It’s plain to see that digital communications are becoming an even bigger part of every company’s marketing communications strategy. If you’re excited about the potential of digital marketing and planning on appointing an expert to deal with this area of your business, here are 5 things you should look for in any potential service provider:

1. You don’t need to be big or local to ‘do digital’

But it helps to work with an integrated comms consultancy with a team of experts who have experience outside of the online world and who understand the delicate interplay between traditional and digital media. Your tone of voice on digital channels will always be slightly different to the one you’ll be speaking with in other media (as in most cases, you’re talking directly to your customers), but it takes skill and an understanding of the wider marketing mix to balance the informality of the digital space with the same message you’re offering in the local newspaper.

And the great thing about digital is that it can be done from anywhere, as long as you’re confident that the agency or practitioner you choose will understand the language and culture of the consumer you’re targeting. The UK is a big place – so shop around.

2. Your nephew is cool… but leave it to the professionals

It’s not uncommon to see businesses (small and large) hand over their entire social marketing strategy to the intern or the marketing director’s nephew, who seems qualified because he has a topknot and over 200 followers on Instagram. Your presence on social media is a hugely important part of your corporate identity and should not be taken lightly or put in the hands of someone without proper professional experience in the field. Even with the right support, stay engaged, stay involved - it’s your brand.

3. The digital marketing toolbox is a craftsman’s kit not a DIY playset

Look for experts who have qualifications as well as demonstrable experience. Whilst an education should never be mistaken for good sense, it at least shows that the company in question has invested time and money into their services and will most likely have undergone training on strategy.

One foul move in the back-end of your site can have a significant impact on your search rankings which can be the difference between success and failure for your company or brand – so it’s important you trust that your supplier knows what they are doing.

4. What’s the point?

Chose an agency or practitioner who understands your business objectives and the specific campaign outcomes you are hoping for. They need to be able to explain exactly why they are recommending you post a skateboarding cat video when that seems entirely unconnected to your pharmaceutical business. I love cats on skateboards and can probably defend their inclusion in any social media campaign but if your supplier tells you it’s just because “it’s cool,” it might be time to skate on by.

5. Avoid the snake oil

If anyone guarantees you the number one spot on a search engine or quantifies the exact number of followers they’ll add to your social platforms this week, feel free to walk away. SEO is an ongoing process and social media communities take time to build successfully. Don’t trust anyone who guarantees you amazing results without going into the detail of how this will be achieved. There are many practitioners of the “digital dark arts” and whilst you might quickly build a huge Facebook following or zip up the rankings in the short term, social platforms and search engines are continually finding ways of weeding out fake followers or punishing sites which have followed unscrupulous link-building techniques.

Like any field of marketing there are few shortcuts, just a number of experienced people who know their way and are happy to share their map. Pick a trusted travel partner and good luck with your journey.

 

By Martin Byrne, Digital Communications Consultant at Morrow Communications. 

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