In a recent Forbes article, Drew McLellan begins a discussion on SEO marketing and what it actually means to “Go Digital.” In the article, titled “Going Digital At Your Agency Isn’t Just About the Tech,” he writes:
“While print advertising will likely never die and niche magazines continue to make a comeback, the reality is that most of today’s agencies lean heavily on some aspect of digital marketing. Whether you’re a digital native who now manages a digital agency or, like me, you’ve run a traditional agency for 25 years, your organization must learn from and adapt to digital skill sets.” (2019)
You can be assured that, at GladDigital, we will match up to the highest standards of digital and search marketing. We will also value traditional views and nurture those views as they are brought into the modern age of marketing. Additionally, we absolutely understand the importance of being adaptive—we are ready to evolve with you using various digital marketing methods.
Although we haven’t been around for twenty-five years—yet—we are constantly trying to adopt this adaptive and fluid perspective. We will never be caught behind the curve when it comes to SEO marketing. McLellan goes on to tell a story of CEO he’s recently worked with:
“This CEO and founder told me that when he first started his web design business, jumping immediately into digital marketing wasn’t his go-to strategy. Instead, he experimented with direct mail and cold emailing because sometimes old-school strategies are simply better at reaching customers. Over time, he gained a little traction and shifted from unpaid strategies (like cold calls and emails) to paid ones; this is where digital marketing made its gradual debut.” (2019).
This story is a commonly told tale in the world of marketing and one that we see personally all the time. It takes time and understanding for companies and business entities to come around to necessary inventions in the field of marketing. And it’s no slight to the heads of these businesses—change is hard, especially for those who value traditional business values. But a marketer is not just supposed to sell you a strategy; he is supposed to be your guide through this change. McLellan continues:
“But even after the transition—where he introduced elements like paid amplification and other digital strategies—he still operated his business by focusing on what was best for its overall health. And that’s key.” (2019)
We agree with McLellan wholeheartedly: first and foremost we are here to work on and bolster the health of your company. If ideas from the old school work, then we’ll go with them. If these ideas need be modernized and updated, then we’ll get that accomplished as well. SEO marketing and marketing are at the cutting edge of your company’s marketing health. He continues with this story:
“Running a successful agency today is about finding the most effective tools for the health of your company and the benefit of your clients. So even under his agency’s new digital era, there will still be aspects that required improvement: He stopped offering print design as well as certain content management sites that clients simply weren’t responding to. Eventually, through trial and error, he found the right digital marketing cocktail that worked best for his clients and his agency.” (2019)
Be it through the health metaphor or the drinking one—McLellan is spot on in his analysis of what needs to be done. Marketing, and more specifically SEO marketing, must bet about a multi-faceted cocktail that is created by a trial-and-error method. This cocktail contains a combination of search-related precision marketing, a content-centric writing strategy, and, of course, the adherence to foundational marketing principles.
In Summary
Let’s talk a moment about failure, because that’s a word that’s used often when it comes to talking about marketing at any level.
For us, failure isn’t failure; we don’t even acknowledge that word (we don’t even know if it exists). Instead, we believe that it’s a crucial process in trial and error that will lead to the best possible results.
We don’t have a prescribed package that we’re trying to sell to you just so we can move on to the next client. We don’t have a specific package because we don’t know you yet, and we certainly don’t know what you need. We learn, we transform, and then we adapt to your specific marketing needs. McLellan concludes:
“It’s easy to get caught up in the hubbub of new digital offerings and tech opportunities, especially when clients are just as excited about them. But as any good leader knows, it’s not about delivering services but about delivering value. As long as that’s on your mind from the beginning, your agency will likely flourish.” (2019)
From a hands-on and cooperative approach of the client/marketer relationship to the focus on well-written and well-placed content, value is always on our minds at GladDigital.
It’s probably the right choice to “Go Digital,” but it might be even better to “Go GladDigital.”
