Spotlight on: Performance marketing agencies

In the latest in our Spotlight On series, Tristan Rice explores the impact of performance marketing on the agency and M&A landscapes. 

 

Performance occupies an increasingly central role in the marketing mix. According to Hubspot, 39% of marketers now say that proving ROI is their no.1 priority. 

Performance marketing used to mean skills that focused on the bottom end of the marketing funnel, such as SEO, PPC and affiliate marketing. But as more and more data has become available, the definition has evolved to include Conversion Rate Optimisation and Commerce Enablement – full funnel skills that are increasingly critical to CMOs, as they impact any media that drives customers to a landing page. And better, faster data analytics means that their experience can be personalised to enhance the customer journey and increase conversion.

 

Performance marketing in demand

The surge in popularity of performance marketing skills has inevitably led to an increase in M&A demand in this space. And there’s a wide range of buyer types competing for the best agencies.

It’s a good be operating an agency in this space, both in terms of growth and equity value. But for owners of agencies in other disciplines, it’s worth thinking about how their offer could evolve because the focus on results is here to stay.

 

Watch the video in full

 

Watch the previous episode in the series - Spotlight On In-housing: exploring the cyclical appeal of in-housing and the impact of its current renaissance on the M&A world.