The digital world was once a place where only large businesses were able to successfully promote themselves. As technology has advanced, the doors have opened wide for anyone to have an online presence. However, just because you have an online presence doesn’t mean that it’s a beneficial one.
That’s where a marketing agency, like Dogwood Media Solutions, comes in.
We have a team of professionals who have the skills and capability to make you successful online. We’re always excited to work with new clients and to make their vision a reality. When meeting with a digital marketing team, there are some things that you can have prepared ahead of time that will increase your success and decrease the amount of time it takes to get there.
A Clear Vision
Whether you’re a small business owner, the CEO of a huge company, a church pastor, or the director of a non-profit or ministry, you have to have a vision. There’s no one better to cast a vision than you. Our job as your marketing agency is to elevate your brand, so if you come in with a strong understanding of what your business is and who you are then the whole process is more straightforward.
Here are a few things to think through about your vision:
What’s Your Voice?
In writing, there is always an overarching voice or tone that corresponds to the writer and their personality. Similarly, brands also have a tone. Are you looking to set a professional tone, a witty tone, or maybe a more personable, relatable tone? Determining the voice behind your brand is important because it will impact all the rest of your content. From your website content to your social media posts, we want everything to feel cohesive and authentically you.
What’s the Purpose?
You also need to have a good idea of what the purpose of your organization is. This purpose will help determine what direction to take your marketing. It will also help determine what to accentuate on your website and social media as well as what kind of digital interaction is most important for you.
A Budget
Since digital media is by definition not a tangible product, it’s sometimes hard to wrap your mind around what digital marketing costs. Logos, websites, social media posts, graphic design, ads and more take time and cost money.
According to Forbes, you should expect to spend about 12% of your annual revenue on marketing efforts. However, keep in mind that the more you put into it the more you’re likely to get out.
This leads directly to the next important thing to keep in mind when working with a marketing agency.
Realistic Expectations
Having realistic expectations of what can and cannot be done by your marketing agency is highly important. The reason that you came to a marketing agency is that you want to take your organization to the next level. Ultimately, you want to see it succeed. We want to see that as well! However, this will not happen overnight, and marketing strategies are intricate and constantly changing. Therefore, what worked last quarter might not work as well this quarter.
Make sure that you express your expectations with your marketing agency so that both parties can discuss what is desired versus what is attainable. Being on the same page allows you to stress less, your agency to better do their job, and ultimately for both parties to be more satisfied with the outcome!
Working with a marketing agency can feel overwhelming because it means that you’re giving your organization over to the hands of someone else instead of doing everything yourself. We at Dogwood want to make that process as easy as possible. If you come in with a strong vision of who you are, where you want to be, and a realistic timeframe to achieve it then we can make it happen.
Everything we do at Dogwood is made with love. So don’t worry, we love your company too!
