Five “Must-Haves” For Your Next Internet Marketing Consultant

Whether you are a for-profit, non-profit, or government-run organization, marketing is a vital and indispensable component of your growth and success. If you are considering outsourcing your marketing efforts to an internet marketing consultant, then basing your decision on research will help ensure every dollar spent on your online marketing efforts count.

Finding the right internet marketing consultant is a big part of starting on the right foot, and what you need to know depends significantly on the questions you ask. We’ve put together five things you should analyze about the consultant when making a marketing agency choice.

Does The Internet Marketing Consultant Have The Right Experience?

When assessing experience, quality is more important than quantity. You will want to know which companies they have assisted and how and what their credentials are related to digital marketing. There are many different social media channels and alternative marketing efforts that a company can employ.

Knowing their skills and competencies, which platforms they will engage, and how is vital to having the proper insight and gaining a deeper understanding of their potential marketing strategy.

Does Their Work Ethics Match Your Own?

Their values are just as important as their experience. If one thing has withstood the test of time, it is a good work ethic and vibrant company culture. While there is no way to assess work ethic, many tools can help provide insights about an internet marketing consultant’s character and reputation.

You may want to refer to online reviews (such as Google), their Better Business Bureau ratings, or speak to some of their staff to gauge a feel for their reputation and company culture.

Not All Digital Marketing Consultants Are The Same

Another great way to assess a digital marketing consultant’s credibility, experience, and quality of work is by asking for client references. While this may seem like a bold and traditional move, it is still a common practice in marketing. Companies that are proud of their work are usually happy to share a good word from their clients.

Ask for a report on how the digital marketing consultant or agency helped their online presence or drove traffic to the website. While rankings and traffic are significant indicators of an effective internet marketing consultant, you’ll want to know that they can grow your business. Successful digital marketing is measured in sales and users, not vanity metrics like rankings. Shameless plug! Trusted Search Marketing was recently named one of the top small business SEO companies in the country by Design Rush.

Ask To See Case Studies and Sample Client Results

A strong internet marketing consultant with real digital marketing experience will quickly put together case studies based on experiences with previous clients. These will show you different scenarios and challenges put forth, their game plans for tackling them, and the results.

Case studies are a great way to understand how the digital marketing consultant or company works and to put results expectations into perspective. You want to make sure the internet marketing consultant has a wide range of experiences in multiple target audiences and niches. If you see that they have online worked on smaller websites and your website has thousands of pages, they may not be a fit.

How Well Is Their Own Business Represented Online

We saved the best for the last. While this one may seem obvious, it is one of the most important measures and tell-tale signs of a digital marketing company. Their online presence is the face of their own company. How well they maintain their website, the information they share on it, their audience engagement on social media, and blog posts are all signs of their marketing abilities – or lack thereof. If they practice what they preach, it is a good sign that they take themselves and their reputation very seriously and have the skills to back it up.

Bonus: What’s The Quality Of Their Customer Service?

Finally, after asking these questions, ask yourself how you felt during and after your interactions with them. Were they friendly and engaging? Would these be people you could take seriously and also want to go to lunch with? A pleasant encounter goes a long way, and if the company culture is upbeat, this will be reflected in their interactions with their customers or clients.

Remember, a good internet marketing consultant will be a pleasure for their customers to work with from the initial point of indirect contact (think blog posts) and last well after the sale has been made.