Finding the Best Marketing Partner for Your Local Business

10.22.2020 Alyson Phillips

Local businesses—especially new businesses just getting off the ground—depend on advertising to build brand awareness in their community, and attract new customers to grow their revenue stream. But some small businesses are at a distinct disadvantage when it comes to developing these ad campaigns because they lack the in-house resources available to other small businesses and larger competitors.

 

This lack of in-house resources makes it virtually impossible to build a competitive ad strategythrough a DIY approach. But those limited resources can offer much greater value when handed over to a dedicated marketing partner. When your business works with a company that specializes in advertising and marketing, you can leverage the resources and expertise of a full-service marketing partner at a price you can afford.

To get the best value possible from this partnership, make sure you know what to look for in a marketing and media partner. Here are four pillars of service that are crucial to building advertising and marketing success for small businesses.

1. A STRONG BRAND PROMISE

When your business decides to put its advertising and marketing in the hands of an outside partner, you want confidence that this partner will steer your business toward success. Given today’s diverse advertising and marketing landscape, local businesses need a partner that can offer access to many types of media, marketing channels, and creative services.

This access is crucial to ensuring that your business is able to connect with customers and deliver the right message at the right time. It should include access to data and innovative tools that optimize your advertising and marketing strategy, delivering more value and helping your business overcome any challenge its campaigns may face.

You will also want to make sure your marketing partner can deliver on its promise. What is the company’s local reputation? Some agencies make a lot of promises but fail to follow through. Make sure the marketing partner you choose can meet these expectations.

2. DEMONSTRATED CUSTOMER FOCUS

Customer-centric services and operations are becoming the operating standard for many types of service industries, including advertising and marketing. When local businesses seek out a marketing partner to develop, launch and manage their campaigns, they aren’t just seeking a hired service—they’re looking for a partner that takes a team-oriented approach to supporting customer success.

The right marketing partner will support small businesses through in-house teams dedicated to addressing marketing challenges you may face, developing appropriate creative to support your marketing goals, and optimizing campaigns to achieve the results your business is after.

Access to resources is only useful to your business if you have a team of experts able to support your campaigns and deliver the results you’re looking for. Seek out a partner that centers the customer’s goals in everything they do.

3. ANALYTICS AND ROI

In today’s digital world, data is the foundation of any successful marketing strategy. But data on its own doesn’t lead to better marketing performance. Analytics is key to understanding that data and using it to make sound decisions about your marketing strategy.

With the right analytics tools, your business can expand your understanding of your local customers, and evaluate your marketing success across all of your campaigns and channels. With precise insights driven by data analysis, your business can make smart marketing decisions to optimize your spending and your return on investment (ROI).

4. A LOCAL PRESENCE

When you’re targeting a local market, you want a marketing partner with an established reputation of building success in that market. You also want your partner to be familiar with the unique circumstances, challenges and opportunities your business might face in building awareness in your local community.

And, of course, a local partner is going to have greater investment in building success for its clients, which leads to a more prosperous local economy built through a strong network of small businesses. A local marketing partner isn’t just an opportunity to offload marketing to a trusted team—it’s also a way to stay invested in your local community.

CHOOSE A PARTNER INVESTED IN YOUR SUCCESS

As you seek out a marketing partner to help your small business grow, make sure you choose a team that takes time to understand your needs and how you want to build your brand. Success is a collaborative process, and it takes both sides to develop and execute a winning marketing strategy.

If you’re looking for a local partner that meets these expectations, look no further—we’re ready to help.

MicrosoftTeams-image-1-scaled
About the Author

Alyson Phillips

Alyson is the Director of Marketing at Cox Media’s corporate offices in Atlanta. With a background in journalism and over a decade of experience in brand marketing, she has a passion for connecting brands to their customers through powerful storytelling. In her role, she’s responsible for amplifying the Cox Media brand in the communities we serve nationwide – whether through advertising, thought leadership, or the customer experience. When she’s not working, she’s chasing around her twin toddlers and spending as much time outdoors as possible.

View All of Alyson Phillips's Blog Posts

Connect with a Marketing Expert

Share Post On Social

Connect With Your Local Marketing Expert

You know your business. We know advertising. Together, we can bring your business to more people. Contact a member of our team today. We’d love to help you grow.