If you’re looking for a new digital marketing management company in Toronto, you’re likely wondering how much it will cost, and what your likely ROI is. At 2Marketing, we understand it’s a delicate balance and that businesses in 2022 need to make the most of every single advertising dollar they spend.
Unfortunately, the days of simply buying some ad space in your local newspaper are long gone, and you’ve got to consider how digital marketing services can boost your business’ client roster or online sales.
If you think you need a digital marketing agency but don’t actually know what online marketing is, let us break it down for you simply.
Digital Marketing Services Explained
Digital marketing uses online (internet) marketing and advertising strategies to help grow your business.
Any time you advertise your products or services on social media, email, or Google ads, using search engines, on other people’s blogs or websites, or even through your online store like Shopify or Etsy, you’re using digital marketing.
Services that online marketing agencies provide:
- Search Engine Optimization (SEO)
- Search Engine Marketing (SEM)
- Social Media Management
- Social Media Marketing
- Link Building
- Website Design and Strategy
- Content Marketing
- Blog Management
- Photography / Videography
- Email Campaigns
- Google Ads / PPC Ads
- Social Media Advertising
- Content Generation
- Copywriting
- Graphic Design
- App Development
As the online world continues to grow almost daily, so does the list of services companies like 2Marketing will provide.
Do I Need Digital Marketing?
Most companies in most places around the world really do need digital marketing to succeed in 2022. As we said earlier, the days of simply placing an ad in your local newspaper are over. Here are some compelling statistics that prove the importance of putting a digital marketing strategy in place in your business:
- Is it important to rank high in search engine results? 75% of internet users never scroll past the first page of search engines.
- Is it important for your website to load quickly? Nearly 70% of consumers admit that page speed impacts their willingness to buy from an online retailer.
- As page load time goes from one second to 10 seconds, the probability of a mobile site visitor bouncing increases by 123%.
- The probability of bounce increases 32% as page load time goes from 1 second to 3 seconds.
- 51% of shoppers surveyed say they use Google to research a purchase they plan to make online.
And statistics like these can go on and on and on.
If you’re here reading about digital marketing costs, you probably already know you need the service. So what exactly will it cost?
Cost of Digital Marketing Services in Toronto
Of course, it’s critically important to remember that every business’ marketing plan will vary, therefore, it’s impossible to say exactly how much something will cost. But digital marketing companies will typically price their services in one of three ways:
- Hourly. A company may charge you hour-by-hour for services such as web design, graphic design, etc.
- By Project. The most common method of pricing, your agency may give you one price for completing a set list of work in a certain period of time.
- On Retainer. You may also be able to secure a retainer contract. In this scenario, you’d pay in advance for a certain number of hours’ worth of services. When your hours have been used up, you’ll need to pay again.
So which is best? It depends on what services you need! It also depends on your budget, and make no mistake, a good digital marketing service will be happy to work within your budget.
At 2Marketing, we approach our customers understanding that each is in a different stage of business growth and development. Some have a website that needs tweaking and others have no website at all. Some have a successful ad strategy that they want us to manage and others have never placed an online ad before. So working within each company’s budget is very important to us! We know you need to get the most out of your money, and we’ll craft the absolute best package we can that stays within your budget.
Let’s look at SEO; Search Engine Optimization.
Search engine optimization is the process of optimizing and improving the quality of your website and the content you produce to rank higher in search engine results and augment the quality of the customers landing on your webpage.
Essentially, you need the right people – highly qualified buyers – on your page, and you need them to be able to find your page easily, and stay on it for as long as possible.
In Canada, the average SEO expert charges $50-$250 an hour, with most sitting around the $150 mark.
In Toronto, you may expect to pay on the higher end, around $200/hr, along with other major cities like Vancouver and Montreal.
Why do digital marketing agencies cost more in large cities? Pretty simply, you’ll find more expertise in larger cities where cost of living expenses are higher. While you may find better prices in smaller towns and cities, it’s unlikely those agencies have the depth of staff and expertise an agency in a larger city will have. The same is true in almost every industry on earth; the most successful companies tend to be stationed in cities of commerce. The same is true of the most successful digital marketing agencies.
Your business will also play a role in how much it costs.
Let’s see how your business will actually help determine the cost of your marketing strategy.
Your Business Goals
Your business and marketing goals will almost always dictate the cost of your services. For example, if you plan to increase your website traffic by 100% in 6 months, you’ll pay more than someone who wants to increase their traffic by 25% in 1 year. The higher your goal and the faster you want to achieve it, the more you’ll need to invest in marketing.
Your Current Assets
What condition is your current website in? Did you build it yourself without any thought to SEO, or did you incorporate some basic strategies? If your agency needs to do more work to get your website in shape, it may cost more.
Your Industry
It may seem confusing, but if you’re selling sneakers, you may have a much more expensive SEO strategy than someone selling a much more specific product, like alligator-skin fanny packs, for example. The more specific your product is, the less likely it is to have a lot of competition on Google, thus making it easier – and cheaper – to rank.
As you can see, there are a lot of things to think about when we talk about the cost of digital marketing.
So where can you begin?
We recommend contacting two or three reputable agencies to inquire about what they can offer you.
When you contact a reputable digital agency, they’ll try to learn as much as they can about your company, your assets, and your industry at large. They should take some time to investigate each of these things and learn about your needs and goals. Then, they’ll propose a plan, complete with rates, to help you achieve your goals.
Reputable companies take a few days to prepare this plan because they need to thoroughly investigate before quoting you a price. Remember, no two businesses need the same marketing strategy! So if an agency is able to quote you a price immediately, you may need to be wary of their expertise.
Do I need to hire a local agency?
Technically, digital marketing can be done from anywhere in the world! It is the beauty of the industry! It makes no difference whether your web designer is in Poland or Canada or Brazil. If you can communicate effectively, the world wide web is all the office space you need.
However, there are some reasons you may want to be thoughtful about the city your agency is in.
- Local SEO. While it’s possible for agencies to implement local SEO strategies from anywhere in the world (we do!), it may be advantageous for you to use a company closer to home to handle it. That’s because a local company will know your area well and understand the local customer base better than someone in another country.
- Issues with firewalls and security. At times, IP addresses coming from foreign countries may be blocked from accessing your social media accounts or other logins. These security measures are meant to protect you, but it can be daunting when your Amsterdam-based social media manager is blocked from your Canada-based social media accounts. Make sure your agency has measures in place to keep this from happening.
- Better social media strategies. Local companies will understand your target market better than those who are far away. This is really important when considering how relatable social media content needs to be!
- You may also want to meet in person! And if so, a local SEO expert will probably be up to meeting you for coffee instead of a Zoom call.
While it’s difficult to say exactly how much your advertising agency will cost, we encourage you to reach out to 2Marketing, and other companies you trust, to enquire about rates.
Pro Tip: Want to know what’s more important than rates? Case Studies. You need a company that can provide you with results. A cheaper marketing strategy may feel like the way to go, but if the company can’t get your results, it’s money down the drain. So, above all else, closely investigate the company’s track record of success, and partner with people you feel comfortable with.
