Guide: choosing the right b2b marketing agency partner
What does a b2b marketing agency do?
Simply put, a b2b marketing agency helps tell your story to a professional audience. Specifically, a great agency can offer you:
- Strategic expertise: expert guidance on developing and executing comprehensive marketing plans that align with your business goals.
- Tailored campaigns: targeted messaging and campaigns that resonate with your specific audience using the best marketing channels, creating awareness and leads.
- Expertise across disciplines: a wide range of marketing services, including b2b marketing strategies, PR / media relations, content marketing, social media, SEO, ABM and PPC advertising, all handled by a single team.
- Data-driven insights: access to data-driven insights and marketing technology to ensure your marketing efforts deliver tangible results.
- International reach: giant agencies often have international reach, while medium-sized ones can collaborate with a network of international partner agencies, offering the same reach without sacrificing identity.
Want a more in-depth explanation? Give us a call or pop a message to hello@rlyl.com.
See agency listChoosing your b2b marketing agency
As with any relationship, choosing the right partner is crucial. If you’re looking for a more in-depth guide on this topic, we have an even more comprehensive one here. Below is a summary of the most important steps:
Step one: define what success looks like
Before diving headfirst into the list of agencies, take a moment to consider your marketing needs. What does success look like? Where are you in the process? Define a few important objectives, decide on a general target audience, and on the type of content you’d love to see. If you already have a solid grasp of your brand identity, it will be invaluable for your prospective partners. If you don’t, branding and messaging might be a good place to start.
Step two: read a few case studies
As you evaluate agencies, we recommend you delve into their portfolios and case studies (a lack of public-facing work is a massive red flag). All the agencies on our list will have a proven track record, so check to see whether it’s in your industry and what kind of results it achieved. Does it match your own ambitions? Your industry? How creative was it? Are they sharing their methods and strategies freely? You can also use these case studies to define or refine your goals from step one.
Step three: ask for examples of work
Don’t hesitate to ask agencies for specific examples of their work, even if they don’t have exact matches for your needs. All the agencies on the list will likely maintain considerable libraries of projects that demonstrate their strengths. Look at the language, the design, and how easy it is to absorb.
Step four: prioritise rapport and compatibility
Expertise is crucial, but so is establishing a strong partnership with your chosen b2b marketing agency. Take the time to interview and talk to your prospective partners, and be sure to assess their culture, communication style, and understanding of your brand and objectives. Are they looking to become your sidekick? To become an extended part of your marketing team? Or are they hyper-focused on communicating their products and services? Remember, long-term relationships yield the best results, so you need to get along!
Step five: explore their wider network
Given the size of the b2b landscape, it’s not always easy to find small and medium agencies that cater to an organisation with international offices. In other words, you should ask about the agency’s offices and connections, and how they would ensure consistency across international markets. Consistency is a key part of branding and messaging, and a great agency should be able to work with you regardless of where your offices are.
How to collaborate with your partner
Remember, finding the right b2b marketing agency is an investment in your company’s future. By following these guidelines, you’ll be well-equipped to unearth the agency that can propel your business to new heights and pave the way for long-term growth.
Once you’ve had a look at the list below and decided on a partner, be sure to check out our advice on how to collaborate successfully with your agency.
Talk to usList
1. Red Lorry Yellow Lorry
Summary: Meet the lorries, an independent b2b marketing and PR agency with 20 years of experience. Our offices are in London, Paris, Berlin, Bristol, Boston, Austin, and LA – but don’t let that fool you. We’re not corporate. In fact, Red Lorry Yellow Lorry was founded to counter corporate agency culture, and we like it that way.
No bullshit, no shortcuts.
We simply bring the right combination of talented, experienced, and motivated people to your team. That’s all it takes. As long as you give us a moment to understand your business and decide on the right approach, you’ll be flying in no time.
Speaking of flying, we’re also connected to a worldwide network of partner agencies called Convoy. That way, our clients get the dedicated boutique touch of a medium agency without sacrificing the international reach of a large, corporate organisation.
To learn more, visit our About section.
Founded: 2003
Size: 70+ employees
Services: branding, messaging, content, account-based marketing (ABM), pay-per-click (PPC) advertising, search engine optimisation (SEO), PR and media relations, reputation management, crisis management, lead generation, graphic design, social media management, website development, video production, market research, brand positioning, event support, awards, speaker management and more.
Industries: technology (cybersecurity, fintech, cloud, SaaS and more), media and entertainment, martech, manufacturing, finance, professional services (accountancy, insurance, law, logistics and more.
Case studies: visit site
2. Jellyfish
Summary: Jellyfish, a large b2b marketing agency with a team of over 2,000 employees spanning 40 offices, provides a suite of digital services and collaborates with prominent b2b companies such as Spotify, Uber, and Samsung. Jellyfish consistently delivers innovative and impactful digital experiences, so whether your goal is to enhance your online presence, optimise conversions, or revolutionise your business model, Jellyfish is a great choice.
To learn more, visit their About section.
Founded: 2005
Size: ~2,000 employees
Case studies: visit site
Services: email marketing, SEO, CRO, display advertising, PPC, programmatic, and more
3. Viral Nation
Summary: Viral Nation is a medium b2b marketing agency that is pioneering influencer marketing, and they have around 40 offices around the world. They offer a wide selection of marketing services and have worked with many notable b2b companies such as Meta, Activision Blizzard, Energizer, Bud Light, and Call of Duty League. Viral Nation delivers innovative and impactful digital experiences, and they are pioneers of influencer marketing.
To read more, visit their About section.
Founded: 2005
Size: 50-100 employees
Case studies: visit site
Services: influencer marketing, performance marketing, social media marketing, creative and content marketing, brand safety and reputation protection, talent representation, social experiential marketing, b2b digital marketing, and social commerce.
4. Sculpt
Summary: Sculpt is a b2b social media specialist that launched in 2012 with the simple mission to help their local brands connect with their human customers more humanly. What started as a local social media management firm soon grew to the global b2b marketing agency they are today, with clients such as NETSCOUT, Blend, Sun Pacific, and Livability. They offer a variety of services and have a team of experienced strategists and creatives who are passionate about social media and can help you achieve your goals.
To read more, visit their About section.
Founded: 2012
Size: 15 employees + 1 dog
Case studies: visit site
Services: social media strategy, b2b social ads, b2b influencer marketing, social media content, community management, paid social advertising campaigns, ad creative production, testing, and reporting, HubSpot & Drift marketing automation, training your team, and managing campaigns.
5. Gripped
Summary: Gripped is a results-driven b2b marketing agency with 19 years of experience helping clients drive demand, increase lead conversion, pipeline, and sales by speaking to the client’s ideal audience. Gripped emerged with a mission to support SaaS, tech, IT and service providers, and some of their most notable clients include Antonia Edmunds, Chief Commercial Officer and Charlie Hooper, Marketing Manager. They help their clients stand out and build trust with prospects, supporting their sales team’s success throughout the buyer journey. Also, they offer a free Growth Audit!
To read more, visit their About section.
Founded: 2017
Size: 40 to 50 employees
Case studies: visit site
Services: strategy, content marketing, b2b SEO, paid search, paid social marketing, earned social marketing, websites, martech.
Summary: Purple is a large healthcare and B2B full-service marketing agency, integrated within the broader HH Global network. Since 1991, HH Global is an outsourcing provider, catering to clientele across the globe. Their reach spans over 65 countries, employing a team of over 4,000 people. Purple delivers ideas, meticulously crafted into smart, on-point campaigns that resonate with some of the world’s most influential brands. They blend strategy, campaign development, and production, all under one roof, ensuring a cohesive and impactful approach to every project they undertake.
To read more, visit their About section.
Founded: 2008
Size: 4,000 employees
Case studies: visit site
Services: Strategic planning and consulting, creative campaign development, content creation and marketing, digital marketing and analytics, marketing automation and technology, measurement and evaluation.
7. Twogether
Summary: Twogether is a global b2b marketing agency with offices in London, Marlow, San Francisco, and Glasgow, and they work with a wide range of clients, including some of the world’s most famous brands, such as Lenovo, Hitachi, Juniper, Dell, NetSuite, Sage, Salesforce, and AVEVA. They describe themselves as a full-stack b2b marketing agency, and are part of Next15 Communications Group. Through their holding company, they can access a wide portfolio of agencies worldwide to offer additional services, insights, and benefits for their clients.
To read more, visit their About section.
Founded: 2008
Size: 179 employees
Case studies: visit site
Services: strategy & planning, copy creative, digital media marketing, ABM, martech and ops marketing, data ops and performance, to channel marketing, through channel marketing, experience and events, video and voice.
Summary: SeedX offers digital and traditional b2b marketing, technology development, and business strategy for sustainable growth. Based in Los Angeles and Austin, their team has expertise in marketing and communicating to the global market, working with clients such as Forbes, HubSpot, SalesForce, and Shopify. They typically provide omni-channel strategy and marketing services for any-size company, bringing their innovative ideation and experience to the task. Another great choice.
To read more, visit their About section.
Founded: 2015
Size: 10 – 49 employees
Case studies: visit site
Services: e-commerce strategy and omnichannel marketing, b2b lead generation, UX/UI design and website development, media buying/PPC, growth/business strategy, search engine optimisation, sales funnels, performance analytics, content marketing, social media marketing, and CRM management and support.
Summary: Fabrik offers branding, digital design, and b2b marketing. They help companies develop their brands by creating visual identities, logos, and messaging that resonates with their target audiences. They also help companies develop brand strategies that are customer-centric and aligned with their overall business goals. Fabrik describes themselves specialists in branding, strategy, and brand naming. They’ve got several long-term client relationships, and have worked with some impressive clients over the years, including Accurist, Slamcore, and Zable.
To read more, visit their About section.
Founded: 2010
Size: 11 – 50 employees
Case studies: visit site
Services: design & creative, copywriting & content creation, marketing, advertising, branding, experiential marketing campaigns, PR, communications, and customer apps.
Summary: NinjaPromo is a b2b marketing agency that has been a driving force in social media marketing since 2017. It is a full-stack marketing agency that helps businesses grow through a variety of marketing channels, including social media, SEO, paid advertising, and email marketing. They have a team of experts who can help businesses develop and implement a comprehensive marketing strategy that is tailored to their specific needs. NinjaPromo has a proven track record of success and has helped businesses of all sizes achieve their marketing goals. Some of their notable clients include Logitech, Samsung, and Burger King.
To read more, visit their About section.
Founded: 2017
Size: 50+ employees
Case studies: visit site
Services: social media, PR, website design and development, branding, paid media, paid social, influencer marketing, email marketing, video production and marketing, community management, mobile app design and development, blockchain development, and SEO.
Summary: Make Us Care is a UK based b2b marketing agency that believes brands have the power to change the world and be a force for good. They seek a future where brands become communities, movements; a CareBrand. A brand that cares.
They’re committed to creating brands that connect with customers, that inspire and empower, and evoke people’s emotions. When it comes to their marketing, they seek to make a difference in the world, one brand at a time. Notable clients include Red Letter Days, Polish Tourism, and Bell.
To read more, visit their About section.
Founded: 2020
Size: 2-9 employees
Case studies: visit site
Services: workshops, advertising, social media marketing, customer research, category analysis, care mapping, brand strategy, storytelling and messaging, visual identity, creative concepts, production, media, creative campaigns.
12. Thrive Internet Marketing Agency
Summary: Thrive is a full-service b2b marketing agency. They’ve got offices all over the US, including Miami, Kansas, Philadelphia, Cleveland, and in Germany and Hong Kong. They attract their clients by using its own search engine optimisation (SEO) and marketing skills to drive traffic to their website and create leads.
Thrive has wide range of experience and is not limited to a specific industry, and they know how to use multiple digital marketing strategies to assist you on your journey, whichever industry you belong to. Notable clients include Orange Theory Fitness, Image3D, and Daryl Flood.
To read more, visit their About section.
Founded: 2005
Size: 220 employees
Case studies: visit site
Services: web design, digital marketing and development, branding and messaging, PPC, social media marketing, email marketing, ecommerce marketing, Amazon marketing, reputation management, and SEO.
Summary: Frameworks provides insights, strategy, creativity, and execution. They’re experts at handling complex business and communication challenges head-on, working with impressively notable clients such as Siemens, Toshiba, and IBM. This is a b2b marketing agency that relishes creating authentic connections between a brand and its audience, especially in sectors demanding nuanced specialist knowledge.
To read more, visit their About section.
Founded: 1989
Size: 27 employees
Case studies: visit site
Services: content marketing, brand strategy and identity, campaign and content strategy, advertising and media activation, account-based marketing, digital development, AI solutions, and design.
Summary: Earnest is a London and New York b2b marketing agency. Started in 2009, their work has been built on a belief that businesspeople are just people – they just happen to be at work. Earnest offers most marketing services and products, and they have worked with several notable clients such as Samsung, Vodafone, Oracle, and Canon.
To read more, visit their About section.
Founded: 2005
Size: 220 employees
Case studies: visit site
Services: research & insights, strategy, content & thought leadership, digital experiences, digital campaigns, Earnest Labs, Earnest Studios.
Summary: Velocity is a b2b marketing agency for ambitious companies seeking to build their brands, campaigns, and performance marketing programs to accelerate their pipeline and boost the important metrics. Their offices are in London and New York, and some of their most known clients include AWS, Salesforce, and Hubspot.
To read more, visit their About section.
Founded: 2000
Size: 51-200 employees
Case studies: visit site
Services: visual marketing, b2b content marketing, SEO, digital marketing, inbound marketing, b2b social media, content marketing, content strategy, digital strategy, marketing automation, analytics, and infographics.
Talk to us16-20. International b2b marketing agencies (from the Convoy network)
Convoy Global PR Group is a one-of-a-kind network of handpicked, independent, and sector-specialist b2b PR and marketing agencies.
It’s the only global agency group in the world that specialises in b2b tech PR and marketing, delivering collaborative multi-region campaigns. In other words, global PR and marketing campaigns delivered by local experts. Anywhere else, you’ll need to choose between a global reach or regional expertise. Here, you get the best of both worlds.
The Convoy PR and marketing group offers the reach of a global company combined with the local expertise of each region, meaning you get an international marketing campaign tweaked to suit each location.
Below are five excellent examples of b2b marketing agencies from the Convoy network.
Summary: Welcome to Cape Town! Red Ribbon is a South African b2b marketing agency, boasting two decades of experience with local and multi-national companies. They’re privately owned and base their existence on three simple tenets: work hard, have fun, and make a difference for clients. They’ll become an extension of your team to understand who you are and what you want to say, and then help you say it. Clients include KnowBe4, ZeroFox, and Vend. Red Ribbon is independent and forward-thinking, and they’re really nice people.
To read more, visit their About section.
Founded: 2003
Size: 5-10 employees
Case studies: visit site
Services: b2b PR and media relations, technology PR, content marketing, marketing communications, brand messaging, digital content, SEO copywriting, LinkedIn marketing, thought leader, and thought leadership.
Summary: Our next destination is Asia. Priority Consultants is a b2b PR and marketing agency with offices in China, India, Malaysia, Singapore, Thailand, Indonesia, Philippines, and Vietnam. They understand their clients’ business, speak their language in a digital world, and use intelligent omnichannel communications programmes to ensure results.
Priority has partnered with some exciting companies over the years, from announcing the first data centres in their region to engaging at scale with today’s AI landscape, cloud, IoT, edge computing, cybersecurity, 5G and Industry 4.0. Notable clients include HP, Intel, and Shell.
To read more, visit their About section.
Founded: 1985
Size: 51-200 employees
Case studies: visit site
Services: PR, consultancy, visual communications, content marketing, editorial services, workshops, white paper, training, media relations, bespoke events, case studies, marketing, media training, messaging, regional media campaign, business consultancy, marketing communications, social media, content generation, and events.
Summary: Time to sing! We’re in Brazil this time, and Sing Communications is a top b2b marketing agency. By applying their exclusive methodology, aligned with innovation, in-depth industry knowledge, and creativity, they offer what everyone needs: meaningful outcomes that tell a story, humanise the brand, and connect with people.
Sing’s team has extensive experience in a wide range of industries, working with clients such as Acer, Nvidia, and Bloomberg. So, whether you need to launch a new concept, product, service, or if you need to improve perceptions and behaviours, you can count on Sing’s team to set successful strategies for each goal.
To read more, visit their About section.
Founded: 2004
Size: 11-50 employees
Case studies: visit site
Services: press office, branded content, strategic communication, content creation, influencer management, social media management, influencer marketing, media training, event organisation, crisis prevention and management, speaking opportunities, tech PR, and communication consulting.
Summary: located in London but specialising in African PR and marketing, Wimbart is an independent b2b PR and marketing agency. Focusing on African tech and start-up sectors, they produce laser-targeted, relevant, and meaningful media campaigns for their clients.
They write incredibly powerful copy and excel at building brands and breaking big news stories. Integrity and authenticity underpin everything they do, and their innovative, purposeful approach to their work results in strategic campaigns that support their clients’ business goals.
To read more, visit their About section.
Founded: 2014
Size: 11-50 employees
Case studies: visit site
Services: PR, marketing, crisis communications, press release distribution, reputation management, media strategy, and copywriting.
Summary: our final destination for this list is Iberia, Spain! Canela is an independent b2b marketing agency with over 16 years of experience. Like all of the Convoy partners, they’re not part of a large corporation, which allows them to safeguard their essence and identity as they evolve. Canela has offices in Barcelona, Madrid and Lisbon.
They work with brands and clients who share their philosophies, values, and ways of seeing the world. And they work every single day to become the Iberian agency of choice for companies in the regenerative economy.
To read more, visit their About section.
Founded: 2014
Size: 11-50 employees
Case studies: visit site
Services: PR, media relations, events, international network, crisis management, communication consulting, opinion articles, media training, thought leadership, social media, digital media, speaker bureau, sponsorship, product launches & reviews, public affairs.