In today’s digital age, every business will need an online presence. Even the smallest local shop is missing out on potential customers if they are entirely analog. In the Business to Business (B2B) market, this is all the more important. It’s effectively impossible to grow your business without digital marketing. Most B2B companies realize this, and a lot will go on to hire a digital marketing partner. But a persistent mistake made by business owners is right at the beginning of that search. What mistake? Starting the search process with the words ‘digital marketing agency near me’.
Even though your business is operating on a national, if not global, scale, there’s a persistent myth that local is preferable.
In this blog, we’ll be dismantling that myth and investigating superior criteria to judge potential digital marketing agencies. Read on to find out why in a globalized world, the best marketing agency for you might very well not be right on your doorstep.
Digital Marketing Agency Near Me: The Promises of Going Local
So, what reasons inspire B2B business owners to search for a ‘digital marketing agency near me’? In our experience, a handful of motivations came up repeatedly. These were:
“I Want to Support Local Businesses”
This is a noble goal – and certainly one to implement as an individual consumer. As a business, however, this can be impractical in the B2B space. B2B marketing is not the same as Business to Consumer (B2C) marketing – they may share some overlaps, but the strategy remains fundamentally different. Consumer marketing is driven much more by trends, than thought leadership.
You need a marketing agency that specializes in B2B, and can demonstrate solid results. It’s also worth remembering that everyone’s a local somewhere. You can be selective with your agency options and still support a small business – just in another city.
“I Am Off-Put by Soulless Mega-Corporations”
The gig economy has struck fear into a lot of hearts, and there is something undeniably comforting about a local business with owners you can speak to directly. But looking far and wide for the best digital agency doesn’t mean settling for a generic, impersonal team – on the contrary.
It’s entirely understandable and correct to want to be valued and understood by your chosen agency. As a company, you need to partner with a team that cares enough to develop an authentic understanding of your brand. But that isn’t necessarily synonymous with local and small.
Pay attention to your potential agency’s values – do they upskill their workers? Or just hire and replace interns frequently?
Do they have testimonials from their customers saying how they’ve delivered? Are they flexible and open to concerns? These are far more indicative of a respectful, successful business partnership than simply location.
“I Want to Build a Local Network”
Perhaps you find the best business is done face to face. Or maybe you feel your company’s values are intrinsically linked to its local culture.
Whatever your reasoning, the pandemic showed us that we do not need to be in the same room to form a connection anymore. A good marketing agency will take into account all the things that make your business unique, and play to those strengths – regardless of whether they share them.
Whereas, a lackluster agency may roll out the most generic campaigns for you, despite sharing your demographic. How strong a connection you form to a marketing agency is more about finding one with a similar mindset to yours and can align on your goals – a prerequisite that widening your net beyond your local area can only help with.
While you may well still benefit greatly from forming a local network with other businesses unless your business is particularly tourist-based and niche, you don’t benefit from hiring locally.
“I Just Want a Place to Start”
This is probably the most common reason people search for a ‘digital marketing agency near me’ – even though there are far more sensical jumping-off points.
As a B2B company, you’ll most likely be selling to people outside of your local region. Therefore, you’ll want to look for a business that understands the global marketplace. Now, you might think – could this be a digital marketing agency near me? Possibly. But ask yourself – are they the best agency for me? Still not necessarily. So exactly what other criteria should be informing your decision-making process? Let’s take a look.
Digital Marketing Agency Near Me - or Elsewhere: Other Criteria to Look For
They’ve Helped Similar Clients To You
More important to gauging potential connection with an agency than location is whether they help clients like you. Study their portfolio carefully, and keep an eye out for customer testimonials and reviews.
And while you’re at it, do some research into your competitors’ marketing. What’s working and what isn’t? Is there an agency that offers something similar to what works for them?
They Use SEO Effectively
Digital marketing for B2B hinges on clear, compelling content. Does your potential marketing team demonstrate that in their writing? Do they understand the ins and outs of SEO (an absolute must for gaining traction online) and write with that in mind? Look for certifications in Hubspot and SEMrush to back this up further.
They Have a Responsive and Engaged Team
The company culture of your prospective marketing agency tells you more than its size or location ever could. Note their responsiveness to being contacted and willingness to accept feedback.
It might also seem promising that all communications come from the CEO, but it’s worth paying attention to how they treat their employees too, as these will be the people who go the extra mile for you – or not.
Do they invest in their employees to continually become better skilled? Or do they have a lot of employee turnover? Sites like Glassdoor can help you determine what a company was like to work for.
Digital Marketing Agency Near Me - The Bottom Line
Ultimately, the best digital marketing agency is the one that empowers your business the most. Do your research and keep your standards high.
At Nituno, we pride ourselves on being a marketing agent’s digital marketing agency. Coming from a B2B background ourselves, we understand the need for agile, disruptive marketing strategies in the B2B space.
We couldn’t find an agency that catered to the unique needs of B2B companies – so we became one. Now, we have clients across the globe and use a variety of marketing tools, including inbound, outbound, video, and PPC marketing to turbocharge their growth. If you want to get the most out of your marketing spend, get in touch with us today.
