Investing In Digital Marketing Explained In Plain English

So you've woken up to your organisation's less-than-ideal online presence and need to do something about it. But you're nervous about what it might cost, unsure how to find the right partner, and the whole endeavour puts you way outside your comfort zone. This article tells you everything you need to know to make investing in marketing make sense.

What Qualifies Us To Offer Advice?

We've been around since 2003, and we speak with many business owners and marketing managers. Some are new to digital marketing and need our expertise at a strategic or consultancy level; others are fully across it and only need our expert service delivery. This means we know all about the challenges people face when navigating digital marketing for the first time.

Our conversations with prospective clients have informed the information in this article; we're not covering what we think people need to know; we're putting into article form the questions we regularly get asked and the answers.

Also, we specialise in industrial marketing, where it's common for businesses to have grown successfully without digital marketing but now find themselves playing catch-up, our favourite kind of engagement. In short, we're across our brief and have a track record that illustrates that.

Why Bother At All?

To set the scene, I'll outline why you might want to consider upping your online game; after all, you got to where you are without it, right?

Put simply, most people procure services by either asking for referrals or researching online. According to SEMRush, there are close to 6 billion Google searches per minute. If your business is invisible online, you're probably making life very easy for your competitors.

With few exceptions, having a credible online presence will create more opportunities, no matter what products or services you provide. This includes having a great website and using social media effectively. Regarding social media, there are obvious choices like LinkedIn and less obvious ones like TikTok. Don't rule anything out!

If you're still not convinced, according to Forbes, almost 84% of small businesses said their website plays an important role in their business. If you're not taking your online presence seriously, you're in a minority, and you're losing out. So, let's dive in and demystify the world of generating business online.

Let's Start With Your Website

This article aims to help you understand what you need to cover if you want to generate opportunities online. We'll start with your website.

Why Invest In A Website?

When you're scoping out a potential supplier or partner for your business, their website will probably be your first port of call. So clearly, your site needs to show your organisation in its best light because if someone recommends you, your site will feature in the evaluation process. This is stating the obvious.

Other examples include potential employees checking you out, and what if a potential investor is researching your business? They would also look at your website; what would you want them to see?

Although the website visitors mentioned above could be described as strangers, they are visiting your website because they have, somehow, heard about you. However, there is another group of visitors who find you while researching a solution to a business challenge. These are total strangers who've never heard of you. 

Your Website Needs To Impress Complete Strangers

However, websites play an even more interesting role. They introduce your business to strangers. Let me explain.

If someone refers you to someone else, they will have had a conversation something like, "You're looking for an accountant? You need to speak to Gemini Accountants. I've been using them for years, and they've done a great job for us. Check out their website."

In situations like that, visitors come to your website warm and favourably predisposed towards you. It's all good. Your site could still work against you, but it's unlikely.

However, people who go to Google and type something like "best accountants in Edinburgh" are, assuming they find you in the search results, coming to your company website and brand, stone cold. In these situations, your site has to impress on a whole new level.

The same applies if someone stumbles across you on social media or a billboard advert; they will arrive at your site without knowing if you're worth considering for their requirement. In these situations, they could well make a judgment in just a few seconds.

Now, obviously, that's unfair. They should take the time to dig around and give you a chance to impress, but they won't. According to Nielson Norman, you've got about 10 seconds to impress them.

What Do You Look For?

To better understand this, consider what you look for when a Google search directs you to a website for the first time. You're likely going to be wondering, in no particular order:

• Does this company look credible?
• Do they understand the problem I need to solve?
• Have they solved this problem for other people?
• What do they charge?
• Do they have any reviews?
• Where are they located?
• What sort of businesses do they work with?
• And a whole lot more!

In short, you need to put yourself in the shoes of the person who's trying to solve a problem or has been asked by their boss to solve a problem "Julie, our accountants have messed up again, go find us a new one!".

You need to make strangers feel safe and give them the confidence to contact you and start a conversation. You need to make them feel like hiring you won't make them look silly. In other words, your website has to do some heavy lifting.

Here's a snippet from a recent enquiry we got.

"We are currently seeking marketing support for our company and were particularly impressed by your website."

That says it all. But getting enquiries like this is hard and requires the full attention of the management team, not your intern or secretary. Creating the website your business needs is a strategic endeavour, not a fluffy colouring-in exercise.

Your Website Needs To Get Found

Speaking about hard, all the above supposes people visit your website, but that's not a sure thing. Getting eyeballs on your website, and specifically the right eyeballs —people who might buy what you're selling —is challenging and potentially very expensive.

Additionally, with the advent of AI-enhanced search, it's becoming increasingly challenging. My colleague, Julie, has written an excellent piece explaining how to create an AI search strategy.

The grim reality is that no matter how much you spend on your website, it won't generate any business if nobody finds it. That's why having the right content and search strategy is so important. Without this, your new investment will fail.

So why is content and search so important? Well, we'll cover that in a moment, but first, let's wind up this section on websites.

Get The Website You Need

Too many businesses get the website they asked for and not the website they need. This is one of the reasons we insist on a no-obligation pro bono discovery exercise before starting a web project. Believe it or not, we don't want to build anyone's business the website they don't need just to get the fees; we'd rather walk away.

For clarity, the website you need will tick the following boxes.

• Potential customers will find it through search and social media - because of its fantastic content.
• It will convince people you're worth considering - think first impressions.
• It will demonstrate your capability - think case studies and testimonials.
• It will be easy to live with, update and expand - choose your CMS wisely.
• It will be a serious endeavour requiring C-Suite involvement - don't phone it in.

In short, creating a credible online presence takes effort. It needs buy-in from the highest level and a sensible budget, which we'll discuss later. If you get it right, it will help you grow your business and provide a very good ROI. According to Adobe, over 70% of people are more likely to buy from brands they trust. Building that trust starts with a good website.

Of course, every good website needs great content and search visibility, so we'll discuss that next.

Content Marketing & Search Engine Optimisation

The most misunderstood aspects of creating a great online presence, including websites and the effective use of social media, are content and search marketing. Not only is content hard to produce, but deciding what content to produce often stumps business owners and those tasked with creating and managing websites and social media activity.

All this points to the need for a very clear understanding of what content is and what a good content strategy looks like. So, let's start there.

What Is Content?

This might sound like a daft question, but it isn't. In digital marketing, content is created to attract, engage and convert potential customers. It attracts people who have a business challenge to resolve, engages them by being relevant and well-put-together, and converts them into potential customers by persuading them to get in touch.

Even in a B2B context, the best content educates and entertains; creating that should be your goal, regardless of what you sell. For clarity, when I say "entertains", I'm suggesting your content should be enjoyable and easy to consume. For example, that might mean having an audio version, like this blog post.

Case studies tick the right boxes because they demonstrate how you solved a business challenge for someone else, therefore making you a credible option for someone with the same or a similar problem.

A blog post can also be a very effective way of finding new customers, but again, blogging is totally misunderstood. Writing a self-congratulatory post about how your company has transitioned to hybrid working might make you feel good, but most potential customers will think, 'So what?'

However, a blog post that investigates and explains a common business problem will be found by people who need help, and it could persuade them that you're the organisation to contact. It will establish you as a subject matter expert.

All these points highlight the need for a content strategy, rather than the random acts of content marketing that some businesses practice. But what does that typically look like?

Developing A Content Strategy

According to HubSpot, 29% of marketers use content to attract new business opportunities strategically; this approach is known as content marketing, which is why it has this name.

In essence, marketing is all about understanding your target market and ensuring you provide what that market needs. The Chartered Institute of Marketing provides a more comprehensive and detailed explanation of marketing. Traditionally, understanding what customers need is established through market research. In digital marketing, we can replace market research with, amongst other things, keyword research, something that's universally misunderstood, even by people who work in digital marketing!

In its simplest form, keyword research involves understanding what your ideal customers type into search engines, but why is this information helpful? If you sell accounting services in Edinburgh, and your research confirms that your ideal customers are typing something like "Edinburgh SME accountants" into Google - and you've got the perfect offering for SMEs - you'd want to make sure you showed up on page one, right?

So there you go, you now understand the basics of keyword research. It's about understanding the search habits of potential customers and creating content that secures search rankings. However, that's only the beginning; if you want to understand keyword research in more detail, this Moz guide delves much deeper.

But content isn't just for your website, and it's not just the written word. Your content strategy must consider where your ideal customers are likely to be found. If they enjoy podcasts, you'll need to develop one; if they consume video content, you'll need to determine where to create it. It's all about knowing your customers and where you must be to ensure they find you.

Of course, only being found on Google can be very powerful. That's because, regardless of where your customers hang out online, some or even most of them will also use a search engine when seeking solutions to a business challenge, and this is where things get interesting.

Although getting your content onto page one of a Google search can take what seems like forever, there's a shortcut called Pay Per Click or PPC. Let's investigate that now.

PPC And Other Paid Advertising

Google's paid search infrastructure is a minefield, but if you use a simple approach, avoiding tools such as PMax, you can secure business enquiries without breaking the bank - unless you sell debt recovery services. Incidentally, there's nothing wrong with PMax; it's just not very good for specialist industrial businesses. It gets lost and spouts all sorts of nonsense.

Google Ads are, in general, a great way of securing enquiries you would not usually get. Although you pay Google to send you traffic, as opposed to the free traffic you get from organic search, it's much quicker than trying to rank organically. It provides a wealth of valuable data about your customers' search habits.

According to Unbounce, "paid search is one of the most effective ways to market your B2B business". They point out that most B2B PPC spending is conducted on the four major platforms: Google, YouTube, LinkedIn, and Meta (comprising Facebook and Instagram). Of course, that's not to say that TikTok isn't worth considering - I'm certainly seeing an increased presence there.

The reason paid search can be so effective is that it allows you to be where you need to be when you need to be there. It's less hit-and-miss than organic search and social media platforms. It's more about, if a potential customer does X, show them my advert.

Of course, it's easy to get it spectacularly wrong, but with the right partner, that won't happen. We'll discuss finding the right partner later, but for now, let's examine social media and its role in the B2B digital marketing mix.

Social Media

While Social Media is often perceived as only for B2C, it's equally as powerful within the B2B sector. Social platforms provide a unique way to build trust, demonstrate expertise, and stay top-of-mind with decision-makers. Rather than hard selling, social channels should be used to educate, inform, and engage. Knowing the end user and how they use the platform is essential. Social should be treated as a two-way conversation; you aren't speaking 'at' your audience, you're speaking with them. 

Dialogue, not monologue. Interact, don't broadcast. 

Understanding these key differences can help to create a strong brand strategy. LinkedIn is a prime example of industry networking and thought leadership, while platforms like YouTube, Instagram, and even TikTok can visually turn complex ideas into digestible, informative content. 

Softer metrics are often used to measure success, as opposed to more complex metrics found through paid advertising (CPCs, CTRs, ROI), but are equally important in creating a real-time feedback loop. These are:

• Engagement (comments, shares, saves) - Does your content create a reaction?
• Follower quality - Quality over quantity is key here
• Reach within your industry space - Can you attract the right people?
• Traffic from social links - Can you make people curious enough to want to learn more? 
• Direct messages - Do people reach out to the brand?

So, how does this fit into the wider marketing mix?

Used effectively, Social Media can connect and amplify efforts from other channels (PPC, content, and SEO) by helping to share thought leadership content, promote exclusive assets, and drive engagement with campaign-focused messaging. When aligned with paid media and website content, Social Media can create consistent brand experiences along the buyer's journey. Growing awareness and brand credibility can nurture relationships that, over time, support conversions.

By monitoring KPIs and observing how content lands, businesses can have access to a direct feedback loop from their social media efforts (all of which is free - another benefit over paid channels). This helps to optimise landing pages, provide content for email campaigns, and inform paid search audience targeting. Ultimately, Social Media can reinforce the wider marketing mix by bridging different elements of your strategy and providing insights that can help to refine your goal. Strategically investing in Social channels can generate leads for B2B brands, reinforce authority within your market, and stay relevant amongst the right people within decision-making processes.

Example Costs

This article is about investing in digital marketing, but so far, we haven't discussed what that investment entails in terms of actual, tangible costs. So here goes.

Let's say you run an engineering company that designs and builds industrial ovens. The sort of kit that, say, Warburtons would buy. You're in a specialist market; your kit is known to be best in class by the people who know you, but you're not the only player, and cheaper options are available. Your turnover is currently around £20m.

Given the specialist nature of what you do, you've recognised that to grow, you need people who've never heard of you to find out about you and what you could do for them. It's a common situation for many B2B organisations.

Let's assume you've worked with a specialist B2B marketing company and developed a plan of action for the next 12 months. The plan states the following CHALLENGES:

• Branding isn't standardised, and there are no brand guidelines.
• Messaging is almost non-existent.
• The current website, which was developed in-house several years ago, is no longer suitable for its intended purpose.
• There are no standard document templates.
• Social media has not been adopted at a strategic level.

Furthermore, you've decided hiring a team isn't an option because of the costs, so you're going to hire an agency.

To create a brand bible that provides all the required guidance on colours, fonts, logo usage, key messages, and tone of voice for all future communications, budget between £10k and £20k. Add another £2k to £3k for the creation of a set of standard document templates.

To design and build the website your business needs, assuming you don't want a template-based approach, budget between £20k and £30k and another £10k for the initial content.

Allow £2k to £3k to set up all your required social platforms, ensuring they are on brand.

So we're now at £50k to £60k to be up and running and looking and sounding the part. However, with the branding, website and social platforms in place, we now move on to the growth phase of work. This involves creating new content, including written, video and potentially audio if podcasting makes sense.

For this ongoing effort, it makes sense to set aside a monthly budget of between £5k and £10k, depending on how quickly you want the initial investment to have an impact.

So, for this £20m T/O business that's pretty much neglected its marketing for the last 10 years or more, it's going to need circa £200k to turn things around over the next 12 months.

As you can see, it's a significant investment, which means finding the right agency partner is vital, but how do you do that?

How To Find The Right Partner

Unless you get fortunate, building a strong digital presence is a slog. Some of the work you do will resonate and generate opportunities, while some of it will fail to deliver anything of value, other than the experience gained from the failure. This means you need a trusted partner willing to invest the time necessary to learn about your business and its markets.

Choosing the right agency is the difference between acquiring a powerful growth engine and simply adding a new line item to your expense sheet. The danger lies in partnering with a "vendor" when what you truly need is a "partner."

The Vendor Trap: Billed by the Hour, Measured by the Task

Many businesses fall into the trap of the transactional agency relationship. You know the one: it’s built on timesheets, detailed scopes of work, and a rigid adherence to deliverables. Every new idea is met with a new quote. Every strategy call is meticulously logged. They execute the tasks you give them competently, but they rarely look beyond the brief.

This model is fundamentally flawed for a business with serious growth ambitions. Why?

• It discourages proactivity. If an agency is only paid to execute Task A, there is no incentive for them to spend unpaid time thinking about strategic Opportunity B, which could transform your business. The clock confines their creativity.
• It creates a "them vs. us" dynamic. You become a client to be managed, not a partner to collaborate with. Their primary goal shifts from driving your success to ensuring their hours are profitable.
• It fails in the face of uncertainty. B2B growth is not linear. Markets shift, competitors pivot, and campaigns fail. A vendor-style agency will stop when the initial plan falters, waiting for new instructions. They don't have the commercial or emotional investment to help you navigate the messy middle.

The True Partner: Investing in the Outcome

A true partner operates on a different plane. They understand that their success is inextricably linked to yours. They are the ones willing to do the hard miles with you—the long, often unglamorous, and challenging work that precedes a breakthrough.

This kind of partner doesn't just bill you for their time; they invest their expertise and intellectual capital into your business. They obsess over your metrics—your MQLs, SQLs, sales pipeline velocity, and customer lifetime value (LTV). They challenge your assumptions in a board meeting, bring you unsolicited ideas on a Tuesday morning, and are willing to have tough conversations about why a campaign isn't working and how you address it.

How to Choose an Agency That Will Do the Hard Miles

Finding this kind of partner requires a different evaluation process. You need to look past the slick portfolio and the confident pitch deck.

1. Scrutinise Their Discovery Process. A partner will be intensely curious. They will ask difficult questions about your business model, sales process, and competitive landscape before discussing solutions. A vendor will ask about your budget and deliverables.
2. Challenge Their Thinking. Present them with a real-world problem you're facing. Don't just listen to their proposed solution; dig into their rationale. Ask "why" repeatedly. A true partner will have a strategic framework behind their ideas. A vendor will offer a menu of services.
3. Discuss the Commercial Model. This is the ultimate tell. Ask them how they structure their engagements. While a simple retainer isn't a red flag, look for signs of a partnership mentality. Do they propose performance-based incentives? Do they offer a flexible model that can adapt to changing priorities? If their only answer is a rigid per-hour rate, proceed with caution. The model should reward value created, not hours logged.
4. Look for Cultural Alignment. This is not a soft skill; it’s essential. You will be working closely with these people. You need a partner you can trust, who communicates with candour, and who shares your ambition. When speaking to their references, don't just ask, "Did they deliver?" but rather, "How did they handle it when things went wrong?"

Choosing an agency is not about outsourcing a function. For an ambitious B2B company, it's about bringing in a specialist team that becomes a seamless extension of your own. The right partner won't just work for you; they will work with you, shoulder to shoulder, sharing the risks and celebrating the rewards. They understand that the real value is not in the hours they bill, but in the growth they help you achieve.

Next Steps

This article is a comprehensive guide for B2B businesses, particularly those in industrial sectors, that need to invest in their digital marketing. It argues that a strong online presence is no longer optional for generating new business and staying competitive.

Here are the key points:

• Your Website is Crucial: It's often the first impression you make. It must be professional enough to impress not just referrals, but "strangers" who find you via a Google search. You have about 10 seconds to build credibility and convince them you can solve their problem.
• Content and SEO Drive Discovery: A great website is useless if no one finds it. A strategic content plan, based on keyword research (understanding what potential customers search for), is essential to attract the right audience. The goal is to create educational content that establishes your company as a subject matter expert.
• Paid Ads & Social Media Amplify Efforts: Pay-Per-Click (PPC) advertising is a faster way to get visibility on search engines and provides valuable data. B2B social media, particularly on platforms like LinkedIn, is used to build trust, engage with an audience, and share content, rather than for direct selling.
• It Requires Significant Investment: The article provides a tangible example for a £20m turnover engineering company starting from scratch. It estimates an initial setup cost of £50k - £60k for branding, a new website, and initial content, followed by an ongoing monthly budget of £5k - £10k for content creation and promotion, leading to a first-year investment of up to £200k.
• Choosing the Right Partner is Vital: The most critical decision is selecting an agency. The article warns against "vendors" who are transactional and bill by the hour. Instead, businesses should seek a true "partner" who is invested in outcomes, operates proactively, and is willing to navigate challenges with you. To find one, you should scrutinise their discovery process, challenge their strategic thinking, and analyse their commercial model to ensure it rewards value, not just hours worked.

Now it's time to take those first tentative steps towards creating your organisation's growth strategy. The best time to do it was 5 years ago; the next best time is now.