South Jersey agency bets on community presence as ad costs rise

Strativera says local marketing now works better in township field events than in paid search auctions, as click costs climb and AI answers absorb more web traffic. The Cherry Hill agency used Evesham Township’s National Night Out to show how in-person visibility can build trust, referrals and demand without bidding for clicks.

Why it matters: - Paid search is getting more expensive for businesses across nearly every industry. - WordStream and LocaliQ benchmarked more than 16,000 campaigns and found cost per click rose in 87% of industries, with the average up about 13% year over year. - AI-generated answers are also taking a growing share of clicks that once reached business websites directly. - Local businesses now face higher paid-media costs and weaker organic traffic at the same time. - Strativera’s view is that community presence can function as a lower-cost acquisition channel that competitors cannot easily bid against.

What happened: - Strativera, a Cherry Hill Township digital marketing and revenue operations agency, ran a free face-painting station at Evesham Township’s National Night Out on Tuesday, Aug. 4. - Co-Founder and Vice President of Growth and Client Success Janae Tanner painted more than 100 faces during the event. - Spider-Man was the most requested design. - The agency framed the appearance as a channel strategy rather than charity or soft brand marketing. - Evesham Township Police Department hosted the event. - More than 20 businesses, civic organizations and public-safety groups supported or took part in the 2026 event. - The event drew thousands of community members, families, businesses and vendors.

The details: - Strativera says the economics of paid acquisition are squeezing local service businesses, especially in competitive categories where clicks can cost several dollars or more. - The agency says reviews, referrals and familiarity matter more than bought impressions for local buying decisions. - Strativera reports more than $104 million in client-attributed revenue growth. - Strativera says its client work has produced an average 28% reduction in customer acquisition cost across engagements in more than 17 industries. - Joe Levy, Co-Founder and President of Strativera, said community presence is an acquisition channel and the agency proves that with its own calendar. - Tanner said the townships, chambers, school fundraisers and police foundation events are where South Jersey decides who it does business with. - The National Night Out station had no banner wall, giveaway funnel, QR codes or lead capture. - Tanner staffed the station alone from the opening of the event through the fireworks finale. - Strativera says its involvement included no attempt to collect leads on site. - The evening’s fireworks display was sponsored by A Suite for Harry’s Heroes. - The United States Marine Corps provided a helicopter that the police department described as one of the highlights of the night. - Companies named in the event recap included Cherry Valley Tractor Sales, Sprouts Farmers Market, Remington and Vernick Engineers, Adjust Your Sleep Mattress Boutique, DiMeglio Septic Inc., Stephen’s Exterminating LLC and New Century Screen Printing and Embroidery.

Between the lines: - Strativera is using its own public appearances to reinforce the same message it gives clients: trust-first marketing can lower acquisition costs over time. - The agency’s argument is not that paid ads should stop. - The argument is that businesses relying only on auctions are vulnerable when paid clicks get pricier and organic clicks get harder to keep. - Community marketing is slower and less scalable than paid media, but the agency says it can create durable referral demand and repeat familiarity. - Levy said a Cherry Hill address means little if local buyers have never met the company. - The company is positioning in-person presence as a reputation asset that compounds rather than resets each month.

What’s next: - Strativera says National Night Out opened a three-week run of community commitments for the agency. - On Aug. 8, Strativera co-hosted the American Muscle Car Show with Floor Coverings International Cherry Hill. - On Aug. 12, Tanner is scheduled to speak at the D.R.I.V.E. HER Forward event. - Tanner also serves as vice president of BNI Cherry Hill East. - National Night Out 2027 falls on Tuesday, Aug. 3. - Strativera says businesses should commit early, bring an activity, send owners or principals, return the next year and measure referrals and branded search like paid media. - The agency says township planning for National Night Out typically ramps in late spring. - Strativera says companies that instrument community investment can better judge how much to fund.

The bottom line: - As ad auctions get more expensive, Strativera is betting that South Jersey businesses will win more by showing up in person than by paying more for the same clicks. - The agency’s pitch is simple: community trust is slower to build, but harder for competitors to copy and more durable than an ad budget.