Marketing has changed dramatically in recent years. The internet has developed into the perfect environment for cultivating a customer base, which means marketers all over the world can lend their expertise in content creation and social media management. As a result, most businesses have begun outsourcing their marketing to faraway firms ? to their own detriment.
While marketing continues to move to the web, there are still dozens of reasons why the location of a marketing agency makes a huge difference in the efficacy of a business’s campaign. Here are five opportunities businesses will have with local marketers that they will always miss when outsourcing to some distant firm.
Create Community Partnerships
Shopping local, whether by businesses or by consumers, allows the community to grow stronger. Almost all economists will say that supporting local businesses is good for the economy, which is an excellent long-term outcome. However, businesses gain short-term from making partnerships with other local businesses, like local marketing firms, as well. Partners within the local community are more likely to develop close relationships with one another, and relationships often lead to boons, like customized service, discounted plans, and more. Even better, partners can connect businesses with other local service providers to broaden its network for more benefits. A local marketing firm makes an excellent community partner thanks to its vast business clientele and access to the community.
Attract a More Relevant Audience
In the Northeast and Southwest, it’s soda. In the Midwest, it’s pop, and in the South, even the generic stuff is coke. It should be obvious that people in different places have unique ways of talking and behaving, so people in different places usually react distinctly to particular marketing styles. If you need web design in Gainesville, FL, for example, hire a local company, so you ensure your marketing will be most relevant. A local marketing firm understands the likes and wants of its community, which means it can craft spot-on marketing materials for the surrounding culture.
Diversify Your Marketing Strategy
A business that lacks a full-service marketing team is incredibly limited in its marketing capabilities. Despite the thousands of web posts claiming that marketing has become DIY, social media is not an effective medium for a significant portion of consumers. In fact, a massive study from Forrester Research concluded that even when social media is handled by professional marketers, it doesn’t generate profits unless it is bolstered by additional marketing techniques.
A local marketing firm has access to tools for those additional marketing techniques. True marketers are educated and experienced in the art/science of social media marketing and digital advertising, meaning they understand how to craft an effective online marketing campaign. Plus, most local marketing agencies can supplement digital marketing campaigns with more traditional media, like TV and newspapers (as well as unexpected media, as explained below).
Utilize Alternative Media
When most businesses think of local advertising options, they imagine commercials on local TV stations and messages in local newspapers. Meanwhile, local marketers are aware of every single advertising opportunity within their communities. Internet, TV, and newspaper aren’t the only media for distributing marketing materials; in fact, they might not even be effective for particular businesses and brands. A hometown marketer is equipped to imagine the perfect campaigns for individual businesses, which might include strategies most businesses never even realized were options.
Have a Lower Marketing Budget
Many businesses weigh the cost of an outside marketing firm against the cost of DIY marketing and find the former wanting. However, without an experienced social media manager in-house, most businesses will spend more on their “free” marketing strategy than they ever will with true marketing professionals. This is primarily due to the energy wasted by non-marketers attempting to learn about the field and produce flimsy imitations of high-quality marketing messages. Adding up the wages of those employees ? including time spent mishandling marketing materials as well as time spent trying to catch up on their regular duties ? demonstrates that contracting a marketing firm is much, much less expensive.
A local agency that specializes in local business is more qualified to craft marketing materials than the average-joe employee. In fact, it is easy to argue that a local marketer is even more effective at spreading awareness and generating interest than a major multi-national firm, considering the power of these five benefits.