Copyright Forbes
While many agencies offer a full array of service options, a few specific service areas will often stand out to clients as being truly indispensable for achieving their goals. Industry leaders say the most valued agency offerings are those that drive measurable impact and long-term growth, but which services deliver most consistently on those expectations? Below, 20 members of Forbes Agency Council each share one service their clients consistently find most crucial to their success. Whether it’s simplifying complex strategies, amplifying credibility through earned media or helping leaders tell their story authentically, here are the services and practice areas these agencies’ clients value the most, and why. 1. Website Redesign The majority of our clients see website redesign as the primary lever. It’s where positioning, user experience, speed and conversion all intersect. It also affects ROI for every channel. A clear story, fast pages, frictionless checkout and clean analytics can significantly improve paid performance, email revenue and retention. - Gabriel Shaoolian, Digital Silk 2. Performance Dashboards Clients say our most valuable service is our real-time performance dashboards—a “Grand Central Station” for data. By connecting multiple sources through APIs into one centralized view, brands can see how every program performs and how we adjust instantly. The real power lies in agility, measuring, benchmarking and optimizing in real time to make smarter, faster decisions that drive results. - Andrew Mitchell, Brandmovers Inc. 3. Monthly Reporting In addition to the actual hyperlocal SEO service our clients value, we get so many new clients who comment how they love our monthly reporting process. No lame PDF, our clients get an eight- to 10-minute Loom video recorded by our COO walking them through the previous month’s results and the coming months’ game plans. They say this helps them tie everything together much better. - Landon Murie, Goodjuju Marketing Forbes Agency Council is an invitation-only community for executives in successful public relations, media strategy, creative and advertising agencies. Do I qualify? 4. Media Relations Most clients see media relations as the most valuable part of their strategy. Securing thoughtful press helps build credibility and long-term trust in a way ads and social content can’t. Strong storytelling through earned media gives brands authority, fuels awareness and opens doors to partnerships and new audiences. - Bryanne DeGoede, BLND Public Relations 5. Networking Connections We believe in the power of networking and building relationships for our clients within their industry. By actively engaging, attending events and sharing expertise, clients establish themselves as knowledgeable and reliable contacts. This builds them into trustworthy sources and forms a powerful foundation for their brands, turning one-time transactions into sustained, valuable partnerships. - Danielle McWilliams, Novita Communications 6. Amazon Marketing Our clients value Amazon marketing. Especially given the recent economic turbulence, shoppers know that they can count on Amazon Prime for free, fast shipping and easy returns. We help our clients set up their Amazon storefronts to capture new customers who prefer the comfort and predictability of Prime purchases. - Bernard May, National Positions 7. Value-Focused Thinking It’s more a skill set than a service, but it’s the ability to radically simplify everything without losing a shred of meaning or value. Whether it’s vision, strategy, positioning, content, process, metrics or some other element, the experienced application of reductive thinking to any assignment immediately and dramatically lowers all client cortisol levels. - Abigail Hirschhorn, Human Intelligence | H.I. 8. Data Storytelling Our focus has shifted to data storytelling. Today, most clients already have ample customer data, including Google Analytics, purchase histories and customer reviews and feedback. We transform data into visual narratives so diverse stakeholders across departments and levels can understand it. Clients get actionable insights to help cross-functional teams align goals and focus for growth. - Dennis Consorte, Consorte Marketing 9. Corporate Communications Our clients value our corporate communications services. Nearly every client realizes the fundamental importance of effectively communicating their company’s competitive advantages, differentiating factors, disruptive products and/or services, growth strategy and mission statement. This approach and preparedness apply to most key stakeholder interactions, whether with investors, media outlets or research analysts. - Scott Powell, Skyline Corporate Communications Group, LLC 10. Reputation Management The most valuable service is reputation management, both proactive and reactive. As information spreads instantly and public opinion can change rapidly, clients understand that protecting and strengthening their reputation is essential to achieving their goals. This work blends strategy, media relations and stakeholder engagement, helping organizations communicate in moments that matter most. - Meghan Tisinger, Leidar 11. Honest Feedback It’s not a conventional service, but an honest opinion from outside the client’s business is the most valuable thing we offer. It’s impossible to see the whole picture from within any organization, meaning that sometimes clients’ ideas just won’t work. Sometimes we may have to execute them due to politics and suffer the consequences with our clients, but at least they know the problems in advance. - Mike Maynard, Napier Partnership Limited 12. Strategy Sessions Our clients value facilitated collaborative strategy sessions that align all parties essential in branding from the inside out. This ensures internal folks who deliver the true brand experience act in alignment with brand promises made in external messaging. This helps create authentic brands that truly are what they say they are and do what they promise to do. - Stephen Rosa, (add)ventures 13. Earned Media Earned media is vital to a brand’s success in so many ways. It is “legitimate” in that it comes from a trusted source: a journalist with journalistic ethics. Media outlets’ websites generally have high domain authority, so they appear high in Google searches, and they are also considered trustworthy for AI searches. Earned media is experiencing a renaissance! - Nancy Marshall, Marshall Communications 14. Audience-Building Many clients view our precision audience-building service as foundational to their marketing success. Brands and other agencies turn to us when they need reliable ways to identify and connect with verified audiences across channels. Precision audience-building enables that consistency, ensuring every impression, message and campaign is directed toward real people most likely to engage and convert. - Paula Chiocchi, Outward Media, Inc. 15. DT Planning There’s no shortage of things our clients could do in their digital transformation planning. Where most clients struggle is in deciding what’s a “now” thing versus a “later” thing. We have a scoring process we call “Brutal Prioritization” (a.k.a. “Thunderdome”), where all the ideas go in, but only a select few make it onto the “now” list. The rigor adds clarity to what is often a very subjective process. - Stratton Cherouny, The Office of Experience 16. Outside Perspective Clients often say the most valuable part is when we help them notice connections and patterns they would usually overlook. They often have all the information they need but struggle to see how it fits together or what truly matters. By pointing out these links, they gain clarity, focus on the right priorities and make smarter, more confident decisions that drive real progress. - Ajay Prasad, GMR Web Team 17. Paid Media Paid media is essential to effectively reaching core audiences and driving conversions. It serves as the foundation of any successful campaign, ensuring that messaging connects with the right people and delivers measurable results. - Jessica Hawthorne-Castro, Hawthorne Advertising 18. Digital PR And Link-Building Most clients consider our digital PR and link-building service the most critical to their strategy. It strengthens search visibility, credibility and brand authority by earning placements on trusted publications’ sites. In an era when algorithms reward trust and relevance, high-quality editorial links remain a foundation for sustainable organic growth. - Boris Dzhingarov, ESBO Ltd 19. UX Design Most clients recognize user experience design as the foundation of their strategy. It’s bigger than a visual design alone. It’s where clarity, trust and performance take shape. When the experience reflects how people actually think and behave, everything else follows naturally: Marketing becomes intuitive, technology feels invisible and growth becomes the outcome, not the goal. - Goran Paun, ArtVersion 20. Disciplined Experimentation
