You’re not alone if you’ve hired the less-than-perfect (okay, maybe completely wrong) person to work on your website, help with getting found on Google or run your social media. It sucks. It’s frustrating. But it doesn’t have to be that way.
When it comes to choosing the perfect digital marketing partner, there has to be a fit. Not just the basic do-what-you-say-you’re-going-to, or show-up-to-meetings kind of stuff. The person working with you on your website, email campaigns, et cetera, has to feel like a natural extension of your team and your business. Someone who “gets” you and your mission in the world. Someone who understands how to use the power of marketing to fuel your business. Really, this applies to anyone you hire, but it’s mission-critical with digital marketing.
Here are four ways to make sure your next partnership is with someone who can bridge the technical gap for you and will successfully take you and your business to the next level.
Step 1: Define ‘Success’
When you think about a project that’s on your plate, what would a successful outcome look like? Do you need to promote an event? Great. How many people need to be there? Do you need an update to your website so that it looks good on mobile?
Your job is to get really specific on what that success looks like for this one particular project or task. What is the outcome you want? Seriously, don’t worry about the how; you need to define the finish line. Grab hold of that vision and keep it in your mind as you move forward.
Step 2: Talk to More than One Potential Digital Marketing Partner
Smart entrepreneurs don’t just latch onto the first person they meet. There are plenty of people out there who have the specialties you need, so ask around.
Whatever route you take, talk to at least two and maybe three specialists about your project. Give them a breakdown about what you want. Get information on how they will help you meet your goals. Figure out if you can create strong communication with them. Honestly, keep talking to different people until you find one that “feels” right. Yes, that is non-scientific, but if you are going to be working with this person, you don’t want to dread having conversations with her.
Step 3: Be Picky
Deadlines are challenging, and we all face them. Obviously, we think about services based on a pending need, and likely there’s a specific timeline involved. Be careful, because deadlines can cause you to make hurried choices on your digital marketing provider. Snap decisions rarely end well.
Look at your calendar and assess your plans for this quarter, for next quarter. Then start looking for professionals to help early on. When you give yourself the time to be picky, your chances of success go way up. It’ll pay off in the long run, and you won’t find yourself stuck with the wrong digital marketing partner.
If your gut tells you “no,” listen! You owe it to yourself, your team and your business to be discerning about who helps represent you to the world. Even if there’s a deadline looming.
Step 4: Choose a Digital Marketing Partner Who Brings Value
There are providers who know how to help with digital marketing tasks. And then there are resources who provide value at every turn. The latter is who you want as your digital marketing partner. After all, we don’t know what we don’t know because, honestly, there are areas outside of our expertise. We need to trust the people we choose to join our team.
After you’ve defined what success is on this project, you should be able to share that with your digital marketing partner, who will take that and translate it into best practices.
You want a partner, a consultant and an expert who can give you custom solutions based on your business and goals, not an order-taker.
Who Is Your Perfect Digital Marketing Partner?
When looking for the best fit to expand your team and help you accomplish your important projects, choose someone who sees your business, understands your goals, offers constructive and useful feedback, and can offer the right insights to help you progress. Keep this in mind and never suffer “hire remorse” again.
Brandy Lawson is the founder of FieryFX, a boutique digital agency, a speaker and a chief online officer-for-hire. Her mission is to help influential women leaders maximize their impact and success by making the right digital decisions for their business.
