Choosing a local marketing company is hard when every one of them promises more calls. These are the six questions we’d ask if we were in your seat, and the answers that should make you walk away.
1. Who owns the website, the Google profile and the ad accounts?
They should all be in your name, with the company added as a manager. If the company owns them, you can lose your reviews, your history and your domain the day you leave. Ask what happens to each one if you stop paying.
2. Can I cancel any time?
Ask what the minimum term is and how much notice you have to give. Some companies lock you in for months. Ours don’t: we bill month by month and if you need to pause or cancel we don’t charge any break fees. We’ll work up until your month is finished.
3. Do you promise rankings?
Nobody can. Google decides where you show up. Walk away from anyone who guarantees page one or the number one spot. A good answer is what they’ll fix, what they’ll track and how soon they expect to see a difference.
4. What will a monthly report show?
It should show calls, form enquiries and what’s changing next. If it’s mostly impressions and clicks, ask how many calls came in. You’re paying for the phone to ring, not for a chart.
5. Who does the work, and who do I talk to?
A one-person studio and a large agency can both do good work, as long as you know which one you’re hiring. In a one-person studio, the person you talk to is the person doing the work. In a larger company, ask who will build your site and who will answer your calls. Be aware that many larger agencies get junior account managers to run multiple business accounts. If a junior is running 15-25 accounts that might mean you’ll only end up with 45 minutes of their focussed time per week.
6. Can I see work you’ve done?
Ask for real projects and, where they have them, numbers the client has seen. If the company is new, ask to see its own work. We’re a new studio, so our portfolio starts with our own projects, and client projects go up as they finish.
Choosing a local marketing company: your next step
Put these questions to every company on your list, including us. Call 0457 064 625, or ask for the free audit and put the questions to us there.