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| Rebekah Brown |
Hello, I'd like to introduce myself so that you know who you're reading. My name is Rebekah Brown and I am CEO of The Marketing Square, a Madison, Wisconsin, and Winter Park, Florida, Ventura & Orcutt, California, and Westland, Michigan, website and ad agency. I'm a journalist, advertising veteran, website designer and SEO/SEM specialist for businesses.
I have been a journalist since 1984. Ad vet since 1996. Web and tech person since 2000. I work with U.S. journalists, military veterans with years of IT and online and website design, and SEO/SEM expertise. My client list is private but I work with attorneys and doctors. Whether they need their website to bring clients through the door or to make a phone call, clients get this in under 180 days.
I help businesses by rebuilding websites exclusively in WordPress with mobile versions included. I write advertising and marketing plans for every client that outlines who will be reached, what will be said, how it will be said online.
I and my team ensure the client, product or service is reaching the target audience. First there's got to be a market demand and a level of quality provided so that website visitors get what is stated. Online research is completed because if you're hoping to beat the million dollar law firm down the street with 150 lawyers, you've got to have a strategy to reach that goal.
You may be a certified attorney who specializes in criminal defense, securities fraud, taxes. You have to be able to show why working with you is better than that Mega Law firm down the street.
If you can't we won't take you on. No need to waste time if goals aren't realistic or you're not willing to turn your website over to The Marketing Square. When we take it on, you'll not touch it again.
We generate everything, manage everything online. Since 2010, we've brought clients five to six figures per month and clients from 6 continents. We create trusted websites that prospects will find online with original content written and produced specifically about the company, brand, products and services.
I and my team ensure the client, product or service is reaching the target audience. First there's got to be a market demand and a level of quality provided so that website visitors get what is stated. Online research is completed because if you're hoping to beat the million dollar law firm down the street with 150 lawyers, you've got to have a strategy to reach that goal.
You may be a certified attorney who specializes in criminal defense, securities fraud, taxes. You have to be able to show why working with you is better than that Mega Law firm down the street.
If you can't we won't take you on. No need to waste time if goals aren't realistic or you're not willing to turn your website over to The Marketing Square. When we take it on, you'll not touch it again.
We generate everything, manage everything online. Since 2010, we've brought clients five to six figures per month and clients from 6 continents. We create trusted websites that prospects will find online with original content written and produced specifically about the company, brand, products and services.
Get Ready to Get Uncomfortable
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| Get out of your comfort zone. |
NOTE: Get ready to get uncomfortable when we talk about your website. Websites are complicated. You might know the law, but you don't know advertising or search engine optimization.
What we talk about is your revenue goals. The ROI you can expect and when clients will make the phone ring.
We say six months, but you'll get clients after the website relaunches. You'll receive steady traffic after 5-6 months.
What we talk about is your revenue goals. The ROI you can expect and when clients will make the phone ring.
We say six months, but you'll get clients after the website relaunches. You'll receive steady traffic after 5-6 months.
That being said, one way to put everyone on the same page and start from the same comfort level is to become acquainted by meeting with the website agency in person. Over coffee, tea, at your office. A face-to-face meeting so we get to know you and your law firm or medical practice.
In-Person Meetings Are Still the Best
There are some meetings that should still be done the old fashioned way, especially when it's done to discuss financial goals and practice issues. Maybe past staff is writing bad reviews online. There may be a stalker, reputation issues from negative press. These are not simple issues and should be discussed along with answers to your questions.Knowing who to trust to handle online advertising and website services is as easy as meeting the owner of the agency in person.
The No. 1 marketing piece for every business is its website. It's a good idea to meet and vet the website agency in person to know the company that will be paid to make the business successful.
Tell Your Story
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| Show & tell visitors what you're selling before they leave |
While business is done online every day, meeting an advertiser or website company owner in person allows a CEO to look the agency owner in the eye.
It allows each party to find out what can be done based on goals and budgets.
Ask a Lot of Tough Questions
It allows the CEO to explain what the problems of the business have been. A website agency should know from the CEO what the successful campaigns have provided in the past.
The CEO can express plans for expansion while sharing the story of the business and how it came to be and its unique selling point.
If there are challenges in the business category, for example, real estate, can a website realistically overcome a struggling economy to generate revenue for a business?
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| Websites are priced like houses: McMansion or a shack? |
How Much Does a Website Cost?
Another major point of the discussion should involve the price for the website build and timing. Will the website be customized or is a common theme used? What will the website be built in? WordPress?
After the website build, who will be responsible for the monthly website search engine optimization (SEO) and search engine marketing (SEM).
What is SEO and SEM and why does the website need it? Is pay-per-click being used?
Is there a team or an individual working on the website?
The most important question is always going to boil down to how long it will take for the website investment to provide new revenue.
When the answer provided is "not long" or "a month or so" be very wary.
Website success takes time. Months. If an agency states it can provide fast or immediate response there should be very big questions on tactics.
Websites Should Bring New Business
At the end of the day, the CEO wants the website to generate phone calls, e-mails, and sales. Every business, its budget, its needs, its products are different. There is not a simple answer to the timeframe for results. But there should be an answer after the questions and answers have been exchanged.
Without the interaction and provision of information between the business and the agency, results will be uncertain.
Trust: You Need to See It
The implication of the contract initially is to ensure that the results, expectations and goals expressed by a business will be met with the work that will be done on the website and online. You have to trust that the work IS being done and you may not know or be able to see or know when changes are made.
Find out how the content is created, who posts it, where, how many people are logging into your website? Are they webmasters or freelancers working in other countries? What security level can the agency provide?
Find out how the content is created, who posts it, where, how many people are logging into your website? Are they webmasters or freelancers working in other countries? What security level can the agency provide?
Clients receive customized plans with direction from the owner on what the strategy, timing and goals will be.
You should get references who you can verify are real former clients. Any review has to be vetted because many people pay for fake reviews. How can you tell the difference? If you don't ask, you don't get answers.
Questions to Ask Website Agencies
- Ask staff, pricing, methods for measuring success and details including where the website will be hosted?
- Is there a need for a complete website build, a redesign or is the look of the existing logo going to work well online?
- Should there be an overhaul of your company?
- What services will be provided and how many hours will be provided?
- What is the advertising skill of the team?
- Has anyone performed advertising for clients prior to becoming a marketing expert?
- Why is this website company a "marketing expert?"
- Is work automated via software or is it done by hand by an actual human being?
- Are clients giving references?
- How will you be communicating and how often?
- Who will provide the website copy?
- Who's shooting and editing video?
- Who's providing the video topics?
- Is there media training for the video?
- Are social media graphics included?
- What are the inclusions in executing copy.
- Will on-page SEO and off-site SEM be included?
Make the time for a meeting. If a company will Skype with you, ask to meet the team. Is the team contract or staff? U.S. or international or both? Vetted or random hires?
By the end of the conversation about websites, SEO, SEM and coding, you shouldn't know what the vendor knows, but you should be comfortable after having met in person.
Contact The Marketing Square for a review of your website. We'll setup a time to talk and get answers to every question.
