital marketing firm. If you don’t know where to start think about it this way: take the salary of a full time employee, discount that number by 10%, and divide that by 12 months. For instance, if you staff a marketer at $40,000, take $36,000 this upcoming year, and divvy that up to come up with $3,000 a month. If you’re the kind of company who has a $100,000 marketing employee, take that number to $90,000, and allocate $7,500 a month toward digital marketing.
What do you get for that money? Browse our services page and research the components. We don’t offer broad campaigns, so when the time comes to decide how you want to spend your budget, we’re happy to work with you.
We haven’t even gotten to the part about picking the right firm. Entertain this: when is the last time you chose the cheapest doctor that will do the bare minimum? Would you hire a shoddy contractor to redo your kitchen? Expecting good results from that level of professional isn’t a reality. The same works for digital marketing. Find the right company that does great work, and expect great results.
Thanks for reading, and be sure to contact SteerPoint when piecing together your budget for 2016.