You will notice some of these firms are one-stop-shops for all of your needs, and others are specialists for specific needs (e.g., mobile experts, ecommerce experts). There are plusses and minuses of either direction, so do your homework here, based on your needs. I also split the list between "startup friendly" and those that "typically work with bigger budgets", so most of you will focus on the the former. It is also important to note, that on rare occasion, some of these firms may consider trading a portion of the cost of the project, in exchange for equity in your business, if you want to explore that option with them to reduce your cash costs. And, before engaging any of these firms, be sure to check out their past work and speak to their past clients as references.
HAVE EXPERIENCE WORKING WITH
STARTUP ACCOUNTS & BUDGETS
www.colorjar.com web stategy, design, development, consulting
www.8thlight.com design, development, UX
www.logicalmediagroup.com search,
display, analytics, social, email, video, mobile, web dev, ecommerce, affiliate
www.sandstormdesign.com strategy,
branding, web design/develop, copywriting, UX, SEO, social, analytics, research,
testing
TYPICALLY WORK WITH BIGGER
ACCOUNTS & BUDGETS, BUT DO LARGER STARTUP PROJECTS
www.americaneagle.com web design/dev,
hosting, consult, integration, search, multimedia, social, mobile
www.launchwhatsnext.com engage, promos, digital/video/mobile, shopper
marketing/merchandising, trade marketing
www.sprinc.com software design/dev, coach/consult, project
management, IT staffing, process management, social
The above excludes all the major
marketing agencies in town (e.g., Starcom, DDB Digital, Ogilvy Online)
If you think I am missing any important firms here, please add them in the comments section below.
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