Don’t fall for a scammy marketing scheme. Follow our tips to hire the right marketing services for your company.
Trusting a digital marketing company with a new project can be tough. In the digital age, it seems anyone can build a nice-looking website and a solid social media presence.
It can be difficult to know which company would be the best for your job. By creating prior expectations and a checklist of needs, finding a high quality marketing company can become a lot easier.
Avoiding a scam
In the past three months, Lemke Media LLC, a marketing company, has become a Google Trends breakout, increasing +2,600 over the past year. What is all the hype about?
A quick Google search will bring you to the brand’s homepage. They have a clean website with a concise message and promise to help influencers succeed with original marketing solutions. While it may look like the average online marketing firm, customers have raised suspicion on their credibility.
Reddit investigation
Three months ago, an Instagram user posted their confusing interaction with Lemke marketing to the marketing subreddit, unsure whether to trust the business.
In 45 comments, other users discussed their suspicious encounters with the company, confirming that they never received the services they paid for.
While it’s tough to decipher whether these allegations are true, going the extra mile to check reputation before using a service could save you the headache of a lost payment.
Finding trustworthy marketing services
One of the best ways to spot a scam is to utilize the Better Business Bureau (BBB), a non-profit company that holds information on the credibility of all registered businesses.
The Better Business Bureau ranks businesses out of five stars based on customer reviews and gives each brand a letter grade based on their assessment.
Based on 7 customer reviews, Lemke Media, LLC has 1.57/5 stars and an F rating. The profile has 6 unanswered customer complaints, some claiming their credit cards are still being charged after they cancelled their subscription.
One user claims after reaching out to customer service number multiple times for a refund, they have been blocked by the company’s phone number.
By utilizing the BBB, you can find first-hand information from consumers and investigate a company’s credibility before hiring a marketing agency or buying a product or service.
Ask tough questions
Even if a business’ website looks professional, make sure it checks the necessary boxes to gain your trust.
- How long has the business been in service?
- Can you find examples of past client work?
- Do they have positive customer reviews? If they have negative reviews, what are they saying?
- Are they available for a consultation to chat by phone or do they only use email?
Using this checklist, or creating your own, can act as a helpful guide when deciding which company to trust. Customer reviews are key in understanding a team’s experience with past clients, and will directly reflect how they treat you.
Form a relationship
Don’t feel rushed to choose a company for your project. Take advantage of free consultations and take time to find the digital strategy for you.
Start by setting up a phone or Zoom call. Ask specific questions and get a feel for the company’s values. Speaking face to face allows for intuition to kick in. Consider if you could see yourself working with them. You don’t want to just hire any agency, you want to hire the right company for your marketing service needs.
Before calling a potential company, create a checklist of needs and deal-breakers to guide your conversation. By setting up consultations with multiple companies, you can compare different communication styles and decide who you will work with best. In addition, before sending any money, make sure they offer the specific digital marketing strategies and services you need.
Big fish in a small pond
When choosing a company to hire, size and success must be considered. Do you want to choose a smaller company where you will be their top priority? Or, would you prefer a larger, more successful company where you will be one of their smaller clients?
While both options have their own set of advantages and disadvantages, it is up to you to decide which choice will benefit your business.
Managing expectations
Once you have done your research to hire the right marketing services for your team, it’s important to clearly outline your expectations to avoid overpromises. When it comes to hiring a marketing team, do not let the excitement of customer expansion lead to false hope.
If a marketing agency claims their services will increase profit, ask for a concrete number. Can they guarantee a rise in Google rankings? Can they optimize your SEO and bring your website to the front page of web searches? Is their proposed digital marketing campaign targeted to your specific audience’s needs?
Hire the right marketing services
At Elevare, our team of experts will discuss your goals to create a marketing plan that will accelerate your business’ success.
For the past seven years, we have helped countless businesses expand their customer base through various marketing channels. We’ve helped to increase profits through search engine optimization, web design, email marketing, social media marketing, content marketing and branding. Our team at Elevare can optimize any digital media platform you need to reach your goals. Whether it’s building a brand, generating more leads, or dominating your market, we can create the perfect solution for you.
Contact us for a free consultation today!