Why Some Singaporean Digital Marketers Don’t Use SEO or SEM Agencies – Agree?

Singapore business owners often have objections when it comes to SEO and SEM agencies.

There are many Singapore SEO and SEM agencies that know how to run successful campaigns and they’re pretty confident in their ability to convert leads into customers who are happy and satisfied. However, there are times in which leads don’t readily convert. More specifically, there are times in which potential customers come up with objections.

Perhaps they think that the agency should drop their prices and persuade the company to lower them. Or maybe they convince the agency to make them a promise that they will not be able to keep. Let’s discuss a few of the most common objections and why some Singapore digital marketers don’t use SEO agencies or SEM agencies.

Objection #1: You’re working with my competition.

One of the most common objections that Singapore digital marketers raise when first speaking with an agency is their competition. While a little experience in their niche may be a good thing, in some instances, they find that the company is working with companies that are in their same niche. And there are a lot of digital marketers who don’t like the fact their agency could be helping their potential competitors. Many wonder how the agency will handle things if their competition was trying to rank for the same or similar keywords. They wonder who would the company show preference to when it comes to higher rankings.

Objection #2: Your rates are higher than expected.

Sometimes digital marketers are less concerned about the competition and more concerned about the cost of the agency’s services. While they may be impressed with the company’s extensive portfolio, they may still feel that the company charges too much. They often compare them to other companies that they get cold calls from, whose rates are much lower.

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Objection #3: SEO and SEM companies don’t seem as if they are really useful.

In some cases, digital marketers are completely skeptical of these digital marketing companies altogether. They feel as if these types of companies only exist to take advantage of business owners who would like to get their website to the top of the search engines. They assume that companies like these intentionally spread misinformation and they need the company to prove how what they offer can be useful to them.

Objection #4: We don’t have the budget.

There are a lot of Singapore business owners who do understand the value of these digital marketing services. And they also know that it is well worth the cost. However, they may be unable to afford the cost upfront. In many cases, these businesses will let the company know that they don’t have the budget for these services but will be more than willing to pay more for higher rankings as the business scales.

Objection #5: We only require short-term, quick results.

There are also businesses that prefer that the company only helps them on a monthly basis. Sure, they are impressed by the company ranking them on Google’s first page, but they don’t think that consistent SEO services or paid media management are necessary. They would much rather be reviewed by the company every now and then. They prefer one-off services and they tend to view any help that the agency gives them as a quick boost for their business.

Objection #6: You can’t make the same promise as the other company.

If the digital marketer has spoken with another company, then they probably already have an idea of what they do and don’t want. And perhaps they want one of the things that the other company has promised them. However, perhaps the current agency that they are speaking with cannot make this same promise. For instance, maybe the other company has promised to get their company website to rank on the first page of the search engine and for a certain keyword. If the very next agency that they speak with cannot make the same promise, then they are going to wonder why. And they are likely to be skeptical.

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Objection #7: Anybody can do what you do.

There are some Singapore business owners who assume that SEO or SEM is much more simple than it looks. In fact, many think that anyone could do the job of a qualified digital marketing agency. These individuals often want an audit so that they can fix the problem themselves. They don’t believe that they need to pay a specialist to do such a simple and straightforward task.

Objection #8: We don’t want you to work with anyone else in our niche.

There are some businesses that are a combination of the types of potential clients we have previously mentioned. In this case, the client thinks that the SEO or SEM agency charges too much. And this is why they prefer not to work with the company monthly. Also, they insist that they don’t want the company to work with others that are in their niche.

Objection #9: We’re not sure if you will make a big difference.

There are some Singapore companies that are looking to become rich and famous. And they hope that this can be done by using an SEO or SEM company to help them gain more exposure. However, these companies often doubt how much of a difference the agencies will be able to make. So before they hire the company, they ask them to do a little work for free so that they can see the results that they are capable of.

Objection #10: We don’t need SEO because we’ve got PPC.

Some Singapore digital marketers are under the impression that just because they have PPC that they don’t need SEO. They assume that paid traffic will always trump organic traffic. In fact, once they have set up their PPC in-house, all they want is for the company to simply point them in the right direction.

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Conclusion

As you can see, there are a lot of objections that potential customers can raise. And this ranges from the price point to question the overall legitimacy of SEO and SEM services. So while an SEO and SEM company may be confident in its ability to attract new leads to a website, it means very little if these objections are not addressed. Above are just a few of the most common that a lot of agencies tend to face.

As a Singapore digital marketer, have you ever had any of these objections? Do you happen to agree with any of these and do any of them apply to your business? Are you willing to share some of the other objections that you have to do business with an agency?

About the Author

Tom Koh

Tom is the CEO and Principal Consultant of MediaOne, a leading digital marketing agency. He has consulted for MNCs like Canon, Maybank, Capitaland, SingTel, ST Engineering, WWF, Cambridge University, as well as Government organisations like Enterprise Singapore, Ministry of Law, National Galleries, NTUC, e2i, SingHealth. His articles are published and referenced in CNA, Straits Times, MoneyFM, Financial Times, Yahoo! Finance, Hubspot, Zendesk, CIO Advisor.

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