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What exactly does a marketing agency do?

Marketing is the lifeblood of any successful business. It’s what drives brand awareness, attracts customers, and fosters long-term growth. In today’s competitive landscape, the way businesses market themselves can make or break their success. For many companies, hiring a marketing agency can be a strategic move to elevate their efforts and achieve results.


But what exactly do marketing agency services involve, and how can they help your business thrive? Let’s explore.
 

The role of marketing agency services

Marketing agencies offer a combination of creative flair, strategic planning, and data analysis to design and implement effective marketing campaigns. From augmenting in-house teams to providing comprehensive outsourced solutions, agencies allow businesses to benefit from specialised marketing skills without the need for extensive internal investment.

Marketing agencies come in various forms to meet different needs. Some focus on specific niches, like content marketing services, SEO, or social media, while others, such as h2o creative, provide comprehensive business marketing services that cover the entire spectrum.

 

Types of marketing agencies

Understanding the various types of agencies can help you determine which one aligns best with your business needs:

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Full-service agencies

A full-service agency, like h2o, offers comprehensive marketing solutions. They manage everything from strategy creation and creative services to campaign execution and performance tracking. By providing end-to-end services, these agencies ensure consistent messaging across all channels and eliminate the hassle of coordinating with multiple vendors.
essentra Branding documents

Specialist agencies

Specialist agencies concentrate on specific areas of expertise, such as:

  • Branding agencies: Craft and enhance brand identities, including logos, messaging, and positioning.
  • SEO agencies: Focus on improving website visibility in search engines, driving organic website traffic, and enhancing rankings.
  • Content marketing agencies: Create and share valuable content designed to engage and educate target audiences.
full service marketing agency, online marketing

Channel-specific agencies

Some agencies focus on particular platforms or channels. For example, digital marketing agencies solely in social media or email campaigns or pay-per-click (PPC) advertising. This allows them to stay deeply informed on trends and best practices within their chosen area.

How marketing agencies work with businesses

Whether you’re choosing an agency vs in-house marketing approach, agencies provide flexibility and expertise to help businesses thrive. Their services can include:

1. Strategy development

Marketing agencies start by gaining a deep understanding of your business goals, target market, and competitive landscape. Using these insights, they create a tailored marketing plan aimed at delivering specific, measurable results.

2. Campaign execution

Once a strategy is in place, agencies take charge of executing campaigns. This can include creating compelling content, managing ad spend, and monitoring campaign performance to ensure alignment with objectives.

3. Analytics and optimisation

Data-driven decision-making is a cornerstone of marketing agencies. Agencies analyse campaign performance, providing regular reports and making adjustments to maximise ROI. For example, h2o’s approach includes ongoing optimisation to ensure every dollar spent delivers value.

 

Benefits of outsourcing marketing efforts

Outsourcing your marketing to an agency offers numerous advantages:

Access to expertise: Agencies are made up of professionals with knowledge in areas such as graphic design or lead generation, giving you great results in their specialities.

Cost effective: Marketing agency costs are often lower than building an in-house team, as they eliminate recruitment, training, and management expenses.

Focus on core business: Partnering with an agency allows your team to concentrate on what they do best—running your business—while marketing professionals handle the complexities of promoting it.

Fresh perspectives: External agencies bring fresh ideas and unbiased insights, all under one roof, helping you discover new opportunities and innovate your approach to marketing.

 

Examples of agency success stories

To illustrate the impact marketing agencies can have, let’s look at a few success stories:

Example 1: Boosting engagement 

Our client, Harley-Davidson®, approached us to promote their participation in the 2024 Africa Eco Race, showcasing the performance of the Pan America™ 1250 bike, driven by Joan Pedrero. The goal was to demonstrate how the stock bike held its own against race-prepared competitors while driving engagement for test rides. 

To achieve this, we developed a multi-channel campaign incorporating a dynamic Salesforce CloudPage, video content, paid social media, and targeted email marketing. The campaign reached 17 European markets and was tailored to local preferences and languages, increasing engagement and excitement around the race and the bike's capabilities.

showing our digital marketing and digital marketing services through email

Results

  • 45 test rides booked 
  • 13,931 views of custom landing page, with an engagement rate of 6.78%
  • Email campaign, sent to over 460,000 recipients, achieved a Click-To-Open Rate (CTOR) of 3.88%

Get the whole story here.

Example 2: Multi-site strategy delivers

Annie Sloan, a heritage paint company, sought to enhance their eCommerce experience and increase international sales. Our approach included an in-depth analysis of their website, followed by the web design and development of dedicated child sites for the US and EU, region-specific SEO improvements, and customer-focused features, such as a paint calculator tool and intelligent product recommendations. We also implemented automated email journeys and ongoing site optimisations to further improve the customer experience and drive sales performance.

their website that boost brand awareness and existing customers

Results

  • 50% increase in average order value on the US and UK sites
  • 227% rise in total website users over two years, with engagement time per user jumping by 14.22%.
  • 50% increase in global keyword rankings. 

Get the whole story here.

Why consider a marketing agency for your business?

To stay competitive, your business needs more than just good intentions — it needs a smart, tailored marketing plan that gets results. Whether you're tackling a single campaign or reinventing your entire marketing strategy, an agency can bring the expertise, resources, and give your brand the boost it needs.

Outsourcing your marketing efforts gives you access to specialists who know their craft inside and out, freeing up your time and energy for other business priorities. It's an efficient way to stand out in a crowded market. If you’re ready to move the needle, get to know h2o creative.

Feel free to check out more of our case studies to get an idea of what we can help you with, or get in touch today.