We have been in a lot of meetings, with a lot of different types of people in many industries. Experience has taught us that although you can have broad general knowledge, it’s impossible to have specific knowledge about everything. So sometimes, when we meet with a client, we literally have no idea about exactly what they do. This is why marketing exists though. Just like us, potential clients finding you for the first time, are looking to you for guidance on what you do and how you do it. If it isn’t clear or you’re too long winded, they will leave and find another business. With those things in mind, here are some common questions clients ask.
Should we know exactly what we want on our website?
The answer is always no. There has never been a case where the process of building a site or web identity didn’t spark some additional ideas or change. If the answer was yes, it would be likely that you didn’t need us. In fact, we find it fulfilling that even contemplating site content helps you to dive back into your business. Often, just investing money into your brand, suddenly causes you to evaluate how you are being perceived, how people are finding you and how you may be losing potential clients and employees.
Will having a new website mean we will have more traffic?
The answer to this one is almost always no as well. Unless you are needing an upgrade to handle intense current growth or have a service or product that has gone viral, you will have the same traffic as you currently do. This is one of the most common misconceptions that we see. As marketers we have the ability to help you gain visibility to potential customers. This isn’t a one way street though, as it requires work from both client and marketer. Now the balance of the work can fall more heavily on the marketer, but that will be additional cost. Ultimately, you are paying for experience, knowledge, expertise, design skills and time; the longer it takes, the more it will cost. The best results will always come from you soliciting your business with us giving you a (big) boost.
Do I need SEO and SEM?
Well really the first question would be, what is SEO and SEM? (See the answer to that here.) After that conversation you could have a 30 minute long dissertation about the complexity of both of those. Instead of boring the clients to death with information they will never use we always just say this; both are beneficial but SEM is good for quick traffic and SEO is an investment for good long term traffic. If you want more detail than that, believe me, we’d be happy to talk your ear off.
How long does it take to get “XYZ” done?
That’s a great question too, and everyone asks it. Most projects are 2 weeks or less unless it’s very complex or has a lot of moving parts. We pride ourselves in doing everything in-house and not farming it all out. This give us the ability to make sure that quality is always great. Sometimes the answer to this question is based on your business as well. Sometimes we can complete what you want way before you are ready to unveil it. In that case, we plan to be ready at a good time for you.
Is it ok that I don’t know exactly what I want?
Yes! One of the best things about deciding that you need a change is going through all the possibilities and dreaming about the future. One of the more surprising things to clients is that we ask about emotions and colors they associate with the business. Far too often, inexperienced marketers will overlook this part of consumer psychology. Here’s a cool article about how color affects marketing.
Don’t be shy, we love questions. The more you tell us about what makes your business and customers tick, the better decisions we can make for you.
