Its a new year, lots of new projects in 2014 and a lot to look forward to in 2015. I don’t know about you but 2014 seemed to go by in a flash! As we finished up the year, a few ideas have been popping up in my head lately. How does a virtual search and social marketing group differentiate itself from other services? We’re not a traditional agency model. We’re not a bunch of freelancers for hire. We have similar agreements with clients that a typical agency would have. What are some things that make us different than other solutions?
Below are a few stats that I have come up with so far that can help explain why you would hire us over another firm. Let me know what you think in the comments section or simply email me at sean [at] interactivecleveland [dot] com
A few factors came to mind that most clients would want to consider: (1) cost, (2) experience, and (3) focus.
Cost
Cost is a concern for most small and medium size businesses. We try to stay competitive but don’t price ourselves out of projects. By not having a lot of overhead cost, we can maintain a slightly lower than average bill rate.
Experience
We want to offer the same or better level of experience that most larger full service firms can provide. We also want to offer the same level of customer service that a larger agency can provide. It’s important not to add too many layers to the relationship. One frustration I hear from full service agency clients is that their account service person knows little about strategy. Having a good working relationship is important but you have to bring value to the business if you’re going to be part of the solution.
Focus
Many times we’re competing against a firm with more overall resources at their disposal. Where I feel we can win here is in the area of focus. We’re not designing your trade show signage, then programming your website, then finally building your SEO strategy. We’re focused on search and social (both organic and paid media) with conversion optimization sprinkled in. By staying focused on what we do best, we can deliver results in a way few other full service agencies can at the same price level.