Austin Stouffer of Loading Leads Marketing set out to build a company with the sole focus of helping small businesses leverage digital marketing to their advantage. Austin has been in the marketing world for nearly 10 years, with 6 years in digital marketing. Austin has helped hundreds of businesses from commercial landscapers to industrial manufacturers go from virtually no online presence to generating hundreds of thousands of dollars per year in revenue from online leads. He’s here to share a bit about his story and how Loading Leads is positioned to help small businesses across the country gain visibility online.
Q: What motivated you to start Loading Leads Marketing?
A: In my corporate role as a marketing consultant I was consistently running into small businesses who were leary of investing in digital marketing, and either avoiding it all together, or choosing to go the “budget” route, which almost always ends up in a failed strategy. I wanted to create an organization where we could educate small businesses on digital marketing so they could grow their business more affordably without getting scammed in the process. I want to build trust in the digital marketing world, especially with small businesses. So many small-to-medium-sized businesses (SMBs) are spending 100% of their marketing budget on traditional channels, while digital marketing methods nearly always produce more leads at a lower cost. I want to be their business resource. Not just with marketing, but with helping put a full business strategy in place.
Q: What do you offer small businesses?
A: Our primary services are small business search engine optimization (SEO), paid advertising on Google and social media, and general website consulting. SEO includes keyword strategy, content creation, link building, and tracking and reporting. However, we prepare custom strategies for every client based on their needs and goals. Typically we put together a strategy that combines several efforts, such as SEO for the long haul and Google/Facebook ads for speedier results. At the end of the day, we offer businesses more visibility online, whatever that takes.
Q: Why is Loading Leads different from other digital marketing agencies?
A: There are thousands of digital marketing firms, and Loading Leads is different because I have created a company that is transparent, honest, educational, results-driven, and affordable. That combination is often hard to come by. We do not require our clients to commit for six months to a year like most agencies do. We want our clients to choose us because they like the service they are receiving. We also communicate with our clients at least once per quarter, which is rare to see with most agencies who want you to just keep paying them without knowing what you are working on. We want to be held accountable and want our clients to know that their investment is being used wisely. We put a strategy together in month one that tells our clients what they can expect from us, and from there, we continue to build upon that each and every month into the future.
Q: What industries are best suited for digital marketing?
A: There really isn’t a bad business for digital marketing. However, some have better chances of ranking highly on Google than others because of competition. Industries like manufacturing, agriculture, and most B2B businesses with niche products excel on Google because there is not a saturation of content making it difficult to rank. On the flip side, businesses like personal injury law or apparel brands are very challenging because of the volume of competitors online. The short answer is: if your business is selling a product or a service and you can benefit from a few extra phone calls or lead forms each month, then you should be investing in digital marketing regardless of your industry.
Q: What is the #1 drawback small businesses have with digital marketing in your experience?
A: From my experience working with small businesses there are typically two reasons they do not pursue a digital strategy.
First, the cost. Many business owners want to invest $2,000-$3,000 per year into a traditional marketing strategy, like billboards or radio, but then they often do not know if they got any business from their investment. Digital marketing should be run continuously throughout the year with at least a $1,000 monthly budget to yield a return on investment. Almost every small business can afford this, but many see the $12k annual investment and get nervous. Once they look into the numbers and see that they could drive an incremental 30-40 contracts or sales per year, then the question becomes, what if $20k is invested?
The other reason many businesses don’t invest in digital marketing is the lack of trust in the industry. There are many unethical and spammy companies out there that I honestly don’t blame small businesses for not trusting marketing professionals, but that’s why I started Loading Leads. I want to become a partner for businesses. Education is key for long-term success for both Loading Leads and our clients. If our clients understand the work we are doing and the “why” behind it, then our value goes way up. The reason there is a lack of trust in our industry is because there is a lack of understanding, and many digital marketing agencies take advantage of that.
How do business owners or marketing managers start a digital marketing strategy?
A: The best place to start is to understand your own business. Write down who your target audience is, what they like, what their problems are. List your main services or products, and understand how much you can spend to acquire a customer while retaining profit. Are your competitors investing in digital marketing? Not sure? Do a search on Google for your products or services and see who shows up. The answers to these general business questions are very important because they will guide any future marketing effort. If you are looking to run a digital strategy with a partner you can trust, send Loading Leads a message on our website or on our social channels. I love connecting with businesses to see what opportunities are out there for them.
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