# Creative Agency vs. Digital Agency—What's the Difference? | Capterra > Unsure if a creative agency or digital agency is right for you? Learn the differences between a creative agency vs. a digital agency and determine which one best meets your business needs. Source: https://www.capterra.com/resources/creative-agency-vs-digital-agency --- Small Business Digital MarketingMarketing # Creative Agency vs. Digital Agency—What's the Difference? By Adam Carpenter Adam Carpenter Adam Carpenter is a writer specializing in tech, fintech, and marketing topics for small businesses. He is a frequent contributor to Capterra. [See bio & all articles](https://www.capterra.com/resources/author/acarpenter/) Published January 12, 2023 7 min read Table of Contents - [What is a creative agency?](#what-is-a-creative-agency) - [What is a digital agency?](#what-is-a-digital-agency) - [Differences between a creative agency and a digital agency](#differences-between-a-creative-agency-and-a-digital-agency) - [How to choose between a creative agency vs. a digital agency](#how-to-choose-between-a-creative-agency-vs-a-digital-agency) ## Use this guide to help you decide which type of agency would best meet your specific marketing needs. You’ve decided to let the pros handle your marketing, but you’re not sure which kind of agency you should hire: a creative or a digital marketing agency. Even though you know both offer valuable services, it can be difficult to figure out which one is the best for your specific marketing needs.  If you’re a marketing decision-maker, this straightforward explanation of what creative and digital agencies are, their benefits, and their differences will help you make the right choice. ## What is a creative agency? A creative agency will provide you with a team of experts that generates all of your brand's visual elements and content. To better understand this creative agency definition, picture everything you want customers to interact with in relation to your products or services. That’s what a creative agency is responsible for. What does a creative agency do? They may take care of your: - Online and print copywriting - Logos - Banners - Color schemes - Email newsletters - Packaging - Infographics - Ads for TV - Videos Even if you don’t have a creative bone in your body, a creative agency cab deliver what you need to make an impact on customers. And even if you do have a knack for creativity, a creative agency can still give you an advantage because they understand how to channel creativity for the best impact on your target audience. ### Benefits of hiring a creative agency A creative agency can help you improve an existing brand strategy or brand your offering from the ground up. Here are some of the top advantages: - **You don't have to worry about generating your own content.** A creative agency can build everything you need and even update and maintain it over time. - **You can use a creative agency to improve existing ideas.** Suppose you have a general idea as to how you want your branding to look and feel, but you’re not quite sure exactly what it should look and sound like. You could bring in a creative agency to have them add a shiny polish to your existing marketing vehicle. - **You benefit from nuanced artistic knowledge and marketing experience.** Even if you’re unfamiliar with how colors, shapes, and fonts can influence how your target audience feels about your product, don't worry because creative agency pros have your back. ## What is a digital agency? What does a digital agency do? A digital agency is one that handles all aspects of your digital marketing: all marketing that happens over the internet or via software apps. For many businesses, digital marketing comprises the vast majority—or all—of their marketing. Similar to a creative agency, a digital marketing agency can deliver a wide range of services. You will notice that many of the following services overlap with the capabilities of a creative agency: - Search engine marketing (SEM) - Search engine optimization (SEO) - App development - In-app advertising  - Content creation - Media campaigns - Mobile campaigns - Website development and design - Email marketing - Video marketing - Online lead generation  - Brand development ### Benefits of hiring a digital agency For some companies, hiring a digital agency can give them a strategic edge, especially if their primary focus is online or app-based marketing. For example, a digital agency can: - **Provide a comprehensive online marketing strategy.** A digital agency can thoughtfully cover all your marketing bases while taking into account your long-term brand strategy. - **Give you better visibility with your online audience**, especially by boosting your SEO and SEM strategies. - **Increase sales.** A digital agency can help you increase online leads you can use to increase sales.They can also find ways to incorporate an eCommerce system into your marketing strategy.  - **Improve your online image** by connecting you with writers and influencers that cover your industry. - **Develop apps.** Building an app can help your company easily interact with new and existing customers. ## Differences between a creative agency and a digital agency Despite the various ways in which their services intersect, creative and digital agencies offer distinct services, especially when it comes to how they craft your marketing strategy. ### Market research vs. user research A digital agency often focuses more on providing market research, while a creative agency may do a better job of leveraging user research. While both of these disciplines involve customers, they’re very different: - **Market research** involves a digital agency figuring out how to help your product make an impact in your target market. At times, a digital agency may discover that you need to adjust your target market according to data gathered during a market analysis. For instance, if the 35- to 50-year-old demographic is saturated with similar options, they may recommend you target younger customers. - **User research** focuses on deciding which creative elements are most likely to motivate specific users. A creative agency can address this challenge by catering its designs and visuals to the desires, aesthetics, and trends that resonate with your target user. ### Branding vs. specific targeting A creative agency hones in on branding, while a digital agency may be more likely to focus on targeting specific markets. This is one of the biggest differences between the two.  Even though a digital agency may take your branding into account, if **you want to create new branding or completely revamp your existing brand strategy**, you would want to opt for a creative agency. A digital agency, on the other hand, would be a better choice if **you** **already have at least some of your brand strategy in place**, but you need help with targeting specific segments of the market. ### Market strategy vs. creative strategy Creative agencies tend to excel when it comes to creative strategy, while digital agencies may do a better job of developing your market strategy. Here’s how these two elements differ: - A **creative strategy** centers around developing the marketing collateral you need to appeal to your audience. For example, men living in Minnesota between the ages of 65 and 75 may have different aesthetic tastes than women between 19 and 25 living in Miami. A creative agency can adjust the design of your marketing collateral accordingly. - A **market strategy** involves deciding how to take your product and its marketing collateral and position it in front of the right consumers. For instance, if you want to optimize your social media marketing campaigns and improve the SEO of your website, you will go to a digital agency to enhance these elements of your market strategy. ## How to choose between a creative agency vs. a digital agency  Creative and digital agencies can work hand-in-hand.  For many businesses, the first step is a creative agency, which would develop marketing collateral and get it ready for dissemination across various channels.  The next step would be to work with a digital agency so they can design a market strategy that gets their collateral in front of the right eyes, fingertips, and ears. The lines between creative and digital agencies have started to blur. This is primarily because some businesses approach one of the two asking for both design and marketing strategy. For example, a company may walk into a digital agency’s office without a logo, font, or any marketing collateral they’re comfortable with. Instead of turning these kinds of customers away, some digital agencies have enlisted creative experts—and vice versa. For most companies, the decision as to whether to go with a creative or digital agency comes down to whether they need marketing collateral, which would require a creative agency, or help with penetrating their desired markets, which is when a digital agency may be a better choice.  If you’re not sure which one you need, it may be best to consult with a creative agency first so you can cement your content and brand identity, then go to a digital agency to figure out how to get it in front of the consumers you’re after. Either way, by going to one of these kinds of companies, you can get seasoned experts on your side. * * * ### Was this article helpful? * * * ## About the Author [### Adam Carpenter](https://www.capterra.com/resources/author/acarpenter/) Adam Carpenter is a writer specializing in tech, fintech, and marketing topics for small businesses. He is a frequent contributor to Capterra. ### RELATED READING - [Choosing Project Management Software? 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