All of this takes hard work.

3. Not all specialists are good specialists. So many people have moved into the digital marketing specialist space. There are probably millions of people specializing in the various channels: SEO, online ads, sites, social, video, email . . . and within those channels, each specialist has his or her own favorite set of tools and methods. There are also people who specialize in the creative, data, and project management sides of the equation—copywriters, designers, researchers, metrics specialists, and project managers.

Unfortunately, the skill level of each specialist is all over the map, as is the character of the individual offering the service. There are testy types who never give you control over your own content and don’t go out of their way to help you understand what they’re doing and why they are doing it. There are writers who can write well on one subject but not others. There are designers who have a great-looking portfolio, but after you hire them, you discover that they can only do one style.