All businesses today need an online presence to compete in a hyper-competitive marketplace. If you don’t have the skills or resources in house, digital marketing agencies are the perfect solution to filling this need.
Digital Marketing Outsourcing Statistics
- Nearly half of businesses (41 percent) reported spending at least a half-million dollars on digital marketing each year, and more than four-fifths of businesses (81 percent) spend at least $50,000, according to the survey.
- 50% of businesses use a digital marketing agency.
- More than half of businesses plan to spend more time and money on social media marketing (64%) and a website (55%) in the next year.
- Nearly one-third of businesses (32%) that don’t use a digital marketing agency and/or a freelancer/consultant plan to outsource their digital marketing efforts in the next year.
Source: TheManifest.com
Every digital marketing agency is unique and may specialize in one or more of the following areas.
Social Media: A Necessity for Business Today
Cutting through the online clutter is essential today for a business to get noticed. And with so many social media platforms available to choose from, it can be confusing and a daunting task for many business owners. A digital marketing agency who can do social media management for a business is proficient first, in helping the business decide which platforms will reach their target audience the most effectively as well as an overall social media marketing strategy. In addition, they can advise on what type of content should be created, and develop a regular posting schedule. The posts all serve to educate, inform and sometimes entertain a business’s target audience, while at the same time building trust and credibility with them. The agency actually implements the social media strategy and is also able to determine through analytics what content is reaching prospects and what they prefer. This enables them to put out similar content that generates similar results, builds further trust and eventually converts them to customers.
Website Design: Your Online Credential
A website is the pillar of a business’ online presence and most digital marketing agencies provide this service. Effective website design is critical in positioning a business for success to inform the prospect about the businesses offerings as well as to educate them about the product and service. Great UX leads to ease of navigation and higher conversions, and coherent branding can separate a business from its competition.
It’s All About Content
Many digital marketing agencies have graphic designers on staff to create eye-catching content as well as copywriters who can create blogs, articles, email sequences and social media posts that convert prospects into customers. Some larger agencies even incorporate video production into their mix as video is becoming a preferred way to consume content by many people.
Lead Generation: The Engine That Drives Your Business
Lead generation is an ever-growing need for businesses of all sizes online today. Reaching prospects in a particular niche or industry has become a specialty of many digital marketing agencies. Email marketing, Facebook Ads campaigns and automated LinkedIn lead generation are just some of the ways that businesses are attracting and converting new customers. Writing ads and email sequences that convert customers has become somewhat of an art and new technologies are being developed all the time to attract customers. Remarketing—also know as retargeting—has become a lead generation staple of many businesses. Used in conjunction with display ads, it allows businesses to have their ads seen again and again on thousands of websites their prospects go to regularly and can increase conversions substantially.
E-commerce and Sales Funnels: The Smart Sales Strategy
The “sales funnel” is one of the most innovative strategies developed in recent history. The sales funnel concept basically “walks prospects down a path” to buy. In a perfect scenario, customers enter the top of the funnel from a social media post, a “free report” on your website or other methods that get their interest. They are then “nurtured” by email sequences, video tutorials and maybe even webinars until they are informed and motivated to buy from you.
And with over 13% of retail sales being purchased online, the e-commerce world is only going to continue to grow. Sales funnels are critical for online retail merchants to develop a following of customers that would traditionally buy in their “bricks and mortar” stores.
Above are just a some of the services that could be provided by a digital marketing agency. Knowledge of software programs, online marketing trends, new social media platforms and the “back end” technology are all critical components for online marketing that most businesses don’t have. In addition, agencies provide the creative side to marketing in an effort to help differentiate their clients online. Thus the need for professional agencies who have the knowledge, skills and the ability to reach customers and develop relationships with them.
Interested in working with a professional digital marketing agency? Contact the Arora Project team here.
