In this post, we are going to discuss why you should engage a Singapore marketing agency to improve your business. Note, the focus of this post is on improving your business as a marketing objective. That is, you are looking for help as your business may have hit a stagnation point or are having difficulty generating revenue.
And, naturally, if your target client or customer market is in Singapore, you want to hire a marketing agency based in Singapore with experience and expertise in the local market.
Not all Singapore Marketing Agencies are the Same
First, it is important to understand the different types of Singapore marketing agencies available to businesses. Different agencies have their own area of expertise and serve different purposes.
The term “marketing agency” is a generic label that includes marketing consultants and agencies. However, there is a key difference between a consultant and an agency.
A marketing consultant provides consultation services and provides insight and advice on a specific area of marketing. They are part of the brain trust of an organisation when it comes to idea generation and evaluation for critical business decisions.
A marketing agency tends to be implementation-focused. They are “boots-to-the-ground” specialists that run the marketing campaigns and execute marketing tactics.
So one generalised way of looking at the difference is that consultants are strategists and agencies are tacticians.
What are the Different Types of Singapore Marketing Agencies
Here is an overview of the most 6 common types of marketing agencies:
Strategy Consultants
Strategy consultants are experts in strategic marketing and business strategy. They are big-picture thinkers who are able to synthesise information from all sources and craft a strategy to address challenge areas.
Strategy consultants can be game-changers for a business as they can provide insight and direction on a business’ operations, offerings and marketing that impact a business’ success for years to come.
Market Research Firms
Data and marketing information is essential when marketing critical decisions in business, marketing and product offerings. Research firms have the expertise and experience to gather data to help management make informed decisions.
Research methods can include researching public information, trade publications, conducting interviews with industry experts, polling the public or facilitating focus groups.
Advertising Agencies
An advertising agency specialises in planning, and handling advertising and sometimes other forms of promotion and marketing for its clients. Traditionally, ad agencies focused on traditional advertising channels but most now include digital advertising as part of their portfolio.
A form of an advertising agency is a media buying agency that is known as an “above the line” agency. A media buying agency typically focuses on media strategy and media planning, which may be one piece of an overall marketing plan that a company or its ad agency creates.
Digital Marketing Agencies
A digital marketing agency specialises in the implementation of digital marketing tactics and running online marketing campaigns.
As digital marketing covers a wide array of disciplines, some agencies may specialise in a specific form of digital marketing such as search engine optimisation (SEO), search engine marketing (SEM), social media marketing, video marketing or paid advertising (Facebook, Instagram, YouTube, Google, LinkedIn etc).
Branding Consultants
Branding consultants help enhance a brand’s equity. The work can be strategic in nature and a brand strategy can affect logo and package design, pricing, placement, advertising campaigns, and customer service messaging. Most branding consultants are also creative agencies in that they can design the visuals, creatives and copy to showcase a brand’s identity.
Many marketing agencies have overlapping skillsets, especially, if the firm has a team. However, most agencies will have one or two areas of expertise that they are known for. One tip is to look at the founding members of a firm, especially boutique firms. The founders’ expertise and experience generally set the vision of the company.
Remember Your Marketing Objective
The choice of Singapore marketing agency largely depends on your marketing objective. There is no one marketing agency that is the perfect fit for every client for every situation. A business may use different marketing agencies for different purposes.
If your goal is to raise awareness for an upcoming event, a digital marketing agency that specialised in results-driven short-term goals should be considered.
If your objective is to determine the feasibility and viability of a new market segment or business opportunity, you would want to engage a strategy consultant or market research agency.
However, in this post, we are assuming that your marketing objective is to improve your business or bottom line, especially in the long run. Therefore, the most logical approach is to speak with a strategy consultant. You need to find the root of the problem and address it. Implementing marketing tactics for short-term gain is more of a “band-aid” quick fix, rather than a permanent solution.
How a Strategy Consultant in Singapore Can Help
A good strategy consultant will identify core marketing capabilities, issues to profitability, market competition, positioning, branding and provide a strategy to improve systemic or fundamental problems. The right strategy benefits a business over time as it will position the business against the competition to grow and flourish.
Strategy also provides direction for marketing tactics. Today’s marketers have a combination of traditional marketing and digital marketing tactics at their disposal. Traditional marketing includes direct mailing, organising events, participation in tradeshows & conferences, print ads, radio ads, television ads, outdoor media, and offline public relations. Digital marketing includes website design and development, paid advertising, search engine optimisation, social media marketing and content marketing.
For example, Evolve & Adapt specialises in strategy and digital implementation. Our focus is first and foremost, developing the right strategy based on research, analysis, experience and creativity. Once the strategy is crafted, we identify and implement appropriate digital marketing tactics.
To better understand strategy and the importance of crafting a big-picture marketing strategy for the digital economy, read our comprehensive white paper that will also explain how to develop the strategy for your business. Click here to access the white paper.
