Out-Of-State Digital Agency? It Pays to Expand Your Horizons When Selecting a Partner

For a long time, business owners have considered it a best practice to find a digital agency on their own home turf. They liked the idea of being able to meet face-to-face, and maybe even stop by to use the agency’s ping-pong tables and wine fridge (that counts as a meeting, right?).  But in recent years, companies are becoming more comfortable hiring agencies outside of their local area. Even though it might be counterintuitive, looking for an agency partner outside your city or state can actually be a really smart move.

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Targeted expertise

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When you put parameters on a search, you’re literally restricting that search. Let’s say you’re looking for “the best digital marketing and lead generation company” and you’re located in the hypothetical town of Smallville, Iowa. You search for firms in your area because you want to be able to have a personal relationship with them. But in doing so, StringCan Interactive won’t be in your search results (which, obviously, is a bummer since we’d make an awesome agency partner). But you can see how geographically limiting your search limits you - period.

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Even if you live in a big city a plethora of agencies call home, there might be one in a different city with far better experience to fulfill your marketing needs. For example, we specialize in helping brands in the wellness space. Any company in this industry, who wants to work with a top-notch digital marketing agency to help fill in their marketing gaps and reach their goals, wants an agency with targeted experience. Don’t let an agency’s geography prevent you from working with a firm that can do the best work for you.

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Access to other markets

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Another reason it can be wise to consider agencies from other parts of the country is that they could have firsthand knowledge of markets you haven’t yet entered into - but want to. For example, let’s say you own an organic skincare company. You’re dominating in the Southwest and along the West Coast, but you really think you can dominate on the East Coast too. There’s just one problem: you don’t live there, you’ve never sold to that region and you have no one in the area to help you fill in those gaps.

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Cue your new agency partner. A firm based in New York, for instance, could quickly help you get up to speed on some of the nuances of entering the East Coast market and being a player. The same is true for expanding not just geographically, but also into new verticals. You might have a massage brand that’s on the rise, but you really want to start offering complementary services in acupuncture. You know the acupuncture space well, but don’t know how to market within it. An agency that has worked with others in the field will know the publications you may want to advertise in, the competitors from which you need to differentiate, and so forth. This market experience can be invaluable as you branch out, and can even improve your speed to market.

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Valuable partners

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Finally, many agencies have established partnerships that can be priceless for their customers. For example, a digital marketing and web design company might partner with a public relations (PR) company. Not only will you get access to the PR partner’s expertise when you need it, you might also get discounted rates on PR services. These types of partnerships are becoming more and more common, as many agencies become more specialized in their offerings. So the right agency, with the right partnerships, can be a great value-add to you.

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As you seek a digital marketing agency, don’t let physical proximity limit you. Find the best firm for you, your industry, and your needs. If the agency is outside of your area, ask the potential agency partner how they work with people who are out of state. If they’re anything like us, they do this regularly and have it down to a science. Interested in our wellbeing and digital marketing expertise? Give us a call!