Opinions of an industry derive from personal experience or hearsay. The 2019 Ipsos Global Trust in Professions poll ranked trust levels in politicians at 10 per cent and advertising consultants at eight per cent. Whilst digital marketers were not separated, it would be reasonable to make a similar correlation to advertising.
Significantly, in 2019, the Small Business Ombudsmen, Kate Carnell urged the ACCC to take action against dodgy SEO consultants who were “giving small businesses a raw deal, over-promising and under-delivering”.
I believe it may only be time before unprincipled LinkedIn services face similar scrutiny.
But the reality is every profession has a mixture of good, bad, brilliant and horror operators. No industry is 100 per cent infallible.
Digital marketing is essential for every business in some way. The aim to increase visibility, target, and influence and convert clients is universal. And a strong website, SEO and LinkedIn are vital to attain those goals. And there can be much at stake with constrained budgets, timelines and objectives.
All that glitters isn’t always gold and silver bullet talk can sway. When combined with a lack of awareness of what constitutes a high quality or poor service, the risks are great. Money, time, status and clients can vanish.
There is no quick fix magic solution for sustainable success as it takes time, rigour and strategy. So, it’s vital to have a framework to sift the tin from the gold.
Run from businesses who:
Many of the above compromise reputation damage, profile suspension and LinkedIn “jail”. Remember, huge networks are not a predictor of quality.
Look for business that:
I asked leading digital and SEO specialist Doreen Brown to share her key evaluation tips below.
Run from businesses who:
Look for business that:
There are many top operators in Australia. Identifying them will be more important than ever as businesses move forward from 2020 and the impact of COVID.
Sue Parker, Founder, DARE Group Australia
DARE Group Australia is a valued content partner of Inside Small Business
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