www.digitalmarketingdirectory.com.au - Digital Marketing Directory - Australia
Posted on 13/09/2020 in Digital Marketing

The types of Digital Marketing Clients to avoid

The types of Digital Marketing Clients to avoid

Do you recognize any of these clients in your portfolio?

Sit back, grab your popcorn, and see if you can recognize these kinds of clients in your agency. The types of Digital Marketing Clients to avoid are highlighted below in this funny article.


The “Yo-Yo” Client

An agency owner from London spoke of a client who rapidly moved from being highly engaged, stating that the website will make or break his business, to uncontactable for several days. The appearance, and subsequent disappearance, hindered the creative process and affected the project timeline. The client went from ‘go-getter’ to ‘go find me’.


The “Skeptical” Client

Another funny story came from Europe. A client spent 2 days doing ‘due diligence’ on an agency and made them aware of this, before deciding they were a good fit for them.

They wanted to know the mothers’ maiden name, how many pets they owned, and whether they liked ‘skim lattes". Only kidding :)


The “Design by Committee” Client

This client is often a suit from a large corporation. Sometimes, a government employee or public servant. They can’t make a decision at all. Their job is to deliver you the project and tell their boss it’s finished. That’s all. All changes must be run by the committee. The project results in multiple changes as you try to appease all the committee members. A designer's nightmare.


The “Viral” Client

A client approached a Social Media agency in Canada and stated they wanted their brand to go “Viral”. They felt that with a little effort by the agency, any of their make-up posts could go viral. What they failed to understand was that ‘viral’ posts are chosen based on user engagement and are not a guaranteed option. 


The “Visionary” Client

How many times have you been sold the “Vision”? Usually, an entrepreneur with huge aspirations and a low bank balance tries to seduce you into ‘partnering up’ in return for an awesome payday when he strikes it rich. Run a mile. These ‘snake-oil’ charmers never hit paydirt, and if they did, they would never pay you what you were owed.


The “Alternative Contract” Client

A Dutch agency reported that a client presented them with a new contract they had written after accepting the original contract signed by the agency and client some weeks earlier. The client decided to add more inclusions, yet the price remained the same. As a result, the agency decided to terminate the signed agreement and withhold the deposit. The client thought they did nothing wrong.


The “I’ve got a family friend” Client

How many times have you heard this line? The client has a family friend or a second nephew of Aunty Flossy who works in IT and knows about websites. Based on a cut-price deal with their family member, the client feels that you should price match. Another option is when they ask you to ‘tidy up’ their old homemade website that Uncle Freddy built.


The “I’m no expert” Client

Power down your laptop when you hear these words from a client. It’s time to leave the building. The “I’m no Expert” client has been armed to the teeth with ‘great advice’ and wants to help you with the project as they have great insight. Let’s just leave this one here. You often find these clients pretending to be a designer in the admin area of the website.


The “Little Tweaks” Client

My personal favorite. I love it when a client says this. A little tweak often refers to a major functional website alteration. It’s not uncommon for these clients to tell you new keywords once the website is completed.


Thankfully, the team at Digital Marketing Directory have seen them all and help direct their members to engage with clients with a different mindset. Don't be a statistic.

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