Marketing companies help their customers create and implement successful marketing strategies. Often, this starts with market research to understand what works and what doesn't in the current marketing plan, followed by demographic research to create a complete ideal customer profile. Blame Don Draper and AMC, but there's something about the advertising industry that intrigues people. It's full of charming, somewhat crazy professionals who know how to trade ice to an Eskimo.
And yet, grouping all advertising agencies under the same identity would be a farce; no two advertising agencies are the same. While some focus on traditional advertising, other niche firms only offer public relations, digital marketing, or social media services. At Balcom, they do everything, because, well, if everything doesn't work together, it doesn't work. The team at Balcom puts everything in motion in their customers' businesses.
They want to know where the organization has been, where it is located and where it wants to go. Then, they work out the message that needs to be heard and determine how and where it should be heard. From traditional advertising (such as magazines and TV ads) to out-of-home media (such as billboards and bus wrappers) to display ads and online search, they consider all of the media options and then design a marketing plan that meets their objectives. Gone are the days when advertising was a one-way monologue.
Today's successful brands are the ones that have two-way conversations with their consumers. A marketing company can help build relationships and increase brand loyalty by establishing, growing and managing communities on social media, from Facebook and Twitter to LinkedIn, Pinterest and Instagram, and attract followers with meaningful content. Many small business owners struggle to manage their marketing and advertising while also carrying out the day-to-day operations of their business. In addition, digital marketing requires a nuanced understanding of a wide variety of channels, which many small business owners simply don't have the time or expertise to manage them optimally.
In these cases, a marketing company could be beneficial in improving a company's marketing performance and freeing up internal resources. There are many types of marketing companies. While some work in multiple disciplines, others will remain hyper-specialized. A marketing consultant focuses on consulting rather than outsourcing; they advise you on marketing strategies and various means to succeed.
Direct mail is advertised through mail delivered by USPS; a direct marketing agency can help you design a strategy for your email campaign and carry it out for you. Telemarketing is marketing by phone; telemarketing has evolved in the last decade: it's less about cold calling and more about chat interactions. A print marketing agency can help you conduct market research and collaborate with you to produce printed advertising and marketing materials such as newspaper or magazine advertisements, brochures, posters, and product displays; they can also strategize with you on how to distribute printed resources to get the most value out of them. Market research firms don't conduct marketing on your behalf; instead they focus on collecting and analyzing data specific to their brand.
An experienced marketing company can provide a consultative approach to your company's marketing efforts. However, if you want something deeper or more dynamic, consider allocating more resources to your marketing budget. A small business can hire a marketing firm to manage a wide range of marketing channels and help develop strategies thus improving the effectiveness of the company's marketing while removing the burden of day-to-day management of the company and freeing up internal resources. Every marketing agency is different so it's important to understand what services each company you're considering offering offers; digital marketing companies offer services that help you use the Internet or social media in your marketing program.
Another great way to find out how well a marketing company could work for your small business is to analyze their own marketing efforts; October has an excess of opportunities for designers, vendors, entrepreneurs and creatives to learn, connect and have fun. This is a sign that the marketing agency is new or that your old clients have had bad experiences which are signs that the agency will not be right for you. Also if there's a marketing company available that specifically caters to your industry (or better yet the small businesses in your industry) it might be worth taking a closer look. Do your due diligence to ensure that you select a marketing company that provides high-quality services and reliable communication and reporting; samples of previous campaigns or work that the marketing company has done help demonstrate the variety of skills that a marketing company brings.
Whether it's strategy content creation or marketing implementation IGW can act as an extension of your marketing team solving your bandwidth and scaling issues that stand in the way of your marketing growth.
