Finding

Finding a Digital Marketing Firm: The Top Questions to Ask Before Hiring

50.8% of the global population is already online. Roughly speaking, that’s about 4 billion internet users. Without digital marketing, you’re missing out on a big chunk of your potential audience.

With a professional digital marketing firm on your side, you can reach out to this audience and start growing your business! But how do you choose the right one?

Here are five questions to ask when searching for the best marketing companies. 

Once you find your perfect match, you can start growing and beat out the competition!

What Previous Clients Have You Worked With?

First, test the agency’s experience. Have they worked with another company within your industry before? How did it go?

Find digital agencies that have experience with your industry. That way, you can skip the guesswork. They’ll already know what works.

Make sure the agency is equipped to handle your company’s specific needs, too.

Search for an agency that offers experience specific to your industry and needs. Working with them will become a lot easier as a result. 

What Tactics Do You Use?

Some agencies are versatile and offer a long list of tactics. Others perfect the process for a single campaign. 

Ask if they offer a range of digital marketing services or specialize.

For example, Ignite Digital offers a number of services to help businesses grow.

You might need specific help, such as social media marketing or a new website. When choosing a marketing firm, make sure their capabilities and expertise align with your marketing goals.

How Will You Help Me Achieve My Goals?

Marketers who plan their projects are 356% more likely to have a successful campaign. Before you start working with an agency, make sure they have a plan and process in place.

You can also ask:

• Who will become my point of contact?
• How often will we communicate?
• What tools or software do you use?
• How do you keep up with the latest trends?

Make sure the agency’s process provides everything you need before moving forward.

How Do You Measure Success?

What key performance indicators will the marketing firm look for? How will the plan change if those goals aren’t met?

Marketing requires a lot of analytics. Ask how the company will look at the data so you can understand it when a report comes in. 

This is also a great time to inquire about how often they’ll update you about a campaign’s performance. 

How Much Do Your Services Cost?

Your marketing campaign won’t become a success unless you invest time and money. As you search for a marketing firm, make sure you determine their costs.

They might charge based on a project, monthly, or hourly basis. 

In some cases, the firm will offer you a package deal. Make sure to choose an agency that aligns with your budget and overall marketing goals.

Questions to Ask Before Hiring a Digital Marketing Firm

When you team up with a digital marketing firm, you want to know they have your company’s best interests at heart. With these five questions, you can find the perfect match from hundreds of agencies.

Check out the Digital Marketing section on this site for more helpful tips.

7 Key Tips for Finding the Perfect Financial Advisor

You want to grow your wealth and the easiest way to do that is by working with a financial advisor. And there are plenty to choose from.

Believe it or not, there are more than 200,000 financial advisors in the United States. And with so many, finding the perfect financial advisor can feel like a challenge.

It doesn’t have to be. Read on for a few simple tips to help you find the best advisor for your financial goals.

1. Think About Your Goals

Financial advisors help you build wealth over a long period of time. But they’re better able to do this if they understand your goals.

Think about what you want to accomplish with your investments.

Are you looking to increase your monthly income? Do you want to aggressively save for retirement? Or are you planning for your future to give your family the life you’ve always imagined?

Once you know what your goals are, write them down. It’s okay if they change over time, but this will give your advisor a starting point. And with that starting point, they’ll be able to create a strategy to help you meet those goals.

2. Know How Much You Can Invest

Unfortunately, some financial advisors require that their clients have a minimum amount of investable assets. If you don’t have enough, you won’t be able to work with them.

Think about how much you have on-hand to invest. If it’s just a few hundred dollars, you’re probably better off waiting or finding an alternative. But if you’ve saved up and are ready to get serious about your future, a financial adviser is the smart choice.

That said, it’s okay to start out on your own, especially if you don’t have much to invest. Robo-advisors offer a low-cost alternative to traditional financial advisors. And many investment platforms allow you to directly make trades on your own.

Keep in mind that if you go this route, you’ll want to be careful. Remember, investing on your own means you’re relying on your own experience and knowledge of the industry.

For most people, this means slower growth and less return on investments. And sometimes, it can mean catastrophic losses.

The last thing you want to do is lose all of your hard-earned money on investments that weren’t the right choice for your needs.

3. Get Referrals from People You Know

The best place to start looking for the perfect financial advisor is by talking to your friends, family, and coworkers. Online reviews and internet searches can only tell you so much.

But the people you know are likely the people you trust to recommend products and services anyway. Ask if they have any financial advisors they’ve worked with in the past. And don’t be afraid to ask what they thought about their services.

If they’re comfortable working with them and had positive experiences in the past, you’ll likely receive the same quality service.

And don’t be afraid to ask the people you know if they have any advisors they didn’t like. This will help you narrow down your choices.

4. Look at Their Credentials

Experience does matter when it comes to managing your investments and growing your wealth.

When researching advisors in the area, pay close attention to their credentials. Look for distinguishing certifications like the Certified Financial Planner distinction or fiduciary status.

These help ensure that you’re able to work with an advisor that’s out to help you, not just make a fast buck. You’ll also want to pay attention to their educational background. Remember, you’re paying them to help you make sound financial decisions.

5. Schedule Several Consultations

Remember, you’re looking for an advisor that you can work with for many years to come. And that means you’ll need to interview several advisors before you can find the one that fits your needs best.

Schedule consultations with at least three advisors and see which one you feel most comfortable with.

They should be willing to listen to your concerns and able to answer your questions in a way that you understand.

If at any point you feel uncomfortable, don’t agree to work with them. It’s okay to leave the office feeling like you need to keep looking. Don’t give up. You’ll find the perfect financial advisor eventually.

6. Make Sure Your Comfortable with Their Fees

Financial advisors charge for their services in different ways. Some expect a flat fee each quarter while others charge commission on each trade or investment.

There’s no right or wrong method, but you need to make sure you’re comfortable with how they charge for their services. And you need to be able to afford what they charge for their services.

Before leaving the consultation, make sure they explain their fee structure in detail. If you have any questions or concerns, ask them during the appointment. And if the advisor can’t explain things in a way that makes sense to you, keep searching.

7. Check Online for Complaints

Online reviews are not the best way to judge a financial advisor’s skills or reputation. In fact, most are anonymous and those complaints may not even be real.

Instead of relying on sites like Yelp and Google, dig a little deeper. Sites like FINRA’s BrokerCheck allow you to research individual financial advisors and firms to assess their reputations.

If anyone filed complaints against the broker, you’ll know what they were and what, if anything, happened to resolve the issue.

And if there are no problems, their record will be clean.

Final Thoughts on Finding the Perfect Financial Advisor

Finding the perfect financial advisor takes time and effort. You need to meet with advisors in order to know if they’re the right choice for your needs.

Be patient, do your research, and choose an advisor that you’re comfortable with. This way, you’ll have someone in your corner for the long-run.

Looking for more helpful tips and advice to grow your wealth? Check out our latest posts.

Tips on Finding the Perfect Prom Dress

Finding the perfect dress for any special occasion can be a challenge. But, finding that one of a kind prom dress that fits like a glove and matches the night you’ve been dreaming of since the first day of high school can be an especially daunting task.

If you want to find a prom dress that lives up to your expectations, you’d better get started early.

There’s nothing like waiting until the last minute, ripping through what’s left at your local mall, and walking away with a disappointing prom pick. If you aren’t 100% satisfied with your ensemble, it’s going to show.

This is one night you want to feel confident and look great. And it will be here before you know it.

Will you be ready when your big day arrives?

Read on for tips on finding the prom dress that’s perfect for you!

5 Tips to Help You Find the Perfect Prom Dress

1. Shop for Styles that Flatter Your Figure

One of the biggest mistakes that girls make when shopping for a prom dress is choosing a style that doesn’t match their body type. A dress that looks beautiful on the rack, and great on your best friend, can still be a style disaster for you.

Know what looks best on your figure before you hit the racks. These shape-conscious pointers will keep you focused on the dresses that flatter you most so you won’t waste time on those that don’t:

If you’re blessed with a booty-full body type, with wider hips and not so much up top, avoid dresses that accentuate your bottom half.

What to steer clear of? Drop waist and straight dresses. The line at the waist will add inches and a straight design that fits your top might pull at the waist and hug hips too tightly.

Instead, try a two tone dress that’s top half is a blousy, silk material in a sherbet shade (think light peach, or pale blue) and a high waisted dark (a la pencil skirt) on your bottom half. Glam, sexy, and figure fabulous.

If you’ve spent years hiding your curves in baggy, dark oversized clothing, prom night is the time to shed your fears and the extra fabric and shine like the star you are.

Just because you don’t shop in the petite section doesn’t mean you should hide behind gobs of bulky fabric. Although, might we add, too much skin looks cheap and inappropriate on any figure.

A fitted waist, sweetheart neckline, and long satin gloves are a few ways to add some oomph to your prom look, without adding the appearance of extra inches. Also, look for fabrics sans spandex and avoid ruched fashions.

Strong gymnast body types can have a tendency to come off looking tomboyish in straight sheathed dresses that many magazines tout as a go to timeless style.

This isn’t the time to blend in. Stand out in feminine prints, gathered waists, flowy skirts, and those decadent detailed cut-out designs. They don’t look great on every body, but they look smashing on you.

You lucky girl, you.

You’ve got the body that models are made of. But, those sassy and sexy strapless numbers? Not so much.

We know it’s tempting, but avoid the straight strapless neckline if possible. These flatten the chest. If you must go strapless, match it with a ballerina cut, full skirted bottom half.

Or, skip strapless altogether and try a push-up wired bodice with skinny straps or a sequined dazzling top portion for a little extra boost up top. Or go for draped backless elegance or a mermaid shaped dress that no other body type can work quite like you.

2. Express Yourself in a Color-full Design

The color you wear can be worth more than words, so make sure the color you’re wearing sends the right message.

Look for unique, bold colors to really shine on prom night. Bold, dark hues are not as typical as black but just as shape-savvy.

3. Go Glam

This is the night that you can live out all of your dress up fantasies from childhood. And this year, glam is where it’s at.

Don’t be afraid of daring to wear red (it’s a shade that can look great on anyone). And, go all out with over the top glitz. After all, it’s not everyday that you can channel your inner Marilyn Monroe.

4. Be Different. But Be You.

Who wants to look unoriginal on prom night? No one. But, local department stores often carry styles so similar that you can easily fall into line with the looks everyone else is wearing.

Instead, go online and check out off the beaten path boutiques. Let your creative flag fly high on prom night.

Just don’t get so carried away being different that you forget to be try to you. Sure, no one else might be wearing fuschia florals, but that doesn’t mean you should, either.

Don’t know where to start?

Check out this year’s hottest prom dress trends and soak up plenty of dream dress inspiration here!

5. It’s Not All About the Dress

Your prom dress may be the main dish of the night, but without savory sides even the best dresses can fall flat.

Shoes should be beautiful, but comfortable enough that you can dance the night away if you choose. Go for hot, fashionable footwear that you can walk in without toppling over.

See through pumps are sexy even without a six inch heel. And strappy silver, gold, or sequin shoes are dazzling at any height.

Also, be sure to bring out your best with the right make up pallette. Choose one or two trends to play up your best features (smoky, smoldering eyes, a full, glossy pout, or dew-kissed rosy cheeks).

And, last but not least, use thoughtfully planned accessories to boost your style factor. Dangling shoulder dusting earrings, bangle bracelets, and a simple, satin clutch are just a few accessory trends that we love.

Get Shopping!

Get a jump start on shopping and avoid a last minute dash to find your perfect prom dress. Your much more likely to find a dress you love if you give yourself plenty of time to get something that looks great on you.