Hiring the wrong digital marketing partner can have long-lasting implications on your business. Some of which could damage your practice and your practice’s reputation forever. But how do you go about hiring the right digital marketing agency? Or better yet, avoiding the agency frustrations altogether? There are plenty of self-proclaimed “experts” all claiming they can get you results. So how do you find one that truly can?
You first need to think about what qualities and services you want and need from a digital marketing agency. Are they flexible and do they have the ability to change course quickly if the data suddenly changes? Do they have the tools you need and are all their tools accessible from one dashboard? Do your beliefs and expectations align with theirs? There are lots of things to consider.
From the first point of contact, you will begin to get a sense of what it would be like to work with any given agency. To help get you started, here are 10 common issues physical therapists and pain management specialists say are frustrating to them. These are indications that you might not have a digital marketing agency that’s best suited to your needs.
After we look at these common frustrations, we’ll show you why Surefire Local is the exact opposite of a marketing agency and how our software empowers physical therapists to take control of their online marketing and grow their practices profitably.
10 of the Most Common Frustrations Physical Therapists Encounter with Marketing Agencies
1. Lack of Personal Attention
If a digital marketing agency doesn’t take the time to get to know you and learn about your business, how are they going to effectively market it? The short answer is—they can’t! You will just be another dollar sign to them. And, in turn, you will get the same “cookie-cutter” cut and paste marketing campaigns they are doing for everyone else.
Your digital marketing agency needs to learn your values, KPIs, business challenges, target audience, goals, and target ROI. A marketing strategy that works for a large corporation, might not work at all for a small mom-and-pop business. That’s why customization based on a practice’s specific needs is so important.
2. Slow to Respond
Too many digital marketing agencies over-promise and under-deliver. And when you try to contact them, they are hard to get a hold of and are slow to respond. Then, when you do finally get a response, all you get is excuses, and they don’t listen to what you are trying to tell them. Additionally, since they didn’t listen to your feedback, nothing changes, including the results. It’s as if they are just going through the motions rather than listening to you and making the changes necessary to create positive results.
3. No Transparency
Do you know what your digital marketing agency is supposed to be doing for you? Have they provided you with details about what they are doing and why? Are they providing you with data-driven statistics that what they are doing is working or just providing lip service? As the business owner, you should be given access to all the data, metrics, and statistics for every marketing campaign they are running for you. And, you shouldn’t have to wait for that information.
The best-case scenario is that you have a single point of access to that information. And it should be available to you any time, 24/7/365. Worst case scenario is that you have to wait for that information to be provided to you. Additionally, if there is ever any terminology or marketing practice that you’ve never heard of or don’t understand, it’s their responsibility to educate you.
4. Not Using Data-Driven Metrics
Trust between a business owner and a digital marketing agency is paramount. And if a digital marketing agency isn’t providing you with the data they used to develop your campaigns or the information they used to determine how to spend your money, you have a problem.
Everything your digital marketing agency does should be based on data and analytics. Every marketing campaign should be goal-oriented, tracked, and measured for conversions. If it’s not, you’re wasting money. Having the proper data is the only way for you to make an informed decision about where to invest your time and money.
Many agencies won’t provide their clients with detailed reports and analytics that show what’s working, what’s not, and why. Instead, they give you generalities like the number of clicks, how many likes, etc. These don’t tell you anything. Those clicks and likes could have come from anywhere. You should not settle for anything but clear and detailed reporting—reporting that you have immediate access to at all times.
5. High Rates
Most agencies charge either a fixed monthly rate or a per-project rate. If they are getting you results, you will probably view their rates as an investment. However, if you are paying and not getting results, then you will view their rates as being too high. If you are paying your agency for social media posts or any other task, they need to be able to prove to you that what they did is working and that it’s providing you with a good return on your investment. Can your agency show you how their efforts are bringing you quality leads, new clients, etc.?
6. Slow to Adapt
The digital marketing landscape changes quickly. Unfortunately, some digital marketing agencies get so bogged down by their current clients they don’t take the time to keep up with the constantly changing technology and platform algorithms. Continually learning and keeping up with current trends takes a significant amount of time. More often than not, agencies continue using the technology and marketing practices they’ve always used which, if they haven’t been keeping up, could be out of date and ineffective. However, since they give you a report of their work, they will continue to charge you for their services whether they are effective or not.
7. No Industry Specific Knowledge
A digital marketing agency that promotes all industries is probably not fully knowledgeable in any of them. You know how the saying goes “a jack of all trades is a master of none.” If you currently have a one-size-fits-all agency, it’s time to find one that has industry-specific knowledge.
Your chosen agency should have industry-specific knowledge and expertise, as well as experience in marketing to your local service area, so they can bring you quality leads that ultimately become clients. And remember, no one knows your business like you do. So you also need a digital marketing agency that takes the time to listen to you and customizes your marketing campaigns to specifically meet your needs.
8. Bait and Switch Tactics
Frequently, when signing up with a digital marketing agency, you think you are paying for experts in the field. However, once the contract is signed, your account is passed off to a junior marketer that doesn’t have the knowledge or experience needed to bring you the best possible results.
Additionally, lengthy contracts often contain unclear terms of service that are so broad you don’t know exactly what you’re paying for. This enables the agency to use your money in a variety of ways. For example, pay-per-click ads…does that agency have ad spend limits that protect you from going over budget or systems in place that ensure you are not paying for negative keywords, etc.? Any agency can show you they are running your ads and getting clicks, but what you should be getting are detailed reports with exactly what you are paying for and whether or not it’s working. You need to see proof of results, not proof of work.
9. Little to No Customer Service
Many digital marketing agencies never answer their phone or reply to your emails in a timely manner. That means you must leave a message and wait for them to call or email you back at their convenience, which frequently ends up being days later. If your digital marketing agency can’t even make it a priority to return your calls or emails within 48 hours, at the very least, this shows they don’t truly care about your business, they only care about theirs. Additionally, you should receive the same exceptional customer service whether you are that agency’s biggest client or their smallest.
10. You’re Not in Control of Marketing Decisions
Even though you hire a marketing agency to manage and at times make marketing decisions on your behalf, you still must be given the data needed to make educated decisions about how you want to proceed. A cookie-cutter marketing agency can hinder your practice’s growth by not having the knowledge of how to grow and scale your business. Your chosen agency should thoroughly understand your business and listen to your goals and feedback. Then provide you with a marketing plan that meets with your approval.
Surefire Local Is the Agency Antidote for Physical Therapists’ Digital Marketing Services
As we mentioned early, Surefire Local is not a marketing agency. In fact, we’re quite the opposite. Surefire Local is your all-in-one marketing platform for local businesses. We are laser-focused on helping small and medium-sized physical therapists build their brand, their brand’s reputation, and grow their practice’s clientele and revenue. Our main goal is to help eliminate physical therapy marketing frustrations now and going forward through the use of a next-generation marketing software that places you in control, not anyone else.
Why Should I Use Surefire Local?
Surefire Local is a team of highly trained and knowledgeable group of digital marketing experts. We have partnered with some of the world’s leading businesses such as Salesforce, Yelp, Intuit Quickbooks, and Facebook, just to name a few. We are also a Google Partner, an Inc. 5000 company, experts in optimizing your Google Business Profile (formerly Google My Business), and Google Analytics. And we currently have a 4.5 out of 5-star rating on Google Reviews.
We use a proprietary centralized, all-in-one local marketing platform that enables us to provide you with a wide variety of marketing tools and systems that seamlessly integrate all your data.
The Surefire Local platform integrations include:
- Google Business Profile (formerly Google My Business)
- Google Analytics
- Google Search Console
- Google Ads
- Facebook Ads
- WordPress
- QuickBooks Online
- Salesforce
- Yext
- Social media platforms like Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter
- And a wide variety of CRM platforms
How Is Surefire Local Different from Its Competitors?
We use a platform custom-built for local business owners. We can consolidate all the tools your team uses every day onto one easy-to-use platform. That means you can access everything you need from a single dashboard for a more streamlined process. It also means no longer having to wait for an agency to email you the latest report to see what results you’re getting from your online marketing activities.
Surefire Local provides you with data-driven insights, ROI transparency, super tools and gadgets, cost-effective methods, scalable growth, loads of marketing tools and resources, and we are locally focused.
Surefire Local Offers More Services Than Anyone Else!
- All-In-One Solution
- Reputation Management
- Business Listings Management
- Content Marketing
- Search Engine Marketing
- Social Media Marketing
- Digital Asset Management
- Online Marketing and Advertising
- Email Marketing
- Live Chat and Text Messaging
- Website and SEO
- A.I. Powered Insights
- Competitive Analysis
- Reporting and Automation
- 24/7 Support
Request a Demo and Complementary Analysis of Your Digital Footprint
If you are a forward-thinking business owner who is tired of paying for marketing services that don’t bring you results, consider reaching out to our team. Now is the time to take control of your digital presence. Schedule a complimentary, personalized Surefire Local Demo now. We’d love to show you just how easy and cost-effective using our platform can be. Together we can manage and strengthen all your digital marketing and online activities—activities that actually produce the results you want and then some!
