Elm Marketing

What Elm Marketing does

Elm Marketing is a privately held, full-service digital marketing agency headquartered in Invercargill, Southland, New Zealand, founded by Emma Lindsay in 2020. The agency operates as a professional services firm with a team of approximately eight core members plus part-time contractors, serving small and medium-sized businesses across diverse industries including electrical services, flooring, property management, environmental services, automotive, real estate, accounting, handmade goods, and lodging. Its core services span marketing strategy and research, brand development, digital marketing and SEO, creative design, website development (built on Squarespace), and social media strategy and management across Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, YouTube, and TikTok, with supporting capabilities in videography, drone capture, and 1:1 training.

The agency generates revenue through three primary streams: project-based engagements with a 50/25/25 payment structure on milestones, productised packages (Seed Pack at NZ$4,790 +GST for startups and the Partnership Package for ongoing strategic support), and recurring monthly retainers including SEO packages starting at NZ$2,000/month. Go-to-market is sales-led with discovery sessions booked directly via Google Calendar and complemented by top-of-funnel events including workshops co-delivered with the Southland Chamber of Commerce and Regional Business Partner Network, plus community engagement activities. The agency uses third-party tools (Squarespace, Google Ads, Meta Business Suite, Semrush, Moz, Google Analytics, ChatGPT, Canva AI) and integrates Meta Pixel for tracking, with no proprietary technology platform underlying its services.

In August 2025, Elm Marketing acquired Talk Visual, a design and marketing studio, absorbing its principals Cat Hulse and Kameron Bridges into the team and expanding design and visual storytelling capacity. The business is founder-owned with no external institutional investment disclosed, holds a single office in Invercargill, and positions itself as a people-first, locally embedded alternative to larger national agencies.

Name

Elm Marketing

Legal name

Elm Marketing

Website

https://elmmarketing.co.nz

Company type

Private

Founded year

2020

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Elm Marketing is a privately held, full-service digital marketing agency in Invercargill, New Zealand, serving small and medium-sized businesses across multiple industries with strategy, branding, SEO, design, web, and social media services.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Marketing Services

SIC

Services-Advertising Agencies (7311), Services-Advertising (7310)

akta.pro industry

PRIMARYMPAAACAD

Affiliate Marketing & Partner Program Management

Media, Entertainment & Sports/Advertising, Marketing & PR Services/Digital & Performance Marketing (SEO/SEM, Paid Social, Affiliate)

Keywords

• Marketing strategy services
• Brand development services
• Digital marketing agency
• Social media management
• Creative design services

Headquarters

HQ city

Invercargill

HQ country

New Zealand

HQ region

Oceania

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D

Revenue model

1. Project-Based Services: One-off project work with defined beginning and end, including marketing strategy, brand development, digital marketing, creative design, website development, and social media management. Payment structure: 50% deposit upfront, 25% at 75% completion, 25% upon completion.
2. Service Packages: Pre-packaged service offerings including Seed Pack ($4,790 +GST) for startups and Partnership Package for ongoing strategic marketing support with discounted rates.
3. Monthly Retainers: Ongoing agreements providing set hours or services each month at agreed rates, invoiced at end of each month with payment due by the 20th of following month.
4. SEO Services: Search engine optimization packages starting at $2,000 per month for ongoing optimization services.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels9 records

Core offering

Elm Marketing is a New Zealand-based marketing agency that delivers marketing strategy, brand development, digital marketing and SEO, creative design, website development, social media management, and videography/drone services. The agency primarily serves small and medium-sized businesses in the Southland region, offering both standalone services and packaged offerings such as the Seed Pack and Partnership Package.

Product overview

Elm Marketing is a full-service marketing agency based in Invercargill, New Zealand, offering a unified suite of marketing services rather than a software platform. The core service portfolio includes Marketing Strategy & Research, Brand Development, Digital Marketing & SEO, Creative Design, Website Development, and Social Media Strategy & Management. These services are delivered through two structured packages: the Seed Pack (a fixed-price package for startups at $4,790 +GST covering brand creation, website, and social setup) and the Partnership Package (ongoing strategic marketing support with team access and discounted rates). Additional offerings include 1:1 training, videography and drone services, and public workshops on digital content and social media. The agency also acquired Talk Visual in August 2025, expanding its creative and design capabilities.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Marketing Strategy & Research
• Brand Development
• Digital Marketing & SEO
• Creative Design
• Website Development
• Social Media Strategy & Management
• Seed Pack
• Partnership Package
• 1:1 Training & Support
• Videography & Drone Services
• Digital Content Strategy Workshop
• Social Media Content Workshop

Quantifiable outcome

• Income increased fivefold for WM Environmental client
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers9 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles1 record

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration14 records

AI capability4 records

Feature3 records

Partnerships

Five partnerships are on record, tiered minor and core.

• Formal Booth (ReBooth)minorGTM or Marketing Partner · 22 August 2025Community initiative making eventwear accessible by redistributing formalwear to Southland families. Elm Marketing hosted a fundraiser at their office with 100% of hire proceeds donated to support the initiative.
• Snap FactoryminorGTM or Marketing Partner · 6 August 2025Snap Factory is a creative event space in Invercargill. Elm Marketing hosted the Neon Paint Party event and Formal Booth Fundraiser at the venue, demonstrating collaborative community engagement.
• Talk VisualcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 August 2025Elm Marketing acquired Talk Visual, a design and marketing studio specializing in branding, design, and visual storytelling. Cat Hulse and Kameron Bridges joined the Elm team as part of the acquisition, ensuring seamless transition for existing Talk Visual clients.
• Southland Chamber of CommercecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerElm Marketing partners with the Southland Chamber of Commerce to deliver marketing workshops including Digital Content Strategy and Social Media Content Creation sessions to local businesses.
• Regional Business Partner NetworkminorGTM or Marketing PartnerWorkshop delivery through the Regional Business Partner Network enables potential funding eligibility for participating businesses, making training more accessible to Southland businesses.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights12 records

Broad incumbents

• Ogilvy: Global advertising agency network offering brand strategy, creative, digital marketing, social media, and SEO services. Overlaps directly with Elm's core offering across strategy, brand, digital marketing, and social — but operates at a global enterprise scale.
• WPP: Global advertising holding company offering full-service marketing, advertising, and communications services across strategy, creative, digital, and media. Comparable to Elm as a broad incumbent providing the full suite of services Elm offers, though at a vastly larger scale and geographic footprint.
• BBDO Worldwide: Global creative advertising agency network offering brand strategy, creative development, digital marketing, and social media services. Provides similar end-to-end marketing services as Elm within a global holding company structure focused on enterprise clients.
• Publicis Groupe: Global advertising and communications holding company with full-service agency networks covering creative, digital, media, and marketing services. Provides the same end-to-end marketing stack as Elm at enterprise scale, including SEO, social, and content capabilities.
• Deloitte Digital: Global consulting arm offering marketing, creative, technology, and digital transformation services. Comparable to Elm in offering strategy, brand, digital marketing, and design services, but as part of a much broader consulting portfolio serving enterprise clients.
• Dentsu: Global advertising agency network offering integrated marketing, digital, creative, and media services across brand strategy and customer experience. Directly comparable category overlap with Elm's services, but operating at multinational scale with enterprise clients.

Others

• HubSpot: Global CRM and marketing automation platform offering inbound marketing, SEO, social media, content, and email marketing tools. Adjacent competitor to Elm's service offering as SMBs can use HubSpot's tools and agency partner network in lieu of hiring a full-service agency like Elm.
• Hootsuite: Global social media management platform providing scheduling, analytics, and social media marketing tools used by agencies and SMBs. Adjacent to Elm's social media service line as both a potential tool provider and an alternative for clients who prefer self-service.

Direct peers

• Socialites: New Zealand-based social media marketing agency offering social media management, content creation, and digital marketing services to businesses. Direct competitor in social media and content services, particularly in the NZ market where both agencies operate.
• Atomic Marketing: New Zealand-based digital marketing agency offering similar full-service capabilities to SMBs and growth-stage businesses, including strategy, digital marketing, SEO, social media, and creative design. Closest direct competitor in terms of geography, service mix, and SMB customer focus.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/elmmarketingnz
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/elm-marketing-new-zealand
• Instagraminstagram.com/elmmarketing

Compliance1 record

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Subsidiaries1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Elm Marketing