Coral DarbyWhat a fun assignment! I get to express why partnering with external marketing firms makes complete sense. My experience confirms what Dr. Lahm articulates as essential for success—understanding your customers and their needs and marketing to them. By building a community of zealot fans, any business can generate a steady flow of customers into its sales pipeline.
As the founder of Darby Communications, a 15-year + PR and digital marketing firm based in Asheville, NC, I bring a unique perspective. My six-year stint with a full-service marketing firm in Bozeman, MT, was a valuable learning experience. Managing an agency has been my lifework, and I’ve witnessed remarkable success stories and disappointing outcomes. I understand that entrepreneurs have numerous options for third-party partnerships, and I emphasize the importance of aligning marketing objectives with the right marketing fit. Marketing is never a one-size-fits-all solution.
While I advocate for outsourcing marketing to experts, I recognize that it’s not a universal solution. Outsourcing should be based on various factors, including the company’s financial situation, internal skill sets, and short—and long-term goals. Each organization has unique marketing needs, and the type of marketing alliances it can secure will evolve and adapt throughout its life cycle.
Here is an overview of the types of marketing firms to review once the entrepreneur has determined it’s time to hire third-party assistance.
Full-Service Marketing Agency: This type of firm can take any brand from A to Z. They often start the partnership with research, branding, and understanding customer personas and traits of their customers’ target audiences. From there, the agency will create an array of assets called Owned Media. This includes website and content, such as imagery, video, and copy, to populate email marketing campaigns, social media channels, and advertisements. The Brand Leader of Greenville, SC, is an example of a full-service firm.
Full-service agencies are best known for their branding work, and as part of the overall partnership, clients are typically offered a ‘lookbook’ to house their new identity. This document is the definitive master plan for representing the brand image and features, including acceptable logo usage, brand colors, typeface management, tagline usage, imagery guidelines, etc.
Full-service agencies can plan and purchase Paid Media for clients for an additional fee.
Branding Firms – These creative geniuses almost exclusively specialize in developing identities for companies and/or product launches. They often focus on specific industries to ensure they are abreast of trends and can deliver the right brand image for their customers. Research is a big part of their procedures and protocols. Product packaging design and website development are often a service extension for branding firms. Great local examples include Atlas Branding and Project 13.
Digital Marketing Agency: This type of marketing agency concentrates on performance-based services. Falling under the Paid Media category, the digital marketing firm executes services such as Search Engine Optimization (SEO), Google Ads, Banner Ads, and Meta ads. They typically have talent in-house to generate digitally rooted advertisements. Digital firms offer Owned Media services as well. They create content that helps with SEO ranking and backlink generation to increase a website’s Domain Authority. Additionally, this type of agency often has email marketing and organic social media management within its wheelhouse. Mountain Laurel Digital of Raleigh, NC, is an example of a digital marketing agency.
Public Relations Agency: PR firms focus on influencer relationships, reputation management, and the almighty Earned Media. When the goal is to create brand awareness and get customers thinking about an organization’s products or services, this is where PR assists. Well-executed PR generates meaningful editorial coverage that benefits the organization by feeding the sales funnel. Progressive PR firms focus on product/service impact PR, thought leadership, and media relations, which can be offered through media events. Other services a PR firm provides are affiliate marketing, organic and paid social, and email marketing. In an era when print media is disappearing, most earned coverage is secured online, which generates backlinks and website traffic for the featured company.
Why choose PR, “the positive benefits of earned media include increased brand credibility, third-party validation, and cost-effectiveness. Earned media can also help reach a wider audience and stakeholder trust and gain exposure and visibility through credible sources.” (Burrelles, 2024)
To learn more about PR, please visit Darby Communications.
In the creative world, there are many scenarios with agency life, and the services offered might depend on staffing capabilities and skill sets. Similarly, many talented freelancers are ready to work on a project or negotiate a retainer agreement. Websites like Upwork and Fiverr are excellent resources for businesses seeking short-term, affordable creative assistance. Also, most agencies are eager to fill their roster with the appropriate clients and projects. If the fit is not right or the budget is off, the business development contact will typically suggest the next best route – which might be a boutique firm or a freelancer with the right specialty.
Assuming a brand is ready to commit to marketing and has a designated budget to build its customer base, a critical early discussion is always around the desired community and the communication tools to reach that community. The customer always drives the approach. Here are a few marketing scenarios developed around the customer being a buyer, an end-user, or a combination of both.
Let’s start with a traditional wholesale business. If it is gearing up for a launch or needs a brand refresh, it will likely start with a full-service marketing agency or a branding firm to prepare its owned media, such as the website. The brand may also need sales collateral for sharing with buyers and its trade show booth. Other add-ons could include a trade-specific email campaign and graphics for social media. PR and content development might also be of value.
Consumer-packaged goods (CPG) companies often sell directly to the consumer and eliminate the middleman. Once the branding is complete, a CPG brand may seek out a digital marketing firm, a PR firm, or some combination of both. This type of company often needs an omnichannel marketing approach, so its sales funnel is consistently fed with brand awareness, call-to-action ads, and effective editorial coverage.
Companies with wholesale and retail channels have custom needs and find it hard to source a one-stop shop for all their marketing initiatives. The selected vendors often depend on the company’s maturity, goals, priorities, and, of course, its budget.
References:
- Owned Media. (n.d.). BigCommerce. Retrieved from https://www.bigcommerce.com/glossary/owned-media/
- Earned vs. Paid Media. (February 15, 2024). Harvard Business School Online. Retrieved from https://online.hbs.edu/blog/post/earned-vs-paid-media
- What is Earned Media (PR)? (May 23, 2023). Forbes Books. Retrieved from https://books.forbes.com/blog/blog-what-is-earned-media-pr/
- Types of Conversions in Digital Marketing. (December 8, 2022) The Zoe Team. Retrieved from https://thezoeteam.com/blog/types-conversions-digital-marketing
- The Evolution of Earned Media: Navigating Change. (March 5, 2024). Burrelles. Retrieved from https://burrelles.com/the-evolution-of-earned-media-navigating-change/
Hi, Coral!
Thank you for giving a detailed breakdown of different types of marketing agencies and for including examples of each kind of firm! Your knowledge and background in PR have opened me up to some new possibilities I hadn’t thought about before regarding some of my ideas and ventures. Having good people like yourself to strategize marketing plans to meet business goals is essential to reach sales goals. One sentence that stands out in your blog is, “The customer always drives the approach.” An organization with a brick-and-mortar storefront wouldn’t want to focus on an online advertising campaign to an audience 1,000s of miles away from their location. Alternatively, an online e-commerce platform wouldn’t want to limit its reach to one location. Marketing campaigns should focus on where the customers are!
Kindly,
Shawn
Thanks Shawn,
I appreciate your feedback. I am super excited to learn more about your new project and the approach you will take from a marketing standpoint. That said, please keep making cakes! You are such a talented baker!
Cheers,
Coral
Coral,
Awesome! Thank you so much for sharing your unique perspective and vast experience. I love that you call out external marketing support isn’t always a universal solution for all entrepreneurs. In this regard, you are 100% correct, as there are situations where budget or other restrictions prohibit such a commitment. That said, your entire summary above, displaying great detail and expertise, is precisely why MOST entrepreneurs should seek out professional marketing support early in the ventures. The level of mastery and understanding you share above is exactly why most would benefit from a firm such as yours to help them understand the market and target early customers. I have found in my experience that is those first few months to years where entrepreneurs often struggle the most in identifying and capturing customers. Many often think that social media is a fix-all marketing solution and are disappointed when the results don’t pour in. I have encountered so many small business owners who were absolutely certain their marketing strategies would vault them to the top of their respective markets, only to find out that effective marketing is more than a part-time endeavor.
In my mind, much of this goes back to the vision of the business as well. That is, understanding “why” you are doing what you do and what you wish to accomplish. For some entrepreneurs, perhaps a part-time living is perfectly suitable, while for others an aggressive growth strategy is suited. Ultimately, it is interesting how many entrepreneurs and business owners view marketing support as a discipline that can be self managed, in comparison to other services such as finance, accounting, and legal. In reality, I would much prefer invest heavily in professional marketing services early before transitioning to finance investment to ensure my business gets off the ground and is generating sustainable revenue. Only then does professional finance management become more important!
Cheers,
Zane Breeding
Zane,
Thank you for taking the time to respond to all my posts. Your comments are always helpful and informative. I am so appreciative of the time you have invested in this community learning format.
Sincerely,
Coral
Coral,
Your blog post provides a comprehensive overview of the various types of marketing firms and the considerations involved in choosing the right one for a business. It’s evident that you have a wealth of experience in the field, and your insights into the nuances of marketing partnerships are invaluable. I appreciate your emphasis on the importance of aligning marketing objectives with the appropriate external partners. Marketing is not a one-size-fits-all solution, and different businesses require tailored strategies to effectively reach their target audience and achieve their goals.
Your breakdown of the different types of marketing firms, from full-service agencies to branding firms, digital marketing agencies, and PR firms, offers readers a clear understanding of the diverse services available and their respective strengths. This insight is particularly helpful for entrepreneurs who may be considering outsourcing their marketing efforts but are unsure where to start. By providing concrete examples, you help illustrate how various marketing strategies can be applied in real-world scenarios, further enhancing the relevance of your insights. Overall, your blog post serves as a valuable resource for businesses seeking to navigate the complex landscape of marketing partnerships. Your expertise shines through, and I’m sure readers will find your advice both informative and actionable.
Thanks for sharing! Cheers!
Macie Cruz
Hi Macie,
I appreciate your feedback. Thank you for reading my post! I enjoyed that assignment.
Best,
Coral