It’s time to blow the whistle on what we deem to be bad practice by companies that offer digital marketing services. We don’t mean to suggest that these things are intentionally done, neither are we saying that these digital marketing services don’t work at all, but from our experience talking to clients, there are several major issues with the process of many digital marketing companies, even those with a big reputation.

So here’s our countdown to the number one problem our clients have previously encountered

3. They make empty promises

Promises such as “increase your ROI by X%” or “get 1000s more visitors a month” should set those alarm bells ringing. How can a company possibly know what they can realistically achieve for you before even knowing who you are, what you do, and what industry you’re in?

Any digital marketing company worth their salt will wait until they’ve consulted with you to set realistic targets for their marketing strategy.

2. I’m expected to have marketing expertise before hiring them

Not every entrepreneur is a digital marketer, and that’s absolutely fine. The digital marketing ecosphere changes so rapidly and so drastically that even if you graduated from the best business school in your country ten years ago, and built an incredible business, there’s no reason why you should be abreast of the best digital marketing practices today.

You’ve been busy building an empire, your strengths might be in product development or managing personnel. You might not have a clue about marketing and you’ve managed to grow your business to this point just by word of mouth and now you want to take your business to the next level.

Whatever your situation, the company you outsource your digital marketing to should make you feel respected and empowered by working with them. You should work with a company you trust to be transparent with you, not one that tries to dumbfound you with jargon.

Drumroll please for the number 1 on our list…

1. They don’t take the time to know my business

Beware of bundled pricing! As we repeatedly advise customers, “there is no one size fits all solution”. Save your package deals for your takeout orders.

Sure, it’s nice to land on a marketing site and see a menu of what’s on offer and for how much. We get that it feels transparent and straightforward. But it comes at a price.

A package deal usually means that a) you’re paying for things that your business doesn’t necessarily need and b) the company offering the digital marketing services won’t invest the time to fully understand your business because you’ve already opted for a solution.

At jdp, we gain an incredible amount of insight into a business during our intensive analysis and diagnostics phase. Understanding our clients is an important part of our process. This knowledge not only enables us to handcraft the perfect marketing solution for our clients, but it also plays an integral part during execution.

Getting to know you

At jdp we’re aware of the issues that people encounter with digital marketing companies. It frustrates us that our clients have had bad experiences in the past, and it shouldn’t happen. It’s important to feel empowered and that there’s a mutual trust between a business and the company they are outsourcing to.

At jdp, our process relies on our clients trusting us to look into the workings of their business so that we are in the best position to handcraft a tailored business and/or marketing strategy just for them.

If you’re in need of a marketing or business strategy get in touch for a free starter consultation with us.