3 Reasons Not To Choose An Internet Marketing Company
Everyone loves lists. There are entire sites dedicated to top ten lists of everything from skin lotion to punk rock bands. I recently realized that I haven't ever written anything in list format. A terrible, empty feeling began to overtake me. So while I may have missed the Hypercolor shirt trend when I was a kid (don't remember Hypercolor? Shame on you!), I'm the kind of guy that will buy one off Ebay now just to say that I didn't miss the trend completely.
This could be me!
Sad? Perhaps. But I'm going to make it count.
Speaking of counting, I figured I'd run in the opposite direction with my first attempt at "listing". Having inherited a healthy dose of skepticism over the years, I figure it's time to tell you what NOT to look for in an Internet marketing company, whether it be ad placement, pay per click management, search engine optimization or even web analytics. So let's get to this list, shall we?
The first reason not to choose an Internet marketing company: They're not business people. There are a million people out there offering search marketing services in particular, promising you number one rankings faster than you can microwave a bag of popcorn. First off, never trust someone that tells you this. Second, what's the ultimate goal of their service? Clicks? Visits? How do they devise their keyword strategy? Do they understand your market? Do they have tangible business experience? If they don't understand business, or if they don't take the time to understand the uniqueness and complexities of your company, they likely won't get you the results they want.
The second reason not to choose an Internet marketing company is if they lack a "face". One of the first clients I worked with at Netvantage Makreting told us about some large faceless organization (that shall remain nameless) who sent them their SEO report each month showing some keywords went up, and some keywords went down. No explanations, no rhyme, no reason...just ranking reports. When they called to try to contact someone in regards to some further explanation, they would get redirected endlessly to someone who didn't know or really seem to care who they were. You need a person or people that you have a direct relationship with that will act as a partner. If a company doesn't offer a dedicated individual for your account, this is a huge red flag.
The third reason not to choose an Internet marketing company is a lack of transparency. I'll be blunt. Much of what we do is NOT rocket science. Managing Google AdWords doesn't take a degree in neuroscience from Stanford (and may not help at all, actually). It does take time, resources, inclination, and a pretty rounded marketing mind, however. I have always been straightforward with our smaller clients when I tell them that if I'm really doing my job well, and they have available time, they could eventually take over their campaign. Clients should be able to look at their raw data, otherwise, it's too easy to cook the books or paint rosy pictures. If you can't look at raw analytics, PPC data, or activity logs for SEO work, how will you hold this firm accountable. Whether you have any desire to ever look at this information is beyond the point. If there is any significant hesitation about transparency in information (aside from figuring out the best way to provide it to you), proceed with caution.
Of course it makes sense to do your standard due diligence when seeking out a vendor, but often times Internet marketing is outside the standard comfort zone of a lot of SMBs. This list should make a nice edition is you aim to trim down your list of potential providers.
About Joe Ford
Joe Ford is a Managing Partner at Netvantage Marketing. In addition to overseeing day to day business operations of Netvantage, he directs paid search strategy for over 14 paid search clients. Ford is on the Lansing Chamber Board of Directors, and the Executive Board of the Capital Area IT Council.
Tags: choosing an internet marketing company, how to choose an sem company, hypercolor, Internet marketing, online marketing agency, selecting seo firm
I REALLY need to get a Hypercolor shirt I’m realizing…