How to Get the Right Small Business Marketing Help in NYC

‍When you're shopping for knowledge, it is tough to determine the quality before you buy it. It's the same challenge for any service provider. I love NYC, but we all know it can be a tough city to get the right type of small business marketing help. Here's how you can cut through the clutter using these six factors.

Why Local Matters: Or the Reason an NYC Small Business Marketing Firm Helps

Marketing is fundamentally about behavior. To understand behavior, you need to have an understanding of the culture. While we share similar traits, each locality has its cultural quirks. If you understand those quirks, your communication will be more authentic and appealing. That's why hiring a small business marketing firm near your business can be very useful.

New York City is a remarkable city that takes the culture of millions of people and miles of territory and puts it into one place. It’s unique in the world because somehow, despite all our difference, we make it work. If you haven’t lived in NYC, it’s hard to grasp the uniqueness. But, it’s also true that there is no one New York. In fact, it is a mosaic of neighborhoods—each with their own culture and quirks.  

If you’re trying to find marketing help or a consultant in NYC, your small business should look for someone who knows your area. If someone knows your city, they can communicate in the language of your community. They also know the unique challenges you face. For example, foot traffic is important for all businesses. But, the role foot traffic plays in Hell’s Kitchen at night (when Broadway eventually reopens) is different than it does at the same time in FiDi, for instance. Knowing that nuance can have a significant impact our your results.

Do They Give You a Guarantee?

The right small business marketing partner will want to be vested in your outcome. They know marketing is a risk. You shouldn‘t have to bear it all on your own. They need to be confident enough in their skills to own some of the risks. If they are, then you know they genuinely want to help make your small NYC business succeed at marketing.

Size of a Marketing Firm Matters

Not many small businesses are running media campaigns for a national audience, so you probably don‘t need a bigger marketing firm that has the know-how to do that. If you have more modest goals and budgets, then a smaller firm may be better to help your small business. The help a small business marketing firm can provide depends on how well they know your NYC market and the quality of the people dedicated to you.

Really, there are many different benefits to marketing firms of different sizes. As Liz O’Neill points out on the Precision Marketing Group blog, outsourced marketing is mostly about putting the burden of marketing on a group that can handle it. A smaller firm can often provide a significant amount of communication, local know–how, and senior assistance; a larger firm might have more resources and specialization; however, it will usually be less personalized, and the quality of help is directly proportional to the size of your budget.

Things to Remember…

If you‘re thinking about finding help in NYC for your small business, here are the two things to keep in mind.  

1. Find a firm that knows your area. If your small business is marketing in NYC, you‘ll want help from someone who understands how NYC works. The best marketing firms understand what makes NYC special and can communicate in the city’s language and culture.
2. Get the size of help you need. A larger small business marketing firm can provide more resources with a less specific focus from the seniors in charge of a marketing firm. A smaller firm, on the other hand, can feel like a neighbor you‘d meet on the streets of NYC, with the added benefit of one-on-one help from the best the company can offer.

Both are very important if you are looking to focus on your storefront in a COVID world.