Integrity is everything in business. It is one of the pillars of my company. We hire by it, we live by it, and we accept clients by it. So nothing bothers us more than when other companies, especially marketing agencies, operate in an unethical manner.
As any good doctor will say, “I know I’m not the only one able to help you, I just want to make sure you’re treated well and receive the care you need.” So whether you choose to work with Identity Dental Marketing or go with another agency, we want to make sure you’re being treated fairly and ethically. Here’s some information to help protect your company from a scam.
Know Where Your Money Goes
It’s a simple concept, but one that is often forgotten: Before you sign on the line, be fully aware of what you’re getting. With Identity Dental Marketing, we’re up-front with our clients about the services we’re providing, the associated costs, and where their money goes. In our proposals, we clearly define the services we recommend along with their fee–like customized website or an ad design. During our marketing planning session, we discuss your goals and make recommendations about what a good ad budget would be, what the target audience should look like, and any other incites that we feel would be beneficial.
A good, honest marketing company will have you pay Google and/or Facebook directly for your ad campaign. By paying Google and Facebook directly, you know that every penny of your money is going toward your ads. Our clients do just this–they pay Google and/or Facebook directly to run the ad, and we get paid directly for our services–like designing and coding the ad.
If a marketing agency is asking you to pay them, and they say they’ll pay Google or Facebook, it should be a big red flag. Why, you ask? Because too often marketing agencies are pocketing at least a portion of the money. Time and again unethical marketing agencies will dazzle a prospective client with a smoke and mirror show: They run a Facebook or Google campaign and show the client unbelievable results and sell them on their services saying that “if you pay us just $1,000 a month, we can get you great ROI. See what we did!” They send a report and the client sees these unbelievable results–but they’re just that, unbelievable. Why? Because it’s all a scheme!
What’s really happening is they’re reallocating funds. The ad campaign they used to wow their prospective clients is probably valued at about $5,000 a month. But once a client signs the contract, what really happens with their $1,000 per month is only about $200 will actually go to their ad campaign. The remainder is thrown into a pot and is poured into the next huge $5,000 ad campaign to pull in the next unknowing victim. Meanwhile your ad yields poor ROI (because $200 a month is nothing in ad spend), and you’re stuck riding out a contract that’s getting you nothing.
The Bottom Line
Make sure you work with a company that is upfront with costs. Always directly pay the digital marketing provider to run your campaign. Know what your contract is actually getting you, and don’t be afraid to ask for references.
This is part 1 of 2 – click here to read on.
If you’re prepared to experience a marketing agency that truly cares about its clients, contact Identity Dental Marketing today to schedule your complimentary marketing planning session.
