Sorting through the countless marketing companies for small business owners can be difficult, and knowing what separates the good ones from the bad is getting increasingly harder. At MarketKeep we have assembled a team of people who have been helping small businesses grow online for years. We have worked with music stores start selling online, hair salons grow their online presence outside of their town, and taken a roofing company from $1 million in sales to $5 million. In this article, we wanted to talk to the small business owners searching for marketing companies for small business owners find out what to look for, what to avoid, and what questions to ask.
So if you are thinking about hiring a digital marketing agency for small businesses, or just need a second opinion on marketing here are some things to consider.
Marketing Companies for Small Business. What to look for
1. Find a small business digital marketing agency that has done it before
There are many marketing agencies, consultants, and freelancers out there. Looking at the landscape of small business, it is interesting to note how many people choose firms based on how their portfolio looks. They get swept up in the design aspect, but never think to consider does it really work? Are these nice websites, print advertising pieces, customer sales funnels actually driving business?
Small businesses don’t have the kind of money to risk when it comes to their marketing budget.
Small businesses must operate on a tiny marketing budget. When your company is doing $300,000 in gross profits – before expenses – you have to be deadly accurate with your marketing.
Find someone or a digital marketing agency that has actually done it. They have either had or have worked with a small business, grown it significantly, and have proven results and analytics to back it up.
2. Search for quality, not quantity
Small business owners need to maximize every dollar they spend. So when comparing marketing companies for small business they get caught up in how much a marketing company will do for them, with the budget they have in place.
For example, if a company is willing to design a 75-page website for $6,000.00 and another company is saying they will design a 30-page website for $6,000.00 make sure to find the difference between the two companies. Maybe the company suggesting a 30-page website has a better performance record of optimizing their website pages. Maybe they design websites that high domain authority and generate high-quality backlinks to their websites.
Quality and experience are important variables when examining marketing companies for small business. A small business marketing agency that produces a ton of content, but not quality content, maybe a worse deal than hiring an agency that produces less content, but has higher engagement levels and overall better design.
3. Work with a digital marketing agency in it for the long haul
Some small business owners are only looking for tweaks to their website, or short-term marketing campaigns. That’s okay. When trying to hire a digital marketing agency for your small business though, find a company that is in it for the long haul. Work with a digital marketing agency that is ready to produce, ready to think of the long term strategy, and is willing to get to work.
Researching marketing companies for small business
1. Get ready to do extensive research
Searching top digital marketing agencies for small businesses is a start but often times will not ensure that you find the best marketing company for your business. By narrowing your options down before even starting your research is cheating yourself out of all the options available to you.
There are thousands of digital marketing agencies out there, and your job is to research the agencies, interact with them, and see how they can interact with your business and your customers. Research digital marketing agencies in your area, and across the United States. Research the digital marketing services they offer, examine the digital marketing services you are interested in, and see if they are a company that would work well with yours.
In your research make sure to visit their website and speak with their team members over the phone. This really helps you to get a feel for their agency. Be sure to take notes on every agency you interact with. When you are finished your initial research phase make sure to start narrowing it down to three or four companies you really like. From there you will be able to get into what matters most to you and choose the winner.
2. Cross off marketing companies for small business that don’t fit the budget
The best marketing companies for small business owners are the ones that understand the budgets of small businesses. The perfect marketing company is out there and will provide small business digital marketing services that you are looking for within your price range. The best marketing companies for small business owners will be transparent about their pricing and will make it easy for you to compare the pros and cons of each.
3. Be sure to shop around
Basically, don’t sign with the first agency you speak with. Even if they check every box on your list, make sure to get a second opinion. You’ll never know if there is an agency that is better than the one you love unless you do your research.
About MarketKeep
MarketKeep is a digital marketing agency for small businesses and start-ups based in Towson, Md. Our goal is to help small business owners plan, place, and optimize their digital marketing strategies. MarketKeep is proud to offer our clients the following services:
Website Design – As a website design company we build websites that represent you and your brand and instantly builds a connection with your customers online. To learn more about our website design capabilities please contact our website designers.
SEO Company – As a Maryland SEO Company, we partner with small businesses to help grow their organic presence online through on-page, off-page, and reputation management techniques. To learn more about our SEO services for small businesses please contact our SEO team.
Pay Per Click Experts – As your SEM Agency MarketKeep will plan, place, and optimize your SEM campaigns so that you are maximizing your SEM campaign. To learn more about our SEM Services please contact our SEM team.
Social Media Management – Tired of running your social media accounts on a daily basis? Not sure what to post? As your Social Media Marketing Assistants MarketKeep will plan, place, and optimize your social media strategies. To connect contact our Social Media Management Team today.
Local SEO – So many of us rely on our phones to find businesses and products that are close by. Don’t miss out on an opportunity to connect with customers in your backyard. As a Local SEO agency MarketKeep helps to position your business online to acquire Local SEO searches. Learn more by contacting our Local SEO Agency Team.