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What is a full-service digital marketing agency?
The total annual spend for digital marketing in the United States will reach almost $120
billion in 2 years. That suggests that companies will continue to sink more of their marketing
and advertising dollars into online channels and, as a result, some of that will flow towards digital marketing agencies.
Reliance on these agencies grows out of their potential cost effectiveness and ROI positive returns. That said, if you’re thinking of turning to one for your online advertising and marketing efforts, it’s wise to understand what a full-service digital agency does and how it compares to a niche agency.
One Stop Shop With Diverse Talent and Resources
A full-service digital marketing agency provides your business with a one-stop shop for online
marketing and advertising services. These include:
- SEO
- PPC (Pay Per Click)
- Email marketing
- Content marketing
- Social media marketing and advertising
- Video marketing
- We design and support
What’s more, a full-service digital marketing agency provides more than the tactical digital
marketing deliverables. It also delivers and oversees an integrated strategy that incorporates
these services to your best advantage. This multi-pronged approach allows you to launch a
coordinated effort that integrates your marketing and advertising initiatives. From SEO to PPC
to content or social media marketing and more, your strategies support one another to achieve
your overall goal like increasing your brand awareness, sales, conversion rates, revenue, and
overall business growth.
The average investment for a full-service digital marketing agency depends on the scope of services being offered, but budget for a range of $2,500 to $12,000 per month for small to midsize businesses looking for more leads. A large corporation, especially B2C, will typically spend a lot more because they gear some of their digital marketing towards brand awareness.
Companies partner with full-service digital marketing agencies for several reasons:
- Aligning their online marketing strategies
- Improving their web marketing and advertising results
- Maximizing the time of in-house team members
- Broadening their use of digital marketing strategies
- Accessing specialized skill sets in one place
Because the offerings of a full-service digital marketing agency are comprehensive, they lend
themselves well to a subscription type service that can meet your needs at various points of the
customer journey and the sales and marketing life cycle. For example, you might begin with
SEO services, incorporate PPC, and request the agency help manage your email and social
media marketing campaigns. That’s why it’s smart to partner with a full-service digital agency if
you’re looking to invest in more than one service on a long-term basis.
The Depth of Specialization, Risk of Fragmented Project Engagement
By comparison, a niche marketing agency specializes in one to two services and essentially has
a staff with expertise in one or two areas. In other words, if you hire a digital agency that
specializes in SEO and/or web design, you could not use them for those email and social media
services, and you would have to turn to another niche agency for those specific services.
The drawback is that you end up working with multiple teams at different agencies. You have to
deal with different work styles and teams operating in different places. You may be risking the
benefits of practices and communications based on similar styles and standards and the
proximity that facilitates a seamless process. Plus, it places the burden of coordinating various
components of your overall project goal on you. In a worse case scenario, it can result in lost
time, miscommunication and misunderstanding, and lower performance outcomes.
Make no mistake, though. Management and talent are strong at niche agencies. But because of
their specialization, they work particularly well for single-focus, one-time projects like a web
design or redesign.
Our Ballantine Service
As a full-service digital marketing agency, Ballantine can provide you with project convenience
that saves you time, optimizes service performance, and exposes you to the breadth of digital
strategy and account management services.
Our goal is to take the stress and hassle of getting your marketing right off your plate so you
can concentrate on what you do best … running your business, maximizing your expertise, and
delivering on your core services.
If you’re interested in taking your business to new heights, give us a call and let’s talk about our
many services offerings and how an integration of a few or many will help you grow your business.
I'm the Director of Digital Services and Partner at Ballantine, a family-owned and operated direct mail & digital marketing company based in New Jersey. and started in 1966 by my great uncle!