This is Part Three of a new educational series called: The Ultimate Guide to Choosing an Internet Marketing Company. [Interested in reading Part One and Two?]
In Part One, we discussed the importance of goal-setting. After you’ve done some initial planning, it’s time to start looking for an Internet marketing company. Then, in Part Two, we talked about why it’s important to find an Internet Marketing Company that Delivers the Four Core Services.
Next, we’ll go over something that we, at Fruition, take very seriously.
Hire an Internet marketing company that walks the talk
Meaning: does the agency you’re considering hiring do internet marketing for itself? Looking at the Web site will help you answer this question.
When you’re in “search mode,” your visits to the company’s Web site have likely been to research how they work, their credentials, client success stories or their history and services.
In addition to this though, take a step back and ask yourself “do they do the things they’re proposing for me?” Do they blog frequently? Are they active on social media? Do they offer any premium educational content on their Website that might help them stand out from the crowd as a leader in their industry?
As I mentioned before, at Fruition, being an Internet marketing company in Toronto, we made a commitment long ago not to fall into the “shoemaker’s syndrome”. Meaning, if we’re going to be the best at what we do, while at the same time recommending that our clients:
- use search engine, content and social media marketing to generate traffic to their own Web site
- have the ability to quickly create landing pages with compelling calls-to-actions and offers as a way to convert traffic into leads
- build targeted lead nurturing campaigns as a way to move prospects down the marketing funnel which, over time, can help sales teams close more business.
Then we need to do these things also, period.
That being said, it hasn’t always been easy to find the time; but it’s worth the effort because when we talk to prospective clients we can say with absolute confidence that - when done right - this stuff really does work.
Remember, effective Internet marketing companies should be their own best case study.
Do you really want to work with an Internet company that doesn’t make the services they sell a priority in their own business?
Stay tuned for part four…
[ctaw]
Photo credit: gandersessen1
