PARTNER WITH YOUR LAST AGENCY

People are increasingly starting and completing their buying journeys online, which makes digital marketing essential for future growth. An improved digital strategy allows portfolio companies to meet buyers where they are, whether that’s on search, social platforms, or other digital channels.

By aligning with how customers want to research, evaluate, and purchase, digital marketing creates a foundation for sustainable and scalable growth. For some businesses, this shift can substantially accelerate performance and transform how they generate demand.

Beyond growth, digital marketing provides measurable insights into what is driving results, allowing portfolio companies to adapt quickly, stay competitive, and allocate resources more efficiently. This positions them to build stronger brands, capture market share, and create long-term value for both the business and its investors.

The most effective marketing channels for portfolio companies vary widely — there’s no one-size-fits-all answer. The right mix depends on factors such as the company’s industry, its current digital marketing maturity, the competitive landscape, available budget, and the timeline for achieving growth goals.

At Straight North, we take all these elements into account when designing a strategy. By assessing where a business stands today and where investors want it to be, we can determine the right balance across SEO, paid advertising, website development, and creative campaigns. This ensures that the plan not only drives measurable results but also aligns with the level and timing of success the business and its investors require.

We partner with private equity firms in a variety of ways, depending on how and where they need our support. In some cases, we act as an advisor during the due diligence process for new investments — providing a digital marketing analysis of acquisition targets, highlighting opportunities and gaps that could impact growth potential.

More commonly, we work directly with portfolio companies to develop and execute digital marketing strategies that accelerate growth and drive value creation for the PE firm. By leveraging our expertise in SEO, paid advertising, websites, and creative services, we help these companies scale quickly and efficiently.

There are also advantages to partnering at the fund level. This can include preferred pricing across multiple engagements, as well as strategic advisory on which portfolio companies are positioned to benefit most from an improved digital marketing program. In all cases, our role is to be a flexible, results-driven partner that aligns with the growth goals of both the business and the investors.

Data is at the center of everything we do. From market research and competitive analysis to campaign performance tracking, we use real-time data to:

• Identify the right audience segments.
• Optimize campaigns for better results.
• Measure ROI to ensure your marketing spend drives tangible results.

This data-driven approach gives you the insights needed to make informed decisions across your portfolio.

The timeline for seeing results depends on several factors, but generally we advise planning for 3 to 6 months. Some channels, such as PPC, can deliver results more quickly, while others, like SEO, typically take longer to gain traction.

Our goal is always to design strategies that balance both quick wins and long-term success. That means identifying opportunities to drive impact early while staying focused on building scalable growth and achieving the strongest sustainable ROI over time.

All private equity clients get access to GoNorth! Reporting, our real-time platform that tracks traffic, leads, conversions, and ad performance across your entire portfolio.

You’ll get:

• Portfolio-wide visibility into marketing results
• Actionable insights to scale what works and fix what doesn’t
• Transparent reporting with regular strategy reviews to align marketing with growth and exit goals

The result: clear, data-driven decisions that maximize ROI across every portfolio company.

Our digital marketing pricing depends on the scope of your strategy and the channels involved. We offer transparent pricing or individual services like SEO, paid advertising, and web design, which can give you a baseline. However, the more comprehensive your strategy, the more customized your pricing will be to match your specific goals and needs.

When we partner with firms across multiple portfolio companies, there can also be preferred pricing at the partnership level. This structure allows for cost efficiencies while still delivering tailored strategies that maximize growth and ROI for each business.