Strategy and service

Andy Ball, managing director at Balls2 Marketing, talks about the importance of marketing strategy and getting the service right for clients.

You only have to flick through a magazine or have a look at Facebook to see how many companies in the glazing industry are upping their marketing game. We see lots of adverts, social media campaigns and direct marketing coming through and it’s good to see that the industry is really seeing the value of marketing.

While there are still some communications that are very focussed on price, the professionalisation that’s happening in the industry is having an impact on this. There are some great messages out there about value, service, brands, company heritage and important details that set businesses apart from their competitors.

With so many platforms, messages to send and stories to tell, it’s critical to have something to tie them all together and make sure that everything is working in unison towards one aim. That’s why it is so important to have a robust and detailed marketing strategy that really looks at the goals of your business and how your marketing strategy can help to achieve them.

It all starts with a conversation. There really is no ‘one-size-fits-all’ marketing strategy and that’s why any agency should be sitting down and discussing your business targets goals, before they even think about how their service could work for you. This is the difference between marketing services and marketing strategy. Having that level of business knowledge and commerciality feeds effective strategies and campaigns that aren’t just creative and eye-catching, but also effective and results-driven.

At Balls2 Marketing, we get to know you and your business first. Doing that gives us the information and an idea of where you want the business to go. Only then do we start creating a marketing strategy that works in conjunction with your business strategy. It’s not just a case of coming up with a list of content ideas, it’s about getting a well-rounded plan on paper, having a clear idea of who you want to target, and making sure you are using the right channels to talk to those audiences.

To back up the strategy, we have a full-service agency to deliver the tactics. This means we can create all kinds of communications in house, from direct mail and email marketing campaigns, social media and PR, to content marketing, SEO and design.

With our graduate scheme and through hiring apprentices, we nurture young, fresh talented individuals who contribute great ideas to every campaign we deliver and build great relationships with clients. This, on top of our range of in-house skills, means we can help businesses to grow.

Having been on the other side of the desk, I know how frustrating it is being passed from pillar to post by suppliers, so when Sarah and I launched Balls2 Marketing nine years ago, we vowed to make sure that our service was top-notch.

We know that our clients want to be able to pick up the phone, have a chat and get their questions answered. They want to be able to talk with someone who knows their account and understands their marketing strategy. So that’s what we do. Every client has a dedicated account support team, who work collaboratively to get the perfect balance between strategy and service.