Digital marketing has become something of a necessity in 2017, it was never a phase or fad; it never became a thing of the past making way to another emerging marketing. Its not even an emerging market anymore, in fact, its the only market. Companies spent on average 25% of total marketing budgets on digital in 2014. But that figure is projected to jump to 75% within the next five years. There are a lot of digital marketing services to choose from whether hiring in-house contractors, outside marketing services or tackling it as a DIY project.

Doing it yourself would require an internet say that many feel they have but lack when getting too in-depth. DIY is a risky proposition as keeping up with social media is a full-time job; not to mention content creation and management is a whole other animal in itself. While hiring your own digital marketing team can be expensive, remember that 30% of consumers do ‘a lot’ of online research for major purchase decisions and 46% say they count on social media when making such hard choices. The best option remains hiring a digital marketing services; you only spend what you use (so to speak), it produces professional results and proven ROI in metrics. Below are four reasons that hiring a digital marketing services is the best digital bang for your digital buck.

1. Website Design
   
   Keeping a website up to date and able to run on updating platforms is vital on creating and marinating customers. If a website can’t handle customer traffic, the consumer takes the hint. The change in a website bounce rate spikes to 100% when page takes 4 seconds or more to load. It jumps to 150% if a page takes 8 seconds or more to load. A site thats even two years old may be antiquated if it has not kept up with changes in the industry. Your site requires updates and maintenance as new devices and browsers change how sites are accessed and displayed.
2. A Social Media Team
   
   Social media requires daily updates, keeping up with current trends and what is viral, customer engagement as well as tracking analytics and adjusting strategies accordingly. 83% of consumers have reported that they have had a ‘bad experience with social media marketing’ so tread lightly and hire an experience. From a business standpoint, a staff member with social media savvy is vital and a daily job but the work is still too infrequent to maintain a full-time staffer. 78% of companies now say they have dedicated social media teams in 2015, up from 67% in 2012.
3. Software Design
   
   Website design has become a lot like fashion in recent years with trends emerging and fads falling by the wayside. A savvy connoisseur could explain the in your face style from 2012 has been replaced by a more minimalist platform with bright palettes and big colors. A consumer could choose a product based solely off the website. Nearly half (46%) of people say a websites design is their number one criterion for determining the credibility of a company. Remember: flash and no substance is dead in the era of over-saturation.
4. strong>Branding
   
   Digital marketing services were originally branded as branding companies. A partnership of creatives that would come in and clean house on the outlook of the company. A united front of digital and traditional marketing has proven to be the most effective as companies no longer look to be scattered and disorganized across the board.Branding has become simple and in the simplest terms possible, explains to the consumer exactly what it is. Your website needs to tell your customer what you do in three seconds or less. 40% of people will abandon a web page if it takes more than three seconds to load.

Have you ever hired a outside digital marketing service? If so leave your thoughts in the comments below.