Scott Gombar
I’m going to start with a story. I am changing the names to protect the not so innocent. About two years ago in the summer of 2013 a friend of mine, Josiyah, visited a financial adviser to begin investing in his retirement and provide financial stability for himself and his family.
Josiyah sat with an adviser at Tri-State Wealth Management (I don’t think this is a real company) for two hours. Hannah reviewed Josiyah’s current assets, goals and plans in order to determine the best course of action going forward. Josiyah was 34 years old at the time so Hannah figured there was about 30 years to work with.
The following week Hannah called Josiyah in and reviewed a plan that included him investing approximately $ 500 a month over the next 30 years to help Josiyah obtain his financial goals. Hannah clearly explained all the aspects of the plan including the risks and time involved with the plan. Josiyah agreed and the plan was put into action. Hannah provided Josiyah with an online dashboard where he was able to review how his plan was performing and advised they would speak twice a year just to review how things were working out.
A month later, almost to the day, Josiyah called Hannah and told her to cancel the plan..it wasn’t working. He had only made a few dollars over all in the first 30 days of the plan and had become disheartened with the results to date.
What’s wrong with this picture?
What Does This Have to Do With Digital Marketing You Ask?
I have experienced almost exactly the same reaction with business owners, entrepreneurs and operators about SEO and overall marketing plan results after only a short period of time. Recently I sat down with someone regarding their e-commerce site and how it has gradually declined in sales and traffic over the years. We spoke in person for well over an hour. He expressed his concerns with how he was roped into long term contracts in the past and saw no results. I clearly stated that SEO/Digital Marketing of any site does take time but if done right you will see results. I did not lock him into a long term contract but he stated he understood the time commitment and knew not to expect immediate results.
I also promised a monthly update and got to work. I updated all the SEO on his site. Previous companies definitely did not do a thorough job. There were images without titles and alt tags. The site lacked HTML markup language, keywords in titles and social media signals among other things. I was also to handle his Facebook, blog and email marketing.
A month passed and the results were not spectacular but showed some promise. Sales were down $ 96 from the previous month but unique visitors were up almost 10%. The traffic had improved but sales didn’t which usually indicates a problem with the site itself, or the product. Was someone selling the same product for less? Why were carts being abandoned? Was the site lacking something? Could a special offer persuade people to make purchases? All questions that I was prepared to investigate.
I sent my client an email advising of the results to which he promptly balked at and canceled our agreement. One month in and you’re ready to give up? That might explain why the site continues to draw less and less in visits and sales. Momentum comes to a screeching halt and now the metrics will likely suffer further.
The Lesson
This is not the first time I have run into this. I once had a client focused solely on placing on the first page of Google for a specific keyword that after exactly 5 weeks of trying he told me he was not paying me anymore. 5 days later that keyword was on the first page of Google. He completely disregarded the increase in calls, traffic to his site and emails (which he completely ignored).
Financial Advisers will tell you that most people build their wealth over years and years. Still potential clients will not listen. Yes a few lucky people have struck it rich over night, just as a few sites have rocketed to the top of Google over night, but these are far and few between.
Personal Trainers will tell you that you should lose between 1 and 2 pounds a week and put a customized plan together for you. After two weeks of working hard and losing 5 pounds some will give up because they haven’t lost the other 45 pounds yet. It’s easier to give up than to succeed!
Raising Children requires so much time and energy (trust me, I know). We don’t just stop when they turn one and send them on their way. In many cases they are with us until their mid 20s. Yet so many fathers and some mothers give up on their children at a very early age. We know the results of doing this to a child.
Most of us look at these scenarios and so many others and think to ourselves that person is crazy. Why are you giving up on your retirement planning after a month, your health and weight loss after two weeks..and who in their right mind would turn their back on a child. Yet it happens.
Why would you give up on your digital marketing plan after only a month? A digital marketing plan requires a lot of time, effort and revision. It’s not a set it and forget it program. Constant analysis is required. The analysis then determines the next course of action. Many hours go into developing and executing a digital marketing plan. If a business owner is not ready to commit to a plan for more than a month then they are not ready for success.
Conversely, if a digital marketer makes guarantees such as being number one on Google’s organic search within a few days using fairly common keywords, or promising large increases in conversions immediately you should be weary. These statements are irresponsible as there is no way to guarantee either result. That’s not to say it can’t happen, it just means it cannot be guaranteed.
Why?
Why did I write this? I just felt a need to explain to the business community that digital marketing is not for the faint at heart. No one can truly guarantee dramatic results in a short period of time, although some will try. Like me, many digital marketers will tell you it takes a lot of time and effort to execute a successful plan and you should be prepared to accept that before committing to a digital marketing team. What I will guarantee..1000% blood, sweat and tears given to your plan.
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