So you’ve decided to join the 21st century. You have a site, but alas you need a website consultant to help you bring your site (or perhaps your business) into the modern age..
Most will start with an easy questionnaire to learn a thing or two about your business, however the smart ones will take a deep dive into your business
They’ll figure out what is holding your business back and tell you how to take things to the next level.
So… What Does A Website Marketing Consultant Actually Do….?
Fun fact, this is actually a pretty broad question. Similar to most industries there are a lot of different disciplines.
For example, some might specialize in PPC, SEO, content marketing, social media, the list can go on forever.
That said, generally speaking they should be able to to do the following:
- Identify major issues with your site.
- Tell you which marketing strategies will work best for your business (sorry! There is no one size fits all!)
- Create clear goals that are realistically achievable.
Without further adude, let’s see how a consultant can help you:
1. Identify Big Problems
More often than not, your site, or soon to be site, will have a number of problems. Any good consultant will be able to quickly identify a number of items that are holding you back.
What are some examples of ‘big problems’?
- Fix site errors
- Your site HTML or computer code has some serious issues
- Over paying for marketing campaigns
2. Plan A Website Strategy (That Actually Works)
Once You’ve establish what needs to be tuned up, it’s time to put together a plan that has both short & long term success in mind.
Website Strategy Examples:
- Fix conversation & landing page issues
- Plan high level PPC, SEO, Content, Social Media, strategies
- Set up a sales funnel
3. Implement Quick Wins
Although this isn’t true with every project, any good consultant will be able to implement some fairly straightforward strategies, that will result in quick sales or more traffic to your site.
This way, you’ll quickly see an ROI on your investment and rest assured everything is going in the right direction.
Examples of quick wins:
Increase Conversion Rate
A conversion rate is a percentage based value when someone completes a website action that you want. For example, if someone calls your business or buys something from your website.
If your site already has traffic, often one of the easiest ways to increase sales is to increase the amount of people who buy things from your existing traffic.
Target Low Competition Keywords
If you are not familiar with the term, a keyword is simply a search phrase people search for in search Engines like Google.
According to Scott from Masters of Hosting, one of the easiest things you can do is target low competition keywords, with high buying intent. You can then include those phrases to SEO optimize your content.
The same applies to PPC and other types of paid ads. Rather than going after high competition and expensive keywords, you can go after some easy keywords where searchers demonstrate a high willingness to buy something.
4. Roll Out A Long Term Strategy (ie Do the Work)
Once you start to see some success, it’s time to play hard ball. The biggest wins often come from hard work and pushing forward.
More often than not, there aren’t any short cuts. You have to trust someone to put the work in.
Examples of Long Term Strategy:
Measurable Results
It’s not uncommon, for website consultants to be able to come up with a game plan that has goals and measurable results.
For example, they should be able to give you a general idea of the projected traffic and sales increase.
Content, SEO, Social Media, Paid Ads, etc… Planning
If you are going to implement a content or social media plan, there should be very straight forward goals. Their is very little magic with this stuff.
For example, if you want to put together a content plan, there should be a very specific number of articles that will be published every month.
Keep an eye out for problems
With all things technology, their is always some kind of update or ‘new thing’
Your consultant should have their hand on the pulse of what’s happening.
5. Explain To You Whats What.
Frankly, there is no voodoo in marketing. Steer clear of anyone who is not able to clearly define goals, or the benefits of how a strategy works.
Here are some items that should be easily explained to you:
Terminology
It is not uncommon for marketers to throw around big sounding words or acronyms. They should be able to explain to what all this marketing mumbo jumbo means and its effects on your business.
Impact
Often consultants and marketers want to focus on the ‘new thing.’ Rather than focusing on age old concepts that work.
For instance, that new social media platform might sound great, but you might be better off focusing on basic paid ad campaigns.
It’s not about being cool and the ‘latest and greatest‘. it’s about increasing sales & revenue.
6. Problem Solve
Like most things in life, not everything goes to plan. A website is a piece of technology and technology is always changing.
Since there are lots of updates and new things to be aware of, you need someone who can roll with the punches.
Here are some things your consultant should be able to problem solve and fix on the fly:
Responsive Design
New mobile devices are always coming out. Does your website look great on the latest iPhone or iPad?
Updates
With the internet, one thing is true. Everything is going to change.
What will happen if the interface for paid ads is changed? What if their is a search engine update? How will they problem solve these types of issues? Can they roll with the punches?
Increase Sales
Perhaps traffic has increased, but is sales increasing? How can you change what your site offers to increase sales?
The list is endless.
Can a website consultant help you?’
If you are considering hiring a website consultant. Here are a few tips you should consider:
- Are they able to help you solve major marketing or website issues that are holding back your business?
- Can they implement a long term strategy, where month over month, they can create an ROI for your business?
- Can they problem slove? The internet is a living organism that is always changing, you need someone who can roll with the punches.
Do you have any other thoughts or questions about hiring a digital marketing consultant? Always feel free to reach out and ask questions.
