Direct Response Group

Many advertising agencies earn their money by marking up media and subcontractors, and Direct Response Group, an online marketing firm on Long Island, New York, says it deliberately works differently. Its argument is that beautiful ads mean little without results, so it builds campaigns around accountability and measures them by return on investment. The agency does not describe itself as just a Long Island advertising agency. In its words, online media is not a product it sells but a tool its team uses to raise a client's revenue and profit.

Who it takes on

Its clients include lawyers, medical practices, professional services firms, tech and service businesses, neighborhood companies and lead generation programs. It works locally on Long Island and nationally. It also says it does not work with everyone: it wants businesses that are seriously committed to their own growth. A senior executive at the agency is described as having thirty years of experience in marketing, a claim the firm makes for itself.

Working as an adviser

The firm says it starts by working closely with owners and executives to understand their goals and learn their business, and that it aims to become a trusted adviser rather than a vendor. From those goals it develops a sales and marketing strategy and then builds the online campaigns intended to reach them.

Search advertising

Pay-per-click advertising on Google is described as the way to buy a position at the top of search results. The agency points out that this is also the difficulty: clicks cost money, some keywords are very expensive, and competition has raised the need for careful optimization. Its position is that the winner in pay-per-click is not the account with the biggest budget or the highest rank but the one with the best return, so it tries to get the most from the keywords available within a client's budget. Display banner ads are used to attract buyers, and remarketing brings earlier site visitors back to buy.

Paid social and Facebook advertising

Paid media and social media campaigns are targeted at prospects by interests, demographics, geography and online history. The agency can aim at people who have already visited a client's site or at new audiences, and the client decides which. Facebook ads and other social media buys are presented as a way to get in front of an audience quickly.

Search optimization and website design

Optimized SEO and pay-per-click campaigns are pitched as a way to bring in leads and sales at lower acquisition costs. Web design is treated as part of the same system: a strong site, the agency says, means more visitors call to do business, so it designs pages to give them a reason to call. Pages on the site are organized by client type, including local and regional businesses, legal practices and medical practices.

What it says it aims for

The stated goal is a large return for the client, with revenue growth and profitability as the measures of success.

Direct Response Group is an online marketing agency on Long Island, New York. It plans and runs search, social and web campaigns aimed at producing leads and sales for its clients. The agency works with local Long Island firms and with companies across the United States.

What Direct Response Group does

• SEO: work to raise client websites in organic search results.
• Pay-per-click advertising: Google Ads search campaigns, display banner ads and remarketing to earlier site visitors.
• Web design: building business websites designed to prompt calls and enquiries.
• Social media and paid media: targeted campaigns on social networks by interest, location and demographics.
• Sales and marketing strategy: planning sessions with owners and executives to set growth goals and the campaigns to reach them.

Who it works with

Law firms, medical practices, professional services, technology and service companies, local businesses and lead generation programmes. The agency says it only takes on clients who are committed to growing.

Key facts

• Based in: Long Island, New York, United States
• Leadership: chief executive with 30 years of experience
• Coverage: local and nationwide