How to Find the Best Internet Marketing Company

Search engines. Social media. Pay per click. Online marketing. Email marketing.

 

What does it all mean?!

 

Even organizations that have been lagging behind in technology are, finally, coming to the realization that Internet marketing is a necessity. Like the “old days” of being listed in the Yellow Pages and having a company brochure, today’s companies need a website and an online plan.

 

Our world is very different now. But what’s been constant for nonprofits and for-profits alike is the need for effective marketing and fundraising. But that doesn’t mean just waiting for clients, donors, and others to fall into your lap.  It means seeking them out and making it easy for them to find you. It means using social media and email to reach out to them. It means creating content that is of value to them.

 

Where do you start?
How do you find someone to work with you can trust? How do you find the best internet marketing company?

 

You might start with a search for an internet marketing company on Google search (or another search engine, such as Yahoo or Bing). But, most likely, you’ll find hundreds of results. That means you’ll need to know how to “weed” through them to find the best internet marketing company!

 

To help you do that, here is a quick checklist of 12 tips on what you should look for to find the best internet marketing company:

 

1.    Comprehensive solutions
Oftentimes, the best internet marketing company is one that provides a variety of solutions that integrate both inbound and outbound marketing, as well as online and offline marketing. Especially for small- to mid-sized organizations that don’t have the budget to hire multiple marketing agencies, such as a PR agency, a social media agency, a website agency, etc., it is beneficial to work with an agency that can provide an integrated approach utilizing a full spectrum of services.

2.    Tracking
A common fear for organizations is investing money in something that doesn’t work. Many agencies launch marketing programs with no monitoring or tracking in place. Be sure to work with a company that utilizes tracking tools and/or identifies specific milestones with measureable results.

3.    Experience
Want to find the best internet marketing company? Look for an agency with lots of experience! It’s not enough for them to have been around for a while or even to have helped create informational websites or social media. You want to look for an agency that has experience creating interactive sites that integrate social media, landing pages, content creation and call-to-action buttons.

4.    Messaging
Have you ever visited a website or picked up a brochure and after spending a few minutes reading the copy, you still didn’t have any idea what the organization does? A good marketing company has a portfolio of messaging and content that demonstrates their ability to create impactful messaging that is concise and easy to understand. Ask them to show you examples of website content, taglines and hook statements.

5.    Success stories
If you are looking to work with the best internet marketing company, then a sure fire way is to talk to other clients and ask them about their experiences with the agency. Be sure to ask about both strengths and weaknesses.

6.    Customer service
Every marketing project has challenges, but what separates the best internet marketing company from the rest is how they handle difficulties and issues. How can you reach them? Do they have 24/7 support, email, chat support? Do you have one contact or a team? Make sure you understand how to get support when you need it.

7.    Straight talk
Find an agency that speaks your language, not techno-speak. Worse, avoid agencies that make their services sound like “brain surgery”. They should understand you, your business, and your ojectives – and then articulate a clear plan to meet them in language you can easily understand.

8.    Realistic promises
Watch out for agencies the overpromise and under-deliver. Unfortunately, getting you to “page 1 in google in one day” – and other overhyped promises – are usually not as good as they sound. In marketing and fundraising, the best results are a result of a long term plan that is consistent.

9.    Affordable
The best internet marketing company is not necessarily the most expensive. Boutique agencies are founded on providing quality service at a price significantly less that the big name agencies. Some small- to mid-sized agenices also offer different solutions for different budgets. Those solutions should be customized to your specific situation and modular so you can easily plug and unplug them.

10. “Bite sized” modules
Many organizations keep waiting until they have more budget so they can spend the “big bucks”. The best internet marketing company is one that can work within your budget parameters. It is one that offers bite-sized modules that are do-able. Think about how far you’d be if over the past year you had done something every single month vs. doing nothing. The nice thing about marketing is it is cummulative. The sooner you start marketing, the sooner you’ll start generating more revenues.

11. Trial period
Not sure you’ve found an agency that is the best fit for your organization? Then work with them on a trail basis and see how they do!

12. Research-based solutions
Last, but not least, the best internet marketing company is one that makes recommendations based on solid research – not crossing their (or your) fingers. Sure, marketing is not strictly a science, but it is not strictly “art” either. There is lots of marketing research by reputable third party research organizations that should guide any good marketing agency in making viable recommendations.