It is increasingly difficult to draw the lines between traditional advertising campaigns and modern digital marketing strategies. Next time you see a commercial on TV or an advertisement in any form of print media, see if you notice the brand’s website or social media channels. Commercials and print advertisements are now part of an omnichannel marketing strategy designed to inspire customer engagement through multiple avenues. Given the ever-growing complexity of the marketing landscape, a niche of marketing agencies, called full-service marketing agencies, was created to serve businesses who wanted all of their online and offline marketing needs handled by the same company. You are probably wondering what is a full-service marketing agency? Let’s get into the definition below.

What is a Full-Service Marketing Agency?

A full-service marketing agency, simply put, handles all of your marketing needs. This includes both offline and online marketing campaigns. A full-service marketing agency has experts on staff in the following disciplines:

Smart businesses understand today’s consumer expects a seamless experience over multiple channels. 90 percent of customers expect such an experience, but only 55 percent of businesses have a multi-channel marketing strategy in place. In order to create a seamless customer experience, you must create and execute a seamless marketing strategy. A disjointed strategy creates an inconsistent customer experience, and that kills your bottom line.

A full-service digital marketing agency’s structure is designed with seamlessness in mind. There are four main departments:

  • Creative
  • Accounts
  • Media
  • Management & Finance

Creative Department

The creative department is where the magic happens. It is helmed by the creative director, who is responsible for creating the big-picture marketing strategy for clients. The creative director manages many different digital experts, including:

  • Web Developers
  • SEO Experts
  • Graphic Designers
  • Writers
  • Videographers

It is possible to find niche marketing agencies that focus on only one aspect of the creative marketing process. While their expertise in their one area may be more extensive than a full-service marketing agency, you can’t guarantee their work will mesh well with all of the other cogs of your omnichannel marketing strategy.

A full-service marketing agency has project managers assigned to each campaign, and their sole purpose is to make sure all creative deliverables are high-quality and completed according to specific marketing objectives.

Accounts Department

The accounts department handles all contact with clients. They are also responsible for keeping the agency’s pipeline filled with prospective clients. Their first order of business is researching potential clients to come up with a customized proposal that addresses the client’s most pressing needs. Then there are account managers who manage the client’s concerns while the deliverables of the campaign are being created.

Communication skills and conflict management are key skills for those who work in this department.

Media Department

The media department is responsible for securing the paid channels used in an omnichannel marketing strategy. This could be print space, billboard space, commercial slots, and pay-per-click bids. It takes strong collaboration skills to succeed in the media department, as they work closely with the creative team throughout the duration of a campaign.

The media director is in charge of this department, which mainly involves overseeing all negotiations and facilitating the purchases of media space.

Management & Finance Department

The final department in a full-service marketing agency is the management and finance department. This department includes the human resources and accounting teams. The human resources team keeps the agency stocked with top talent across all departments.

The accounting team keeps track of the money the agency has coming in and going out at all times.

These four departments working in sync with each other are how full-service marketing agencies are able to create and execute successful omnichannel marketing strategies for their clients.

Who Benefits Most from Hiring a Full-Service Marketing Agency?

Not every business needs to hire a full-service marketing agency. Some businesses handle certain aspects of their marketing in-house and only outsource when absolutely necessary. These businesses usually are better off hiring niche agencies since they are looking for expertise regarding a specific marketing channel.

The type of business that benefits most from a full-service marketing agency knows they don’t have the time or resources to recruit an entire in-house marketing team. They would rather find a marketing agency that they can trust to handle every part of creating and executing an omnichannel marketing strategy.

Such businesses often have a digital presence, but their digital channels exist without any real purpose. They know they’re leaving revenue on the table without a marketing plan in place, and are willing to make an upfront investment in a full-service marketing agency to take a bigger piece of the digital pie.

The results you get ultimately depend upon your selection process. Let’s wrap up with a couple of tips on how to evaluate a full-service marketing agency.

How to Select a Full-Service Marketing Agency

The global nature of the internet makes it hard to select a full-service digital marketing agency. There are several business tools that allow agencies to have both staff and clients that span the globe. Just because something is possible doesn’t mean it’s a good idea, though.

You’re better off hiring a company that at least operates in the same area as your business. So if you have a business in Orange County, California, full-service digital marketing agencies in Orange County should be at the top of your list. A local agency is more likely to understand your target customer on a more intimate basis, which is especially important if your business is brick-and-mortar.

Finally, you want to make sure a full-service marketing agency has experience in creating successful multi-channel marketing strategies. Look for companies who talk about their results, or what they have done, rather than what they can do.

If you’re ready to hire a full-service marketing agency, schedule a call with us to learn more about our results-oriented omnichannel marketing strategies.