Lead generation
Ken is our productLead Generation for Marketing Agencies
Ken's database lists 488,803 companies that fit the buyer profile for marketing agencies, as of Oct 17, 2026. With a typical deal of $12,000-$48,000 (estimate) and that many buyers, volume outbound in Campaigns fits best.
Buyer counts come from Ken's company database. Ken is our product.
Search These Buyers in Ken
In short 488,803 companies in Ken's database match this buyer filter, as of Oct 17, 2026.
Ken Search
Query
US companies with 11-500 employees in industries that hire marketing agencies: software, IT services, medical practices, real estate, retail, hospitality, financial services, legal, construction, manufacturing and fitness.
- Companies in Ken's database
- 488,803
- 11-50 employees
- 384,160
- 51-200 employees
- 86,784
- 201-500 employees
- 17,859
Snapshot of Oct 17, 2026, refreshed weekly. Counts only, no company records.
Who Buys From Marketing Agencies?
In short Companies that need more pipeline or sales than their in-house marketing team can produce hire marketing agencies, and the marketing lead or, at smaller companies, the founder signs.
| Buyer trait | Typical buyer |
|---|---|
| Industries | Software development, Financial services, Hospitals and health care, Retail and e-commerce, Manufacturing, Real estate |
| Company size | 11-50, 51-200, 201-500 employees |
| Titles to contact | Founder, Chief Executive Officer, Chief Marketing Officer, VP of Marketing, Head of Marketing, Marketing Manager |
How Many Buyers Can You Reach?
In short 488,803 companies in Ken's database, as of Oct 17, 2026.
488,803 companies in Ken's database match the buyer filter for marketing agencies as of Oct 17, 2026. The filter: US companies with 11-500 employees in industries that hire marketing agencies: software, IT services, medical practices, real estate, retail, hospitality, financial services, legal, construction, manufacturing and fitness.
These are companies in Ken's database (250M people and 24M companies), not every company that exists. The count refreshes weekly.
| Employees | Companies | Share of buyers |
|---|---|---|
| 11-50 | 384,160 | 78.6% |
| 51-200 | 86,784 | 17.8% |
| 201-500 | 17,859 | 3.7% |
Companies in Ken's database. Bands come from each company's listed employee count.
Plays That Work
In short 5 outbound plays for marketing agencies, each tied to a trigger you can spot.
| Play | Channel | Trigger | Angle |
|---|---|---|---|
| Head of Marketing job open | The company posted a Head of Marketing or Marketing Director job, or its last marketing lead left in the past two months. | Write to the CEO or founder offering to keep campaigns running while the seat is open, then hand over to the new hire. | |
| Example first lineWhile [Company] hires a Head of Marketing, we can keep the ads and email running so the new hire starts with live campaigns and fresh data. | |||
| New marketing leader | A new CMO, VP or Head of Marketing joined in the last 90 days, shown by a job change on LinkedIn. | Write to the newly hired CMO or VP of Marketing with one channel you would fix first, based on what you can see from outside. | |
| Example first lineCongrats on joining [Company] - I looked at your paid search ads and landing pages and have two fixes I'd test in your first quarter. | |||
| Funding round | The company announced a seed, Series A or Series B round in the last 60 days. | Write to the founder about adding marketing output faster than hiring can, tied to the growth target the round sets. | |
| Example first lineCongrats on the round - hiring a full marketing team takes months, and we can have [Company]'s first campaigns live while you recruit. | |||
| Started running ads | The company's first ads appeared in the public Meta or LinkedIn ad library in the last 30 days. | Write to the Marketing Manager with specific notes on ads the company just launched, which you can see in public ad libraries. | |
| Example first line[Company] started running LinkedIn ads this month, and the three ads I found all send people to the homepage instead of a page for the offer. | |||
| Launch or new location | Email and LinkedIn | The company announced a new product, a new market or a new location with a launch date. | Write to the marketing lead about the launch campaign for a new product, market or location they announced. |
| Example first lineSaw [Company] is launching in a new city next quarter - we can have local ads and landing pages ready before opening day. | |||
Campaigns or 1:1 Accounts?
In short With 488,803 buyers and a typical deal of $12,000-$48,000 (estimate), volume outbound in Campaigns fits best.
| Check | Marketing Agencies | Points to Accounts (Coming) when |
|---|---|---|
| Typical deal (estimate) | $12,000-$48,000 (first-year retainer value), midpoint $30,000 | Over $15,000 |
| Buyer companies in Ken's database | 488,803 | Fewer than 25,000 |
| Suggested lane | Campaigns | Both checks pass |
Ken's estimate: 12 months of a $1,000-$4,000 monthly retainer for one service, such as paid ads, content or social, for a client with 11-500 employees. A full year is a fair assumption, since 43% of agency leaders in the AgencyAnalytics 2025 benchmarks report average client lifespans of 2 to 5 years.
Ken's view: when one deal is worth more than $15,000 and there are fewer than 25,000 buyers, each account is worth researching and writing to one by one. Otherwise volume wins: a Campaign of short email and LinkedIn sequences reaches more of the market for the same effort.
Objections
In short What buyers tend to say back to marketing agencies, and how to answer.
| Objection | How to answer |
|---|---|
| We already work with an agency. | Then keep them on what works. If one channel is behind target, I can send a plan for that channel only, so you can compare without switching. |
| We tried an agency before and it didn't work. | Fair. Tell me what went wrong, whether it was targets, reporting or the work itself. We agree targets and a reporting format in the first week, so you know early if it's working. |
| We're bringing marketing in-house. | Makes sense once the team is in place. We can run production, like ads and landing pages, until then and hand everything over with the data. |
FAQ
How do marketing agencies get clients?
Mostly through referrals. In SparkToro's State of Digital Agencies survey for 2025, the biggest driver of new business was referrals from existing and past clients. Of the agencies surveyed, 59% had tried outbound sales, and 9% called the results very effective, 58% moderately effective and 33% not effective at all. If you run outbound, pick one service, one buyer type and a clear trigger.
How long does it take to turn a lead into a client?
In the same SparkToro survey, around 55% of agencies said a lead can take 1-6 weeks to become a client, and 29% said it was taking longer than the year before. Plan follow-ups across several weeks, not only the first few days.
What should the first email to a prospect say?
One thing you noticed about their marketing, such as an ad, a landing page or a gap in their search results, and what you would change. Then one ask. Save the credentials and service list for after they reply.
What does the CAN-SPAM Act require of a cold email?
In the US, the CAN-SPAM Act covers commercial email, and the FTC says it makes no exception for business-to-business email. Its requirements: no false or misleading header information, no deceptive subject lines, identify the message as an ad, include your valid physical postal address, tell recipients how to opt out, honor opt-outs within 10 business days, and monitor anyone who sends email on your behalf. Other countries have their own rules. This is general information, not legal advice.
Do This in Ken
Find These Buyers in Ken
Open Ken Search with the buyer filter for marketing agencies, narrow it to your territory and best-fit size, then send the plays above as a Campaign over email and LinkedIn.
- Search companies with this filter: US companies with 11-500 employees in industries that hire marketing agencies: software, IT services, medical practices, real estate, retail, hospitality, financial services, legal, construction, manufacturing and fitness. Searching is free.
- Narrow the list to your territory and size band, then pick the titles to contact: Founder, Chief Executive Officer, Chief Marketing Officer.
- Find valid emails at 1 credit ($0.02) each and add the list to a Campaign.
- Module
- Ken Search
- Open in Ken
- /waitlist
- API
POST /v1/search/companies- MCP tool
search_search_companies- Cost
- Free to search, 1 credit ($0.02) per valid email
The new Ken opens to the waiting list in batches.
Related
Sources
| Source | Checked |
|---|---|
| SparkToro, Digital agency new business: State of Digital Agencies 2025 | |
| AgencyAnalytics, 2025 Marketing Agency Benchmarks Report | |
| FTC, CAN-SPAM Act: A Compliance Guide for Business | |
| Ken pricing (credit costs) |
Changelog
- Page published.