A frequent mistake that businesses make is hiring an internet marketing company too quickly — dependent on price. Your website is a visual representation of your business and a poorly designed site can frustrate visitors, misrepresent your products and also lose sales. Before you hire a internet marketing firm, research the answers to these questions:
1. How Much Experience Does The Internet Marketing Company Have? Do They Have Any Special Qualifications Or Designations?
Longevity in the industry is an effective indicator of stability and skill. Internet marketing firms that have been available for a while and built admirable reputations are usually known for sound design work and customer support. Choosing an internet marketing company that has been around longer means they will be more likely to be around down the road for ongoing maintenance and updates to your site.
The answer to the question will give you a general idea about the skill set at the net company. Having a tertiary qualification is good. Having a lot of experience is better, and combining experience with a tertiary education is best.
2. How Many Staff Members Do They Have And WHAT EXACTLY ARE Their Roles?
Bigger isn’t necessarily better in terms of effective web emarketing companies. Companies typically have one designer, a couple of web developers, analysts, and some sales and support people. Some companies use Just-in-Time staffing, adding or removing staff as needed. This helps keep overhead low.
3. In Addition To Internet Marketing, HOW MANY OTHER Services Does The Agency Offer?
Many prominent online marketing firms are branching out and offering other services, including web development and design. SEO , Search Engine Marketing, Web Content Writing, SOCIAL MEDIA, Blog promotion, and Google AdWords Management are services provided by many experienced online marketing companies. The key is getting a company that offers the services you are looking for.
4. Does The Internet Marketing Firm Spend Time With You To Gather Business Knowledge And Give You A Formal Proposal?
It is good to select an web marketing company that will take the time to provide a custom solution for your website. Oftentimes, the online marketing firm offers you a questionnaire to fill out so that they can get a better feel for the goals, competition and overall website needs. Your site will play a large part in your overall brand marketing. Therefore, it is important that your online marketing firm have an obvious picture of your overall internet marketing goals.
5. What Are the Internet Marketing Company’s Payment Terms?
For anything from the small non-profit site to full corporate branding, most online marketing companies will charge an upfront deposit and stage payments predicated on agreed milestones and deliverables. Be skeptical of any internet marketing firm that asks for payment in full before starting the project.