Content Matters
Need a good digital marketing agency? What’s a good benchmark to seek? One word and it’s Content. Yes, content is one of the leading marks of a good digital marketing agency. If you’re looking for a competent, professional, experienced, and effective agency look at their content. Content tells you if an agency has “the right stuff.” In short, their blog, their book/s, speaking, videos, and their writings. Not fiction or fluff, but analysis content, as Seth Godin refers to. Content that reveals how deep, or how shallow, is the quality of their marketing worldview. If they don’t have a blog, think twice before hiring them. Beware the agency with no original, digital paper trail. But why?
Thought Leadership
Because content establishes thought leadership. The variety and depth of a marketing consultant’s blog posts are a window into their thought and experience world. It’s a road map to their grasp of marketing and how it applies to the real world–your world. It shows they can think for themselves. With so many “marketing gurus” and “social media experts” floating around be careful. Often you merely see re-tweets or link-crazy duplication of others content and ideas. An occasional RT or link is worthy, provided it’s in balance. However, beware the consultant or guru who peppers their social media accounts with a blast of articles from other sources. It almost makes social media the lazy consultant’s Xerox machine.
Critical Thinking
If a marketing consultant can’t think for themselves, how can they think for you? A consultant with depth creates original ideas and strategies after listening, thinking, and assessing your businesses needs. Hundreds or thousands of followers on Twitter, Facebook, or LinkedIn does not make a consultant worthy of your time and money. A large following does not make a large brain. In some cases it might, however be careful. The danger with social media is that it sometimes creates shallow competence and a form of unverified celebrity status. Don’t fall for numbers. Fall for competent content as a good starting point.
The Proof Is In The Pudding
Read their posts, Tweets, and overall content. They should have at least fifty to one hundred posts to give you an indication of their depth and competence. Watch their videos. Read the reviews. Writing becomes a resume. It creates a legacy of credibility. Content shows the consultant’s DNA. It also shows if there is a match for your business needs. If a marketing consultant can’t create their own quality thoughts and content don’t risk your hard-earned money.
My hope is that my digital marketing agency and its content, with its human shortcomings and room for improvement, generates revenue and results for small businesses. I write. I think. I create. I keep writing. It makes me become a better agency owner and helps me earn your read. And, if I earn the right to earn new clients through my content, then it’s a win-win for both parties.
You get what you pay for. Content shows credibility. Original content for a digital marketing agency speaks volumes…
Stuart Atkins
Leave a Reply