Earning $807K selling digital marketing while supporting local businesses and causes

Case Study | Agencies

Anderson Marketing Group has served Saskatchewan businesses for 20+ years

Vendasta partner since 2015

Consultative approach matches brands with services that produce results

The Challenge:
Anderson Marketing Group was founded in the late 90s in a time when big-ticket projects and traditional media advertising were the bread and butter of any agency’s offering. In 2015, they were seeking a technology partner to help deliver the digital products and services their clients needed to succeed online.

Anderson Marketing Group evolves strategy and expands offering to support clients with digital needs

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Founded in the late 1990s, was born in a time when consulting, high-budget projects and traditional media advertising were the norm. Dabbling in digital over the years as the landscape evolved, AMG Business Development Manager knew it was time to expand their offering and diversify. Little did they know, this venture into a new and modern frontier would not only prove successful for the agency, but it would position AMG to give back to the community they spent decades doing business in. 

Objectives

Through their partnership with Vendasta, Anderson Marketing Group hoped to:

• Expand on their traditional marketing service model to include a digital offering
• Develop a trusted technology partnership to best serve clients
• Position themselves to be able to give back to the community they operate in

The approach

Relying on a team of experts to support digital expansion

From the onset, Anderson Marketing Group leaned into their relationship with the Vendasta team to develop their digital strategy. Dedicated partner development managers allowed AMG to select the highest value digital products from a of more than 250 solutions. 

“We’ve had so many great conversations with the Vendasta team over the years. They’re integral parts of our proposal building right through to the execution and the start of campaigns, so I have to give kudos to them,” Anderson says.  

At the top of their client wish list were digital advertising campaigns or pay-per-click (PPC) solutions. A natural next step was to become a website reseller, offering web design, hosting, and maintenance services. Other products like reputation management software, social media tools, and online listing management could be added based on client budget and need. 

Once the foundation was set, AMG could rely on Vendasta’s team of marketing fulfillment experts to repeatedly deliver on the projects being ordered by their clients. This left Darren with the time he needed to help educate clients on the measurable benefit and impact the services would have on their businesses. 

“Through all the years I’ve done this, it’s still very interesting to see how  many businesses still don’t have a marketing budget. They still deem marketing as a cost versus an investment,” says Anderson.

Pivoting to support clients with their ecommerce needs

After five years of developing their digital portfolio, AMG and the local businesses they served were hit with a global pandemic, forcing the agency to react quickly and meet clients right where they were at. 

“Clients wanted to stop everything. They wanted to stop their website, just get rid of it and their hosting. It couldn’t have been further from what they needed,” Anderson says. 

“What COVID did was it allowed owners to step back from their businesses. Instead of working in their business, it allowed them to work on their business. We were there for our existing and new clients to help them through that process. Many came through the other side in a better place.”

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Execution

Diversifying the offering and expanding revenue

Because of their adoption of new digital products and services, AMG positioned themselves perfectly to serve clients over the pandemic-induced ecommerce boom. From 2020 to 2022, the agency doubled, even tripled, their revenue in some cases, year over year. Diversification has been a winning strategy that they continue to double down on.

“We have different divisions now. We do a lot of video and we have an apparel and promotional division too, which does quite well,” Anderson says. 

“We adjusted our mindset through these last few years to think about how we can optimize revenue potential in our own business. It’s really  helped us, and I’m glad that we made that decision to focus on other areas as well as digital.”

From salon services to automotive repair, digital helps local businesses succeed 

Anderson Marketing Group has worked on dozens of client accounts over the years to build their brands from the ground up, like downtown Saskatoon beauty retailer and salon, Luxe Beauty Co. When the pandemic hit, the AMG team was able to help the business respond. 

“Through COVID, we integrated an ecommerce store, and that’s been the game changer in their business. Money could continue to be made on the product side rather than the service side when things were shut down,” Anderson says. 

Another client, Precision Autobody, which had been around in Saskatoon for more than 40 years, has also seen AMG’s digital offering work out in their favor. After finding success through local radio advertising over the years, AMG recommended a more diversified approach. 

“The owner is very old school, and he was a tough nut to crack, so we ran some campaigns and basically used them as case studies to show him the data. Now here they are; they got through COVID. They bought the building next to them, and they’re actually busier, bigger, and better than ever,” Anderson says. 

Giving back: The Love My Mind Non-Profit Initiative

“LUXE and Precision are both huge advocates and supporters of our Love My Mind Foundation as well, so it’s amazing to see those business and personal relationships grow over the years,” Anderson says. 

The Non-Profit Initiative was founded in 2019 in memory of Darren’s brother Mark Anderson, who lost his life to suicide after struggling with depression and addiction. To date, the organization has raised more than $100,000 for mental health awareness, suicide prevention, and mental health support programs for individuals and families in Saskatchewan and Alberta.

To find more or to donate, visit . 

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