Did you know that there are numerous digital marketing consultant out there? There are a variety of online and offline companies offering consulting services. With their unique skills, these professionals can help your business get to the next level. Whether you need to boost sales or improve conversion rates, these consultants will be able to help you reach your goals.
Digital marketing is a key part of every business’s online presence, but only companies with the right budget can afford to be on the cutting edge. That’s why it’s critical for startups to find digital marketing specialists who can help them build their brand and use the latest digital marketing techniques.
Digital marketing is a round the clock work environment, which means that in order to be successful you need to be in business mode totally. This creates a lot of stress for small businesses and large corporations alike, as they’re constantly competing with each other.
What is digital marketing?
Digital marketing is that the method of selling merchandise or services using digital technologies, principally on the net, however additionally as well as mobile phones, display advertising, and other digital mediums. Digital Marketing is a system of marketing that incorporates the use of digital technologies to facilitate marketing objectives. Digital Marketing covers all channels and formats, including: Mobile/Wireless, Web (HTML email, social media), Display, Video, Retargeting, Search, and Analytics. Digital marketing includes search engine optimization (SEO), paid per click (PPC), social media marketing (SMM), display advertising (including retargeting), and conversion rate optimization (CRO).
How can digital marketing help small businesses?
Digital marketing can help small businesses in a number of ways. First, it allows businesses to reach a wider audience more easily and at a lower cost than traditional marketing methods. Additionally, digital marketing allows businesses to track the results of their marketing efforts more accurately, allowing them to make changes and adjustments as needed.
What are some common digital marketing strategies for small businesses?
Small businesses can use a variety of digital marketing strategies to reach new customers and grow their businesses. Some common strategies include using social media platforms like Facebook and Twitter to build a following, creating a website or blog to share information about the business, and using search engine optimization techniques to improve the visibility of the business' website.
Role of Digital Marketing Consultant in helping small businesses
A digital marketing consultant is an important asset to any small business. They will help your business plan and execute a comprehensive digital marketing plan that will generate leads and increase brand awareness. A digital marketing consultant is also skilled in social media management, search engine optimization (SEO), website design, and producing content that attracts and engages customers online. A digital marketing consultant can help your business with the following 5 reasons:
1. Search Engine Optimization (SEO).
2. Social Media Marketing.
3. Short form web content.
4. Social media campaigns vs Brand publications.
5. Media relations/PR.
1. Search Engine Optimization (SEO) - The best way to use paid search is through a digital marketing consultant. Their job will be to write the perfect web copy about your product or service. They make sure that you pay for keywords that are relevant and accurate. Most importantly, they are important because not all companies' websites pass page 1 in Google if their content on the website doesn’t sound good. While Google may not be the best way to advertise on search engine results, it's still an essential tool for most local businesses in today’s rapidly changing digital marketing landscape. If you don't have a digital marketing consultant and your website does rank one or two pages above the first page then look no further!
2. Social Media Marketing – if your business is part of a niche micro-marketing community (Twitter, Instagram etc), social media can be a great way to both advertise and engage with customers. While social media sites are all the rage, many of them (especially Facebook) provide very little real-world value for business. However impressive your social presence may seem in terms of followers, likes and comments, your presence on these various sites does not mean that you provided any type of tangible service or product. So, use these social media sites to build your brand and let everyone be aware of your name and your work profile.
3. Short form web content - Blogs, press releases and other short forms of digital content not only engage customers but are much more likely to get shared on social media as opposed to longer-form articles that require digging into a website in order for the customer or potential guest's eyes to be opened up towards your services/products. This is why SEO experts spend hours scrolling through websites looking at their business listings to pick out the most relevant and high-value content than can then be used on their websites. Short form social media posts are meant to provide a fast way for your customers or guests (via Facebook/Twitter etc) to get invited into your company without having even know that you do anything in relation with these sites. When being on organic articles it's sometimes very important not only to contrast yourself but also look into what type of product is being covered in these types of articles. You can always keep looking at a free list to see which topics are getting more and more attention by the public if you're not too sure about what's important for your business. This is why as well it's very good idea when building up some form of content strategy that involves knowing how people will be searching for products that make sense for your niche. Shorter content deals with the fact that it needs a real focus on answering a specific question or providing people with something useful/interesting in order to keep them reading. If you're not able make some sort of buzz going about your brand through social media or blog content, I would highly recommend trying Google Alerts in order to see what's been written about your company these days since SEO is ultimately measured via leading keywords and its principles revolve around creating useful content.
4. Social media campaigns vs Brand publications - Some marketers have found brand books to be very helpful in keeping it real by creating opportunities for their products to actually interacting with people/customers rather than simply being a passive form of reading on social networks (YouTube, LinkedIn etc). This isn't necessarily always the best course many brands follow but it's certainly worth thinking about doing so after adding more value into your social presence and also creating greater awareness around your brand.
5. Media relations/PR - Assuring people that you really care about them whether it be in the form of a client, customer or a potential user is something that can go miles and becomes extremely effective when done well. PR companies come across as being able to hold themselves accountable with its assets on social media but this isn't necessarily always the case so I would highly recommend having an initial contact with these agencies before you sign on to them (SEO and Marketing for example) as it can save you a lot of money.
How can I find a good Digital Marketing Consultant for my small business?
A great way to begin your search for a digital marketing consultant is by searching online, but it's worth noting that these services are not verified so make sure you're conducting as much verification as possible.
What kinds of sites will I find?
Most would conclude that there are two main types; one being PPC (pay per click) and the other being SEO (search engine optimisation). The latter focuses on improving rankings in the areas of Google, Yahoo!, Bing! and other search engines while PPC services are only supplementary to this work.
Which one do I choose?
There can be debate over which one may have the slightly higher revenues but my view is that it's all down to your business objectives (for example free traffic will give you more importance than increased leads!) so you need to decide what area fits this best. Bloodhound provides fantastic advice in the Keys To Success section of their site, as well.
Who can I hire?
Most digital marketing consultancy firms will have a webpage where you can search live projects and proposals from various companies. This provides you with an overview of any previous work that has been done by your professional consultant and/or team, such as job titles, profiles for people involved etc. By looking at the projects, solutions and references provided with these proposals, you should be able to gauge whether or not there's a clear match for your business needs for your current situation.
Is it worth it to hire a Digital Marketing Consultant for my small business?
It's absolutely imperative that you recruit the correct consultants for your business. Don't believe the hype and pay inflated fees just because it seems a good idea at the time! Always work with companies who have decades of experience in what they do.
Don't make any hasty decisions or employ people who aren't qualified to do this type of job properly but instead be selective and thorough when assessing a consultant or subcontractor. This will give you a much greater chance of making the right choice.
Who is your ideal candidate for this job? I used to think that all graduates would be good at website content, SEO writing and blogging but it's not as easy as I thought; by no means do we expect everyone who comes out of university with a degree in marketing......! What should YOU look out for when hiring digital talent? Things to look out for when hiring someone include:
Do you have experience? If this is a first time project then the chances of success are low, but if doing similar already completed work, like 3 or 4 projects prior to this one then it should be easy. Have previous customised sites been built ? It's not uncommon these days so make sure you get them detailed. You will want at least details on what was done and why and what the result was. Are they experienced ? Some people underestimate just how important this is and say that experience doesn't matter as long we know what to do but this couldn't be further from the truth! Know your market; where you are based, who it's being aimed at so if someone has a product or service which fits in with that they're good to go. You should also consider who their target market will be (if you must) but it's not essential to have this knowledge as long they're able to communicate with you and provide a reason why they will be more effective than someone else. How qualified do they look? A professional designer or developer is going to take pride in their work which means that if the projects are looking great then so will the profile of its creator.
What is the difference between a Digital Marketing Consultant and a digital marketing agency?
1. A digital marketing consultant is a professional who provides advice and guidance to businesses in the area of digital marketing.
A digital agency provides services such as website design, web development, SEO (search engine optimization), PPC (pay per click) advertising and social media management.
2. A digital marketing consultant is a specialist who can help you with your online marketing strategies and activities
A digital agency is an organization that has a full-time team of experts to provide the same services as a digital consultant.
3. A digital marketing consultant is a professional who helps clients in their online presence and branding efforts by providing them with advice, guidance, strategy and implementation of best practices to help improve business performance through the use of digital channels.
An agency will work on behalf of its client for which it receives a commission or fee from the company for every new customer that they bring into their firm’s network.
4. A digital marketing consultant will provide you all the tools required to build your campaigns, blogs, websites and help your inhouse team get the desired results.
A digital marketing agency is an organisation which will work on all the tools needed for your company or brand’s website or social media platforms (such as Facebook Ads) so that you can focus on running your business rather than managing it.
Which is better: working with an in-house team or going through an agency for online marketing services?
Agencies have been around for a long time, and they've gotten better at providing digital marketing services to businesses. However, in-house teams can still provide you with a wide range of benefits. Here are some of the key differences between working with an agency or team and doing it yourself:
- Costs. An agency will charge you based on how many people they have on staff and what services they offer. This can be a huge difference if you're just starting out. You may end up paying more than you would have if you were to hire an in-house team directly.
- Scope of work. If your business is small, or if your needs are fairly simple, then an agency may not be the best option for you.
- Ease of working. If you are looking to update content regularly like if you are a trainer, coach, or an event organiser, you will need to constantly update your website as well as social media pages. Having an in-house team with a guiding digital marketing consultant will be far more effective.
There are various factors that need to be considered before you decide which route is better for your business. For starters, working with an in-house team or hiring a digital marketing consultant can cost you less than going through an agency. However, this does not mean that agencies are any less effective than in-house teams. This depends on the type of services you require and the overall efficiency of the agency's work. Before you choose a company to hire, take some time to research their portfolio and see if they have the experience needed to meet your business needs. If you're still unsure which option is best for your business, feel free to reach out to me at psrisbud@gmail.com or visit my website so that I can help you choose the correct option.