You’ll hear a lot about creativity when you start dealing with marketing agencies. They’ll tell you about creative thinking, creative presentation, and creative copy that gets customer’s attention. But creativity shouldn’t be the only result you get. After all, you’re investing a substantial amount of money, and getting “creativity” wasn’t the main reason why you took the plunge!
Sure, creativity is important, but only if it translates into a return on your investment.
That’s right! We’re talking an increased volume of sales enquiries and ultimately, more sales for your business. Here’s what your digital real-estate should be doing for you.
1. Creating Awareness
Awareness is the first step towards making a sale. Quite simply, people need to know that your business exists, and they need to know what problem it can solve for them. Awareness isn’t (yet) money in your pocket, but without it, you won’t get customers. As we so often say: “You can’t sell a secret!”
To get awareness, you need to get prominent exposure. Organic methods can work for you, but they take longer to have an impact. Invariably, raising awareness will involve at least some paid advertising. It doesn’t have to cost an arm and a leg these days, but every cent counts, so whatever the method, it must be effective in generating awareness and, more importantly, leads.
But awareness is only the first stage of the buyer’s journey, and leads are useless unless you do something with them, so your marketing efforts shouldn’t stop there.
2. Promoting Consideration
Just knowing a business is out there and offers X service or Y products isn’t enough. Before people reach into their pockets, they’ll consider their needs and evaluate their options. That doesn’t mean your business has to be cheapest, but if it isn’t, it must have a competitive edge that makes it stand head-and-shoulders above comparable offerings.
Once again, it’s your marketing that conveys the message on your behalf, and although creativity gets the attention you need, it’s content coupled with your business’s reputation that wins over people who are considering spending their money on what you offer.
A great reputation is the result of your hard work, and the place it is recorded for all to see is in your online reviews. Good marketing takes this into account, and although few digital agencies cover this area, YDMA does. Let’s get this straight though, we aren’t looking at faking it. But what we are looking at is helping you make it, by encouraging satisfied customers to share their experiences. How do we do it? Talk to us to find out!
3. Achieving a Decision in Your Favour
Now that you’re on everybody’s radar and they’re considering whether they need what you offer, the next step involves prompting a decision. At this point, you’re still up against your competitors. Thank goodness everyone already knows about your great reputation. Or do they?
This might be the time when they need a case history or a customer testimonial to swing the balance in your favour. Extras like lead-generating promotions that won you contact details and allowed you to stay in touch could be the deciding factor. However, it’s a balancing act.. Bombard their inboxes and feeds with showers of reminders and you’re risking alienation. Fail to stay in touch, and they might just forget who you are! Clinch the deal the smart way.
Marketing is ALWAYS an Investment: Make it Work for You
Whether you choose professionals to do the job for you or undertake it yourself, marketing will always be an investment. As an expert in your field, you’ll know that DIY seldom achieves what you can do as a professional. The same goes for marketing.
The skills that go into getting your business's message across through the three steps of the buyer’s journey aren’t learned in a day, or even a year. And there are so many of them too! There are people who devote their careers to website design, graphic design, the development of functionality, automation, and gaining an understanding of buyer behaviour.
So, the question you have to ask yourself is not: “Can I afford a marketing agency?” Instead, it’s a matter of asking yourself whether you can afford to go without one. And the question you need to ask of your marketing agency is not “How creative are you?” It’s “Can you generate returns on my investment?”
We have those answers, and we have the track-record to prove it. Creativity? Sure, we do that. ROI? That’s our specialty! Want to find out how? Let’s talk! Book your consultation now.