Agencies progression to omnichannel

As noted from the graph, you can see how B2B marketing agencies in the UK have still a long way to go before really embracing digital platforms. The actual stats are even more revealing though, the cliff-face from LinkedIn participation to Facebook is 79% to 46%, with YouTube on 17% and Instagram on 29%. Below are the agencies used in the review,

Seven, Cedar Communications, John Brown Media, August Media, Blue Glass, Branded 3, Headstream , Mediablaze, Archant Dialogue, CPL, EnVeritas Group, Immediate Media, ITN Productions, Medium Rare, Northstar, Progressive Customer Publishing, Red Bee, Redactive, Remarkable Content, Redwood, Seven46, Spafax, The Moment and The River Group.

Despite the content marketing landscape now expanding to include media owners, digital and even PR agencies, the review took into account a total of 24 agencies centered around the traditional content marketing competitive set.

The graph above shows a lot of different aspects which are quite unique to B2B content agencies. One such talking point is what role omnichannel has to play for content marketing agencies.

As content marketing becomes more competitive, the need to have a presence on platforms to showcase the very creative abilities you are trying to sell, will become necessary. Along with this process comes the need to stand out from the competitive set, so expect scaled down brand building in an effort to define their various usps.

Ironically, agencies have been busy re-branding their websites for the new digital era, but a key finding of the review was a limited enthusiasm for social. A defining characteristic going forward will clearly be the level of investment in video for YouTube. In house video is costly to produce, takes a while to complete and you need a regular supply to build an audience. As a result, it will separate the younger agencies with weaker clients and limited resources from the bigger, more established agencies.

So while on various websites you may see a similar message being blazed across your screen trying to sell you creative storytelling, it’s actually the agencies social presence that will create the real divisions between them.

Eventually the differences will decrease as agencies re-adjust to a social model of competition. The supermarket giants on YouTube are an example of this in action already e.g. Tesco, Sainsbury’s and Co-op Food, where subtle differences characterize a market saturated with unoriginal food content, omnichannel is inevitable.

A second point of the graph is that it shows you the digital transformation of the market in progress, from print to digital. Those agencies that are more print focused have a limited social presence and are more reluctant to progress further into digital. The more progressive agencies however, offer a variety of platforms indicating a better versatility within the digital landscape. The key with digital of course is to be agile and grow your presence with cost-effective marketing.

The third and final point is a move away from content. If you can gain a reputation in app building, data scientists, UX/UI designers and other more technical skills, not only can you diversify your business but, it is less reliant on proving your content’s worth. In social, this is a dangerous game to play as it becomes a war of attrition, as mentioned earlier with the major supermarket chains.

Overall the graph more likely represents the slow demise of magazines and the reluctance of the B2B market on social. However, it could also represent a pivot strategy by some of the more smart and nimble agencies. These agencies won't have the budget to engage in a content marketing war and would rather specialize in more technical offerings for their clients instead.