Whether your digital marketing consultant is simply not getting the results that were promised, or they have caused an outright social media disaster, knowing when to walk away is essential. In the hands of the right consultant, you should see a realistic, sustainable growth across all of your marketing strategies. You may not reach the number one spot on Google overnight (or even in a month), but you should be able to see that work is being done to get you closer to your goals.
If you are working with a consultant who is either extremely inexperienced, unskilled or incompetent however, you will not only see no signs of growth, you will likely notice that you are actually losing followers. Worse still, you might find that your business’ online reputation has suffered as a result of shoddy work.
When to find a new digital marketing consultant
How do you know when to cut your losses and find a new, more effective digital marketing consultant? For starters, you could consider the following warning signs…
Your consultant is over-promising and under-delivering. This is never good, in any industry. If you have had plenty of big promises, but little has been done to get ahead, it may be a sign that the consultant is in over their heads. Brand new consultants with little to no experience often have huge promises that can seldom be carried through. An experienced consultant will know how to deliver realistic timelines and outcomes.
Your consultant is charging a fortune for sub-par work. While a good consultant may not come cheap, it is often a worthwhile investment if they are able to provide you with direction and assistance in meeting your digital goals. If, on the other hand, you are paying a fortune for someone who is not providing work of any decent quality, it may end up costing you more than you bargained for… especially if your reputation is at stake.
Your consultant has made one too many mistakes. Every single person on the planet makes mistakes at some point. There is a fine line between making a mistake and causing a major, public catastrophe however. Swearing, posting inappropriate content, making obvious typos that cause your brand to look bad, handling comments incorrectly or ruining an email, mobile or SEO campaign are all mistakes that should be treated with great caution.
These are just a few of the warning signs that it may be time to find a replacement for your digital marketing strategy. If you’re ready to move on, get in touch today to find out about my digital marketing consultant services.
