Bryan CarantoHere at Solutions 8, we believe in honesty as a principle.
While we hope you choose to work with us, we wanted to communicate a few things up front to ensure we are the right fit for your business.
We're growth strategists, not miracle workers.
We like to say that the only thing we do better than digital marketing is managing expectations.
Because here are the facts: Campaigns can (and do) fail. Competitors can bid you out of the market, PPC platforms can change their compliance requirements, the market can shift against your favor, and so on.
In fact, there are myriad factors that determine whether or not a campaign will perform successfully. The good news is that our campaigns very rarely fail, because we know what to look for and how to avoid it.
As a rule, Solutions 8 will not accept clients if we don’t have a reasonable expectation of success. And while we can’t guarantee success, what we can guarantee is insight.
If a campaign is not performing to expectations, we promise to do everything in our power to understand why. Very often, this information can be extremely valuable and help to identify potential future strategies.
There’s a big difference between an explanation and an excuse, and our team always aims to fall on the correct side of that line. So, if you are interested in real results, truthful feedback, and a consultative partnership, we are your team.
We're big on feedback.
Growth requires optimization. Optimization requires data.
The more information you provide on how well your leads are performing, the better your campaign will run. If, however, you are unwilling or unable to provide us with key conversion data, our ability to properly optimize your campaigns will be limited.
For example, when traffic converts into a lead (which we track automatically on our end), the vast majority of PPC managers consider that a “win” and begin optimizing to earn more of those. That’s not good enough for us.
Of the leads that converted, we also want to know:
- Which leads resulted in a closed deal or purchase?
- What is the lifetime value of each closed deal?
- How long is the sales cycle?
- What specific pain points resulted in the final sale?
- Any other information that may influence the direction of your campaigns
This information allows us to further optimize your campaigns and work to identify common denominators that can lead to further growth.
If you are not willing or able to capture and share this information, our ability to optimize ends with simply producing a lead instead of being able to drive traffic and generate leads that we know have a greater likelihood of being higher quality.
(P.S. If you need assistance with choosing and setting up a CRM, let us know. It’s one of the many additional services we provide for our clients.)
We prefer proven business models.
This is not to say that Solutions 8 isn’t happy to help you test your concept in a new market—again, just managing expectations here—but in our experience, businesses with proven models and the ability to scale tend to perform the best.
When working with a startup company (especially those with products or services that are brand-new to market), we are essentially testing the viability of an entire business model inside of an organic ecosystem.
That means an increased number of variables and business elements all have the ability to impact your campaigns’ success. This includes branding, market position, pricing, customer acquisition, sales narrative, closing procedures, and retention.
For organizations with a proven concept and existing market position, the vast majority of these elements have been at least partially vetted. For organizations that are new to market, it is important to understand the exploratory nature of your campaigns.
We are certainly not trying to steer your business away; we love working with startups and have had some pretty outstanding success in the space. However, because we know how sensitive the early stages of a new company can be, it is important to ensure we are properly managing the expectations and risks involved.
We need you to show your leads some love.
When people go shopping online, they want instant gratification; this is true for B2B and B2C businesses alike.
If a user lands on your eCommerce site to buy a product, it needs to be an easy and enjoyable process. If the phone rings, your team needs to answer it. If someone fills out a form requesting more information, someone needs to respond right away.
Because if you don’t do all of these things? You can bet your competitor will. This is simply the reality of the online ecosystem.
Especially in very competitive industries, you will find your competition can be fierce and very efficient. If you don’t have the infrastructure necessary to service high-quality traffic, this approach might not be the best fit for your company.
We don't rush things or make snap decisions.
With paid traffic campaigns especially, patience is a virtue.
Put simply, it takes time to successfully optimize a campaign and position it to scale, and we ask that you trust in the process. Because more often than not, being patient during that initial learning period pays off in the long run.
In the past, our rule of thumb was 90 days for a campaign to be fully optimized. This meant that after 90 days, we would typically have enough data to know whether or not the campaign would work long term.
But as paid traffic platforms become more advanced and expand their offerings, for example with Google Ads’ introduction of Performance Max campaigns in 2021, this may not always be the case. With PMax, the 90-day guideline no longer applies in most cases. Instead, it takes roughly 45 days just to see what we’ve built and how it’s going to work. (Essentially, Day 46 is now Day 0.)
Not only that, but the entire digital marketing industry is evolving at a rapid pace, ushering in new technology and adapting to changes in privacy laws that could further impact performance and growth.
All we ask is that you trust us; we’ve been doing this a long time, and we understand the value of being patient in the short term when the goal is long-term growth.
We want your business.
Hopefully, none of the reasons listed above has caused you to shy away from us as a service provider. Solutions 8 would love nothing more than to earn your business and have the opportunity to help you achieve your goals.
Right now, you are considering placing your trust in our company and letting us manage your hard-earned money in a highly competitive industry.
Lucky for you, our team has spent nearly two decades building solid systems for making sure we find the path to success. And to do that, we start with truth and transparency as the foundation of our relationship.
