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What you should expect from your digital marketing specialist
Surefire Digital was founded by Rob Jones to provide trustworthy, unbiased advice for companies who wish to improve the performance of their websites. Specialising in the strategic planning of digital marketing campaigns, Rob connects businesses with specialists that he trusts and have proven to be reliable. We are delighted to partner with Surefire Digital in the provision of specialist SEO services.
In part one of our interview with Rob Jones, we discuss what businesses should be looking for in a digital marketing specialist, what inspired him to start the company and why he chose to partner with Momentum.
Jonathan Fink (Momentum): On your site, you describe Surefire Digital as a “digital marketing consultancy”. Could you describe what that involves?
Rob Jones (Surefire Digital): I founded Surefire Digital after working in web design for over fourteen years and had become hugely disillusioned with the way that the companies we were working for had been given really terrible advice. It made it harder for us to win new work, and it was just so frustrating seeing so many agencies out there giving such bad advice and actually damaging their client’s businesses.
If only there were some way that the web design and build industry could have a formal accreditation, but no such thing exists. In the end, I got so frustrated that I decided to make a difference by setting up a company that helps businesses avoid the pitfalls of poor advice. I realised that my offering had to be different; it had to be marketing based and all about helping businesses figure out how to be successful online.
At the centre of my take on digital marketing, are three parts to being successful online: Planning, Production and Promotion. Unfortunately, most businesses aren’t advised to plan first, so by the time they get to the promotion of their site, it’s too late. As a result of missing stage one and having stage two, production, poorly executed, their audience won’t respond to their website.
A company has a much better chance of online success if they have got all three in the right order, and that’s what I do for them. My work is predominantly strategic digital marketing. I often bring in a network of reputable suppliers to fulfil any recommendations. This means that my advice is truly independent and unbiased.
Jonathan Fink (Momentum): Once you have worked with a company on their digital strategy, how involved are you in its execution?
Rob Jones (Surefire Digital): Whenever I begin a project with a new client, I assess what they want to achieve and how they can get there. I’m very involved with the planning stage and if after that stage they want me to be involved, I can advise and give them reputable suppliers. Often my clients trust me and want me to handle everything; in that case I build a team of the best suppliers and manage the project for the client.
Then my involvement comes back in at the promotion stage, but on a purely strategic level. For example, if they need somebody to write copy on an ongoing basis, I can help them find a good writer, but I won’t write it myself.
The planning stage is so critical, and feeds directly into promotion. A key aspect is knowing who the target audience is and how to find them online.
For example, if potential customers are young, they can be connected with online gaming sites, MySpace etc, but that’s only one group of people. Every business has different customers. We examine how to reach them, attract them and encourage engagement with what the client is doing.
I think it’s important to remember that strategy can be tested and measured. With each technique, a company can ‘dip a toe in the water’ for period of time and measure the results. If it’s working, then efforts in that technique can be increased. If not, they can divert effort elsewhere, whilst evaluating the outcomes.
By staying strategic, I can keep sight of the bigger picture, in a similar way to an army commander staying in the tent instead of getting embroiled in the battlefield! If you’re right in the middle of it all, it’s easy to lose perspective.
Jonathan Fink (Momentum): What advice would you give to businesses considering using digital marketing?
Rob Jones (Surefire Digital): When a business is considering this, it’s usually because they’ve identified that what they’re doing isn’t working as well as they had hoped. A business in that position needs to think about their aims and objectives for being on the internet. Those aims and objectives shape their online work for the next 12 months.
Most business owners don’t understand the internet, and are unable to communicate effectively with web professionals as they don’t speak their language. That’s when a business that is struggling online needs a specialist. A digital marketing specialist needs to know those aims and objectives, how they interact with offline activities too and where the business is going over the next few years. They may focus on the online aspects, but their work has to support the offline promotional efforts too.
I would also warn business owners that if they go to an agency, they’ll usually get biased advice as the agency wants to win that work, and make it fit with what they already offer. As I am independent of that, I just advise the company on what’s best for them.
Jonathan Fink (Momentum): What are the most common obstacles you come across when working with a new client?
Rob Jones (Surefire Digital): The biggest obstacle is when a client has already done something very expensive – i.e. they are a long way through step two (production) without having been through step one (planning) at all. It often becomes apparent that what they have could have been done for less money, or could be better, and often both.
A dramatic example of this is when a new client brought me into their project when their new website was at about 85% completion. They had already committed upwards of £30K to this unfinished website and it was so poor that they ended up suing the agency, who went under as a result.
Not planning adequately and then getting poor advice like that is so expensive for a business. It’s not just the cost of the site, it’s also the loss of business and time and effort during what is usually a painful production cycle. I’d guess that it could be a loss of five times the cost of investment.
At a recent presentation I made to over a hundred business leaders I asked; “How many of you have had a bad experience with a web professional?” Nine out of ten put their hands up. That’s another big obstacle: having a bad experience, as it makes it harder to establish trust. But we get there in the end!
Jonathan Fink (Momentum): How do you work with Momentum?
Rob Jones (Surefire Digital): When a client needs specialist SEO work, I introduce them to Momentum, and have done this several times in the last year. One of these clients had been spending around £60k a year on PPC (pay per click), but nothing on organic SEO. I couldn’t recommend Momentum fast enough when I saw that!
Jonathan Fink (Momentum): Have you worked with any other SEO companies and were there any pitfalls?
Rob Jones (Surefire Digital): Yes, I’ve worked with a few. I’d like to think I can spot a cowboy and I know enough about SEO to spot the good ones, as a result I’ve only ever worked with good SEO agencies. Reputation is also important. It’s hard to compare them as they each bring different qualities to the table. I like that though, as the type of business (or sometimes just person) they are may suit different clients.
Jonathan Fink (Momentum): Why have you chosen to partner with Momentum?
Rob Jones (Surefire Digital): I’ve got to know and trust the Momentum team. Momentum is also highly recommended. I feel confident in recommending you to my clients when they need an SEO specialist.
Jonathan Fink (Momentum): Do you consider SEO to be a replacement for PPC? Or do you see them as two techniques to be used in tandem?
Rob Jones (Surefire Digital): They should always be used in tandem; one is never a replacement for the other. SEO is a long term strategy, and by definition PPC is aimed towards short term strategies that can work well. As we saw in the example earlier, to rely on PPC alone is the wrong idea. Any benefits end as soon as the investment does. In PPC, if there is no money, there’s no traffic, no love! Regarding the challenges of PPC, those campaigns need a lot of work, and the sites need to be good. Generally businesses need better campaigns, better optimised sites, meaningful and effective landing pages, and organic SEO.