Digital marketing is the future of small business marketing. Consider these statistics:
Businesses that do not adopt a digital approach to marketing significantly hamper their ability to succeed against their competitors. They need to craft an online presence that includes elements such as:
Digital Marketing Assistance: A Necessity and a Challenge
Crafting an effective online presence is not as simple as throwing up a DIY website template and posting occasionally on social media. Effective digital marketing requires intentional and consistent effort across channels in order to create a compelling message that attracts customers.
Most often, small businesses will benefit from the assistance of an experienced digital marketing agency in creating this type of powerful online presence. A team of marketing professionals brings a wealth of experience and tools that make it easier, and even less expensive, for businesses to build a digital marketing campaign that gets results.
Digital marketing assistance may be necessary to a successful online presence for small business, but it can be challenging to come by. There are dozens of agencies from which companies can choose.
Many of these businesses are large corporations that focus primarily on big businesses rather than on local enterprises. However, small businesses also have many choices when it comes to finding a digital marketing agency to assist them.
How should a small business choose? The specific features that appeal may vary from business to business. However, small businesses need to be laser-focused on just a few critical features: (1 Personalized service, (2 Budget-friendly pricing, (3 Versatile and customized features, (4 Localized expertise and commitment, and (5 Integrated marketing.
Here at Distinct, we often hear from clients who are drawn to one of the most well-known integrated digital marketing agencies: Hibu. Hibu’s promise of comprehensive and customizable marketing and web design services appeals to small businesses looking for a one-stop shop for their online marketing needs.
However, when it comes to the five criteria listed above (Personalization, Pricing, Customization, Expertise, and Integration), Hibu falls short in comparison to Distinct. What follows is a look at how Distinct measures up to Hibu in these five areas, and an examination of how small businesses actually fare better with the personalized, flexible, and committed services of our small-business-focused digital marketing agency.
Hibu: An Introduction
Hibu markets itself as “Smart digital marketing made easy.” They deliver a wide range of online marketing services that deliver “synchronized solutions” for businesses’ marketing needs. Some of the services they offer include the following:
One of Hibu’s central offerings is their smart website. They will create a specialized site for clients designed to target a company’s industry and earn more results. They claim that these sites possess advanced technology that is not found in 80 percent of modern websites.
Hibu also prides itself on working with clients to create customized marketing programs that utilize and integrate multiple marketing channels. The result is campaigns that use multiple channels to create a united, and effective, wholev.
Distinct: An Introduction
Here at Distinct Web Design, we pride ourselves on offering personalized, local digital marketing services for small businesses.
Our goal is to save small businesses time and money while increasing their online presence through multiple marketing channels.
We also aim to strengthen communities by helping small businesses thrive through successful marketing advising. Strong marketing and strategy is the key to competing against big corporations and bolstering local economies.
In keeping with these goals, we offer the following services for our clients:
At the heart of the services we offer is our ability to connect clients with local marketing advisors. These advisors know the area where the business is located and provide local expertise to support small business growth.
We also pride ourselves on our cost-effective services. We know small businesses are often working with small budgets, which is why we customize our services to their needs and budgets while keeping our costs low.
The result is customized, cost-effective campaigns crafted with small businesses and their local communities in mind.
Hibu and Distinct: Similarities
As digital marketing agencies, Distinct and Hibu both emphasize a customized, multi-channel approach to marketing small businesses online.
As a result, we are both concerned with creating campaigns that meet the unique needs of each of our clients.
The desire to create powerful digital marketing for local businesses naturally leads to some overlap in the areas of
These similarities, however, do not tell the whole story when it comes to these two marketing agencies.
Instead, there clear differences between us that lead to vastly different experiences for clients.
Ultimately, the experience your small business will have with Distinct will be more personalized, cost-effective, and tailored.
Five Criteria: A Comparison
The differences between Distinct and Hibu appear most clearly when examined through the lens of the five most important criteria for small businesses who are looking for digital marketing support.
When it comes to what Distinct and Hibu can offer in these areas, Distinct stands out. Local, small business digital marketing thrives best in the hands of an agency that puts local, small businesses first.
When every dollar counts, you need the following from your marketing agency: (1 Transparency, (2 Affordability, and (3 Value. Here is how Distinct and Hibu compare in these essential areas.
Small businesses often lack the financial cushion necessary to weather unexpected expenses. They need to know upfront how much money they will have to spend on marketing. Costs must be transparent and easy to understand.
In the area of transparency, Hibu falls short. The digital marketing agency does not advertise their prices online.
Potential clients must go through the sales process and create a customized marketing campaign in order to receive a quote for Hibu’s services.
This process ensures that Hibu’s clients only pay for what they need. However, by not making costs immediately clear, Hibu forces potential clients to spend time on a sales process before they even know if they can afford the services they want.
Distinct, on the other hand, provides costs in a straightforward and easy to understand manner. Upon request, we will send you our Meet Distinct document that provides you with everything you need to know to get started: Including our pricing structure.
See what services we offer. See how much they cost. Then add up your packages and selections to determine your exact monthly cost. No guessing. No sales hoops to jump through. Just straightforward information to guide your marketing decisions.
Thanks to its opaque pricing practices, it is difficult to determine exactly how much Hibu costs.
However, one website review company reported that Hibu’s web design service ranges from $99-$499 with required monthly maintenance fees between $99 and $159.
Thanks to our transparent pricing practices, you can see exactly how much you will pay for any service or package you purchase from us. For example, expect the following prices:
In addition, when you work with Distinct, you work with a business dedicated to keeping prices low. We understand and serve small businesses. That means delivering quality services at a price that fits a small business budget. We always offer you the best prices possible.
The cheapest service isn’t always the best. Instead, you want the service that offers the best value for your money. Getting excellent marketing for a reasonable price is key.
Hibu offers a wide array of services you can use to customize a digital marketing package that works for your business.
These services have yielded many happy customers who report that Hibu delivers marketing results and is easy to work with.
There are, however, a few facts that limit the quality, and therefore the value, of the services you receive from Hibu:
At Distinct, our focus is on delivering marketing results for a cost your small business can afford.
Consider, for example, the services you enjoy for about the same price, or less, than you receive through Hibu:
When it comes to value, we are hard to beat. Expert advice and superior services make our affordable prices well worth the investment.
Even as a small business, you have competitors. Your one-of-a-kind brand has to stand out against everyone else in your area. You need a marketing campaign that will help you do that. You need customization.
How do Hibu and Distinct do when it comes to creating tailored marketing campaigns? Here is a look:
Hibu claims that its smart websites are tailored to your business in order to maximize results. They also claim that they work with you to create a digital marketing plan that is tailored to your business’ specific needs.
When it comes to marketing customization, customers report that the company provides the tailored experience they expect. You do need to be aware, however, that they do not offer email marketing, a powerful marketing tool that delivers $42 in revenue for every dollar spent and that 49 percent of consumers actually want to receive.
Unfortunately, however, Hibu’s websites fall short in a number of important ways:
Hibu uses industry-specific templates for its sites, which could lead to a similar look and feel among websites in the same industry.
Hibu does not offer web design services for e-commerce websites. As a result, their clients lose access to an important method of reaching consumers and making sales.
Here at Distinct, when we say customized, we mean customized. That is why we allow you to:
Our web design and development services are no exception. We build custom WordPress sites that allow you to build custom templates, features, and functionality.
The best part? We can build an e-commerce site for you or add e-commerce functionality to your existing site. Attract customers and make sales from your website and turn your digital marketing efforts into tangible profits with a customizable website.
Local Expertise
Both Hibu and Distinct focus on delivering local marketing support to small businesses. In order to do so effectively, we have to understand both local marketing and the specific geographic areas where our clients live and work. As a small business with local roots, what can you expect from Hibu and Distinct?
Hibu promises localized support for its clients. However, Hibu limits the amount of specific geographical targeting its clients can do. Their clients can only optimize their listings, search marketing ads, and other online efforts for one geographic area.
In addition, Hibu does not necessarily focus its efforts on local marketing nor does it necessarily possess expertise in a client’s local area. Instead, they focus on creating technically sound marketing campaigns focused on best practices–but not necessarily on your particular business or area.
One of the primary benefits of a marketing campaign with Distinct is personal access to marketing advisors. Our local marketing advisors have experience in your specific geographic area.
As a result, they understand and can optimize your online presence, to the ins and outs of your community. That kind of personalized and localized support creates digital marketing campaigns tailored to your business and location.
In addition, here at Distinct, we focus on creating local marketing. Google Ads target as many geographic areas (and other demographics) as you desire. SEO is localized so you rank for searches within your community. Social media sparks conversations with residents of your city or town.
Thanks to these localized efforts, you enjoy greater visibility within your local community. We don’t just get the technical aspects right: We get marketing for your area right.
Hibu offers features that look flashy and appealing. However, the company fails to treat its clients as individual and valuable businesses.
Instead, Hibu treats its clients as part of an assembly line, putting together website templates, SEO, and marketing plans according to pre-set ideas and plans.
While this approach takes into account research and understanding about how marketing works best for each industry, it does not provide businesses with the personal attention they deserve.
As a result, businesses may end up with a marketing plan that does not maximize results for them, within their specific situation and community.
Here at Distinct, on the other hand, we focus on you, our client. You have the opportunity to build a relationship with your local marketing advisor.
Through this relationship, we can hone your marketing campaign. Your online presence becomes specifically tailored to your needs and your location.
Plus, you have the opportunity to reach out at any time for answers to questions, for support, and for brainstorming and suggestions to ensure that your campaign runs smoothly and effectively.
Personalized and customized digital marketing delivers the experience and the results you small business deserves.
Digital marketing consists of multiple efforts spanning multiple channels. A successful campaign may include any of the following campaigns:
When crafting a digital marketing campaign using multiple channels, you must integrate those efforts with each other.
This means that the messaging and branding on your social media ads should match the messaging and branding on your Google Ads, which should also match your web design and landing pages. You need a marketing partner who can do that for you.
Integration is Hibu’s bread and butter. The marketing agency prides itself on “synchronizing” clients’ marketing efforts. You can expect a marketing campaign that works as a cohesive whole because it is implemented and run by a single digital marketing agency.
Here at Distinct, we also focus on ensuring that your digital marketing efforts work together seamlessly. Because we oversee every aspect of your campaign, we deliver results that work together as a single whole to deliver the leads and conversions you need.
Hibu offers many advantages to small businesses. However, when it comes to critical elements such as personalization, pricing, customization, and local expertise, it falls short.
Distinct, on the other hand, provides the personalized, cost-effective, and localized digital marketing services your small business needs.
Avoid big, but impersonal, agencies. Instead, choose the agency that cares about you and your community as well as about delivering top-notch services to improve your online presence.
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