The Right Marketing Partner for Your Self-Storage Business: An Educator as Well as a Vendor
When you decide that you’re ready to make a large purchase, you have questions. For example, imagine buying a new car. You have a specific brand in mind, and you know how to drive. The key is understanding how the vehicle and the accessories work together to give you the best outcome. You can turn the key or push the engine start button to get moving. But, do you know how to connect your mobile devices to bluetooth, operate the AC, and interpret the meaning of those blinking lights on the dashboard? You have questions, and your salesperson should have the answers.
It’s the same thing with your marketing agency. You have some idea of what goes into a marketing campaign, but you’re not sure how to drive it forward to obtain the best outcome. You’re uncertain of the optimal strategy to meet your unique needs. And that’s okay; it’s your marketing agency’s job to make that determination.
Knowledge Builds Trust
You’ve decided to make an investment in marketing agency services because you need the expertise. You’re spending your hard-earned money, and you want to know what you’re getting in return. As new strategies are introduced, your marketer should educate you on their use and effectiveness. The more time your marketer spends educating you, the more trust you’ll have in your marketer and the more confidence you’ll have in yourself.
Marketing is More than A Website
Sure, you have some idea of what goes into a marketing campaign. You know what a website is and you know it’s the primary way to attract and convert new customers. But, do you realize that “marketing is more than a website?” You’ve heard all the acronyms: SEO, PPC, and GMB; but what do they mean? What about digital marketing, creative services, software integrations, and reputation management? This is why you need a marketer who is willing to switch roles from “vendor” to “educator.”
Knowledge Leads to Perseverance, Better Decisions, and Savings
Understanding the Process will Help You Stick with the Strategy: Marketing strategies can take time. You won’t always see results right away. The more transparent your marketer is in explaining the strategies, the more likely you’ll be to stick with the program. If you give up too soon, money will be wasted because the campaign didn’t have a chance to work.
Understanding the Process will Help You Make Better Long-Term Decisions: A clear understanding of how different campaigns work together to create long-term, consistent results will help you make better decisions. This allows your marketer to work more efficiently. Who knows! You might get to the point where you can make a few suggestions of your own.
Understanding the Process will Help You Save Money: Occasionally you’ll hear a marketing buzzword that makes you think, “This would be a perfect plan for my business.” Or, would it? Asking your marketer to implement a strategy that doesn’t fit your needs is a waste of time and money. If you know what strategies work best for your company, you’ll avoid throwing money into campaigns that lead nowhere.
Conclusion
The best marketers understand that educating the client makes their job easier. You don’t need to know how to execute an SEO strategy or create PPC ads. You do need to know what they do, why they’re important, and the expected outcome. A little extra work at the beginning of the client/agency relationship is worth the benefits reaped in the end.
