Best Content Marketing Agency in 2024 with Testimonials
By John V
January 8, 2024 • Fact checked by Dumb Little Man
Content marketing has continued to become a valuable tool for businesses. In fact, 73% of B2B marketers and 70% of B2C marketers use content marketing as part of their overall marketing strategy. On the other hand, what’s more astonishing is the fact that content marketing generates over 3x as many leads as outbound marketing and costs 62% less.
These data alone are a testament to how businesses are now taking marketing to the next level, by making it digital, and by using content; not too pushy, no hard selling, just pure engagement to drive growth and revenue. But this is not an easy feat, and business owners are now increasingly recognizing the value of hiring a content marketing agency.
In this article, we will talk about what content marketing agencies are as a whole, and what makes a best content marketing agency. Read more to find out who makes it to the top!
What is a Content Marketing Agency?
Content marketing agencies are companies that strategize, provide, and publish different forms of content to engage with a specific set of audience, and ultimately, convert them to a paying customer.
The purpose of pushing out content like blog posts, YouTube videos, Facebook and Instagram posts, and so on, may vary depending on the main target, or KPIs; is it to build brand awareness, for traffic, or monetization? These agencies use content alone to hit these targets.
While creating content sounds easy, it’s not a walk in the park for content marketing providers. The digital space changes a lot over a short period; trends die as quickly as they started, and the moment they finish strategizing, it’s already over. This is only one of the reasons why business owners turn to content agencies.
Ultimately, traditional marketing isn’t cutting it anymore. With the rise of technology, the way it’s getting more advanced each day, and the way people are becoming more reliant on it, digital media has been the easiest way to reach their audience, and content marketing agencies have all the answers.
>> Read more: What is the Best Content Agency in 2024?
Services Provided by Content Marketing Agencies
Content agencies offer various services, and can be flexible based on your needs. While some of them, especially smaller ones have specialties, the main focus is to push our content that promotes growth. Here are some of the specific services that content marketing agencies offer:
- Content Strategy Development: Your chosen content agency will research, strategize, and create a plan that aligns with your business goals, according to your target audience, and considering the current market trends.
- Content Creation: They create content based on the current trends, and according to the target outlined in your KPIs.
- SEO (Search Engine Optimization): SEO is an important factor when it comes to content, especially blogs. Some agencies specialize in enhancing content for search engines to get your content higher in the search engine rankings.
- Social Media Management: Developing content and sharing it on social media sites to engage consumers and broaden your audience.
- Email Marketing: Email marketing is still one of the best methods to gather leads, and you can count on these content agencies to devise effective emails that will convert into leads, and eventually, sales.
- Content Distribution and Promotion: These agencies can do it all from social media posts to traditional blogging, and podcasting to reach your target audience in all possible ways.
- Analytics and Reporting: To track success and challenges in your content plan, content agencies use analytics to see potential improvement, and of course, to see wins even the small ones.
- Brand Storytelling: They use content to serve as the bridge between you and your audience.
- Influencer and Public Relations: Since influencers are getting more popular, some agencies also specialize in PR and collaborations to grow brands and gain more visibility.
- Paid Advertising: Some content is not organic, especially for brands who are done with the early stages of their content strategies, PPC or pay-per-click can be a solution, and some agencies specialize in it as well.
Why Hire a Content Marketing Agency?
If you’re considering working with a content marketing agency, you need to be aware of the many advantages they offer.
- Professional Market Research: Strategic planning requires thorough assessments of audience preferences and competitive conditions, which agencies offer.
- Resource Savings: They can handle the creation and management of content, giving your staff more time to focus on your core business functions.
- Expertise and Experience: Agencies provide a wealth of knowledge from a range of projects, ensuring innovative and effective content initiatives.
- Access to Tools and Technology: Although agencies provide sophisticated tools for content creation and analysis, many businesses find these technologies to be overly complex or costly.
- Data-Driven Strategies: By basing choices on reliable data, these techniques align content with audience engagement and organizational objectives.
- Scalability: Agencies can quickly and easily modify their services to meet your evolving business requirements.
- Fresh Perspective: The outside viewpoints of agencies may provide novel, inventive ideas and strategies.
- Industry Knowledge: Because agencies often have specialized experience in specific sectors, they can provide value to your content strategy.
- Return on Investment (ROI): Hiring an agency typically yields better engagement, more lead production, and increased revenue.
12 Best Content Marketing Agencies in 2024 with Customer Testimonials
Here are the top content marketing agencies in 2024 with some testimonials from their clients:
#1 Dumb Little Man
“Dumb Little Man really helped us out. They made articles that our readers love, and we’re seeing more people visit our website because of it.” -Jessica
“Ever since we started working with Dumb Little Man, our website has become a lot more popular. Their articles are interesting and really draw people in.” -Michael
“The team at Dumb Little Man is great at what they do. They made our website stand out, and we’ve gotten a lot more attention online.” -Samantha
Dumb Little Man is a publishing company based in Singapore and founded in 2013. With over 3 million annual readers on their website and an impressive 74 Domain Rating, they stand as a prestigious content platform covering everything from health to wealth.
As a content and media publishing company, Dumb Little Man has produced a wide library of content from health, to forex brokers, prop firms, relationships, and other general articles for like reviews, branding, and more! This alone is a testament to their expertise, and experience in publishing content that not only ranks but also converts.
As part of its expansion, Dumb Little Man has opened their doors to select clients, offering their mastery in creating content that boosts traffic, SEO optimized for higher search engine rankings, and converts to revenue.
DLM is a full-service agency composed of researchers across various topics and industries, editors, junior and senior writers, to the editor-in-chief who will work with businesses every step of the way to ensure satisfaction and achievement of goals and KPIs.
#2 Siege Media
“Siege Media was a great partner to work with and recommend them to anyone looking to drive incremental organic traffic to their site. We depended on them for strategy, content marketing and SEO over a 2-year period of time.
They have a practical way of looking at marketing that is superior to their competition. One specific example was their passion for making sure the assets we created for link building, were not “one-hit wonders” and had value for our site and mission beyond the initial link-building stage.” -Michael Brown, Think Tanks
Siege Media stands out in the SEO industry with its team of intelligent, motivated creatives focused on producing not just remarkable content but also ensuring its visibility through effective search optimization.
Unlike typical SEO agencies that create fleeting, linkable assets, Siege Media distinguishes itself by consistently tying these assets back to search volume. This approach results in content that not only boosts traffic over time but also remains relevant and impactful, contributing to the growth of bottom-funnel landing pages.
Founded in 2012 and based in California, the company has grown to a sizeable team of 51-200 employees, reflecting its expansion and success in the industry.
#3 Brafton
“The thing that jumped out the most with Brafton is that they were very responsive, and they had an immediate drive to make us successful. Everything has come out really class A. We’ve been really impressed.” -Susan Hansen, VP Marketing, Oliver Wight Americas
“The thing I like most about Brafton is they truly understand who we are as a company. Brafton has been able to really narrow down who that qualified lead is, taking that message and sending it out to our end users, so they understand it how we understand it.” -Jason Ruggiero, Executive Vice President
Brafton, which was founded in Boston, Massachusetts in 2008, has become a major player in the content marketing industry thanks to the efforts of a group of creative specialists who leverage effective marketing data.
From humble beginnings, Brafton has developed into one of America’s top providers of content marketing and has become a major player in the worldwide digital marketing space.
#4 Column Five
“Column Five has been super innovative in their suggestions to us. They really understand how to properly tell a story and plan for a brand. I couldn’t imagine doing this job without them.” -Mariama Eghan, Head of Global Talent (Dropbox)
“Column Five is a collection of some of the smartest, most talented, that I’ve worked with. They have a unique superpower for taking your ideas and making them 50x better.” -Keith Messick, Senior Vice President of Marketing (LaunchDarkly)
Column 5 is a B2B agency created to help brands create stories that connect to their audience and provide measurable results.
The agency uses a distributed team approach internally to promote independence, accountability, and tailored strategies and resources. This is a great advantage for businesses as they are assured of dedicated personnel who will focus on their needs and goals.
#5 Fractl
“Fractl’s innovation surrounding pitching is outstanding. Their assets outperform our content in terms of engagement and conversions, and we’ve also seen an increase in inbound links and traffic from authoritative sites.” -Paychex
“Fractl has always been on the cutting edge of content marketing (since before it was even called that). I consider them a key piece of our team and growing success. If you’re willing to push the envelope and think in terms of ‘this is no box,’ then you want to work with Fractl.” -Recovery Brands
Fractl is another agency helping to various business models like Fortune 500 organizations, startups, and mid-sized businesses, grow faster. They are a full team with PR specialists, developers, designers, strategists, journalists, and search experts to assist in whatever content-need a business needs.
#6 S&G Content Marketing
“I appreciated their strategic chops and the B2B experience. This was not a fluff piece by any stretch of the imagination. This was not a flash in the pan.” -Communications Manager, JWA
“Everyone else was more of the ‘same old same old’ that we had already experienced. S&G had a nice, fresher take on things that definitely paid off.” -Executive Director, OUTshine Film Festival
Founded in 2010 and located in Miami, FL, S&G is an award-winning content marketing agency with a team size of up to 50 employees. The agency specializes in creating branded content experiences for companies aiming to differentiate from competitors, establish thought leadership, and engage customers meaningfully for tangible bottom-line results.
Recognized as a top content marketing agency both in NYC and globally by Clutch and The Content Marketing Institute, and named one of “Most Entrepreneurial Companies in America” by Entrepreneur Magazine, S&G’s team comprises experts from leading newspapers, magazines, Fortune 500 companies, and tech innovators.
#7 North Star Inbound
“[T]heir directness and transparent communication helped us improve our content. Those things go hand in hand and we’re seeing the benefits on that.” -Jeff Smith, VP of Marketing (Self Financial)
“They always do the right thing. Like in any engagement, we had disagreements, but they’ve shown a lot of character, and it buys a lot of confidence and trust.” -Bret Bonnet, President (Quality Logo Products)
North Star Inbound, a content marketing company based in Austin, Texas, was established in 2015 and is distinguished in the market by its commitment to enhancing client brands through distinctively creative and goal-oriented content. The agency is run by a group of creative and rebellious thinkers who value honesty highly, always hold themselves to high standards, and welcome change.
Building sincere relationships with customers is their top priority, and they guarantee individualized care and interaction with client teams. Direct communication and transparency are fundamental tenets that foster trust and promote the development and success of their client’s businesses as well as their own.
#8 Content Allies
“The high quality of our podcast, “Modern Business Operations” that Content Allies created for us, is what has allowed us to position ourselves in the market as a serious enterprise level company that is a contender in this space. …
They will bring in these high caliber guests and the guests are excited to be on the show because it’s a high quality show. Podcast Success In six months, we became the top podcast in our category on Spotify, and that was through the work of Content Allies…” -Briana Okyere, Community Lead at Tonkean
Content Allies, a Denver, Colorado-based company, began as a broad content development agency. But after realizing how well their podcasting clients were doing, they changed their emphasis to become the best in the world at producing B2B podcasts. Since then, the agency has grown from a small staff to a large B2B media organization that can handle hundreds of podcast episodes at once.
Selecting Content Allies as your partner means working with an elite agency. In addition to production and strategy, they also provide lifecycle podcast growth campaigns. These ads are made to expand audiences continuously and reliably, helping the business initiatives of their clients.
#9 Eucalypt Media
“I have been in the B2B technology space for over a decade, and I have been working with Eucalypt Media for just as long. [Eucalypt] has always been a partner of mine when it comes to content marketing strategy, SEO, content, thought leadership, product, marketing, collateral.
We’ve worked together in industries like big data, Internet of Things, analytics and databases, financial services, government and education. You name it, we’ve done it… I couldn’t imagine having anyone else as a partner than Eucalypt Media. -Alyssa Jarrett,Head of Marketing
This scalable and lean editorial agency, Eucalypt Media is based in the Jacksonville, Florida area and employs a staff of highly competent writers, graphic designers, and editors with specialized knowledge in fields including tech, life sciences, finance, and engineering.
For a variety of clients, including SMBs, startups, and large brands, its chief strategist is skilled in creating high-growth SEO and content marketing strategies.
Though purposefully kept small, it partners closely with each customer, giving them a sense of importance and frequently being seen as an essential member of their team. They serve clients worldwide, and Clutch Research’s Global Content Marketing leaders list has recognized their expertise for seven years running.
#10 WebFX
“WebFX helps us expand our digital footprint everyday through strong SEO, SEM and Social expertise, caring as if our company would be theirs. Not only skilled and professional team, also super responsive, reliable and fun to work with. Thank you so much! Only logical to witness that different teams within our company are willing to partner with you to get a similar reach, strong online results and enjoyment!” –Heavy Equipment Company
Nicole and the WebFX team have been fantastic to work with. She is so a knowledgeable and helpful week after week. My most memorable experience has been seeing the SEO growth of our website and celebrating alongside Nicole in our wins along the SEO journey! -Energy Company
Having been established in 1995, WebFX is based in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania. For nine years running, it has been named Pennsylvania’s Best Place to Work. WebFX is a full-service Internet marketing, web design, and web development company that provides extensive web solutions to companies all over the world.
The agency is well-known for its roster of some of the most brilliant and gifted people in the business, continuously providing customers with exceptional outcomes. WebFX is distinguished by its dedication to maintaining its leadership position in the business, which is fueled by a sincere enthusiasm that has produced some of the most highly regarded work on the Internet in addition to professionalism.
#11 Agency Spotter
“We are very pleased. It is highly unlikely EltaMD would have discovered this agency without Agency Spotter’s help. The agency has the right experience, and there is good chemistry between our respective teams.” -Carol Bocell, Marketing Director, EltaMD
“I have worked with the Agency Spotter team twice now. Top notch recommendations and connections with equally capable choice. Brian has been incredibly helpful to a startup like us, a great reflection of skill, experience and service.” -Shouvik Ganguly, Founder, Synapse
Founded in 2012 and based in Atlanta, GA, Agency Spotter is revolutionizing the way brands find and collaborate with creative agencies, design firms, and marketing service providers. Addressing the time-consuming and risky process businesses often face in finding marketing agencies, Agency Spotter simplifies and mitigates these challenges.
Their digital platform accelerates the agency-finding process, offering a free and efficient way for businesses to locate agencies and design firms that meet their specific needs. It provides comprehensive information to facilitate confident decision-making. Catering to various requirements, whether a business seeks a niche agency for targeted innovation or a marketing leader in search of a digital agency of record, Agency Spotter eases the connection between agencies and brands, fostering smarter collaborations.
#12 SmartBug Media
SmartBug has provided fantastic strategic and tactical support to our company. They have led us through a complete rebrand and new web site implementation. They do an amazing job with creation of highly technical content (blogs and webinars) and lead nurture email campaigns. And SmartBug has strong overall project management of activities. We highly recommend SmartBug. –Lisa Casavant, RQM+
Founded in 2008 and based in Irvine, CA, SmartBug Media is a fully remote, full-service digital agency renowned for fostering resilient growth throughout the customer lifecycle. The agency specializes in a range of services from marketing and sales to revenue operations, customer success, e-commerce, and integration.
By blending sound strategies with advanced technology and top talent, SmartBug de-risks the future and charts a path for ongoing success. The agency has earned multiple accolades, including being a 2x HubSpot North America Partner of the Year, a Klaviyo Master Elite Partner, and a Google Premier Partner.
How to Choose the Right Content Marketing Agency?
Choosing a content agency to handle your business, and grow your brand is easy, as long as you know what you are looking for, you know your goals, and you know your budget. However, they are also trained on how to use words to their advantage, so being extra cautious won’t harm.
Here are some of the most important things you have to consider when selecting your content agency:
Identify your goals; this will help you find the right agency with the right experience and with the right resources. What are you hoping to achieve by hiring a content agency? Do you want to raise brand awareness? Do you want to create more leads or increase traffic to your website? Deciding to get help did not happen out of the blue, so describe your goals and expectations clearly.
After determining your goals, evaluate the experience of the agencies you are considering. Examine their former clients’ testimonies, awards, and case studies. Check the agency’s track record and experience, particularly about the exact goal that you have.
Do you want to increase brand awareness? Then see if they’re used to publishing articles with that goal. Do you want to increase the traffic to your website? Then check about their website’s performance. These are some of the questions you might ask to determine their reliability.
After narrowing down your list more, look at your budget. Do they fit into your budget? Sometimes it can be difficult to find the right agency, with all your requirements, that fits into your budget. To get the best out of them, consider being more flexible. Sometimes, these agencies have set pricing, and if you’re set on your budget, compromising may be a little bit more difficult.
Being flexible in the budget may not be good advice to some, but this will work in the long run provided that you did your research about the agency, and put them in a strict screening to make sure they are compatible with your needs.
Another thing to be cautious about is the common red flags of the agencies. Observe how they communicate with you from the very onset. This will tell you how professional, and even how organized they are.
You can also check their claims, sometimes they can be too good to be true. There is no such thing as an instant result, so don’t get swayed by those claims.
Working with a Content Marketing Agency
Working with an agency may be tough, but having set boundaries and clear expectations, it can be easier. Here are some things that you can do to have a seamless relationship with your chose agency:
Establishing Clear Goals and Communication
Think again about your goals and make sure that your agency is completely aware of the details and specifications. You need to communicate openly, and frequently to make sure their activities are aligned with what you hire them for, and to make sure that you get regular updates on the wins, and challenges that they encounter.
This will give you a more complete understanding of the overall progress of your goals, and eventually gain more realistic expectations.
Monitoring Progress and Providing Feedback
Monitor their progress and make sure they follow your requirements, like your brand voice, style guides, and more. Schedule regular check-ins and meetings to evaluate the development of the strategies set. Provide them with prompt and constructive feedback.
Quick and constructive feedback will enable your agency to act quickly on the needed revisions, to achieve your desired results.
Evaluating Agency Success through KPIs and Metrics
Select specific metrics and key performance indicators (KPIs) like website traffic, leads, and engagement rates that align with your goals. Together with the agency, review these KPIs regularly to assess the effectiveness of their content plans. This data-driven approach enables you to make wise decisions and adjustments to enhance the impact of your content marketing campaigns.
Choose the correct metrics and key performance indicators (KPIs) that fit your goals and objectives. This can include an increase in engagements, increase in traffic, leads, and more. Review these KPIs with your agency regularly to make sure that the goals and objectives are met.
This will allow you and the agency to see what aspects of the strategies are not being met according to the metrics, then accordingly set up plans to improve and revise.
Partnering with the Right Content Marketing Agency
Partnering with agencies such as Dumb Little Man, businesses will get more than just growth with content. These agencies employ professionals who know what they are doing; and strategies that work with your goals. Their experience and expertise will bring you closer to your goals.
Dumb Little Man has helped businesses build and improve their content, using their expertise in three things: writing for traffic (content that your audience will love), writing for SEO (content that will rank in search engines), and writing for revenue (content that you can monetize).
We may be biased with this review but Dumb Little Man does not open up slots often, so this is your chance to partner with an agency that will give you a team across skill levels, from researchers to writers, senior writers, and even the editor-in-chief, only at the price of one freelance writer. They will not only write, but develop unique but effective content strategies that will boost your brand, and drive revenue to your business.
Conclusion
Ultimately, there are a ton of agencies out there, and selecting the right content agency that is aligned with your goals is crucial. There will be no perfect agency, only one that is best fit for your needs, they may not tick all your boxes, but they must be your “partner” in achieving your content and brand goals.
Before choosing an agency to partner with, carefully weigh their background and experience, based on your goals and requirements. Agencies like Dumb Little Man have extensive experience in creating content across various industries, and a strong online presence with their domain rankings can help you achieve your goals.
>> Read more: The Ultimate Guide to Choosing the Best Content Agency for Ecommerce in 2024
Best Content Marketing Agency FAQs
Which content marketing agency is the best?
Ideally, the best content marketing agency is the one that can accomplish your goals for you, communicates often and openly, and most especially, is within your budget.
How much do content marketing agencies charge?
Depending on your goals and the scale of the campaign, they can charge between a hundred to a thousand dollars. Agencies like Dumb Little Man offer their services starting from $240 per month, where you will already get a full team of experts who will handle your content marketing needs.
How do content marketing agencies measure success?
Agencies use specific metrics and key performance indicators (KPIs) to track the measure the success of their content marketing services. Upon consultation, you will be asked for your goals, and what you want to happen out of that partnership, tell them the specific details and ask the agency how these goals can be tracked and what will be the indicators for your success.
John V
John is a digital marketing master's student who enjoys writing articles on business, finance, health, and relationships in his free time. His diverse interests and ability to convey complex ideas in a clear, engaging manner make him a valuable contributor to these fields.