For Full Effect, Avoid Niched Marketing
Excited to see your business success sky-rocket in record time? (Of course you are.) Well, it all starts with excellent marketing…
If you’re the person in charge of marketing for your company, this means you are faced with a heavy load of responsibility as marketing initiatives play such an integral role in your company’s success. (Don’t mess it up!)
So you begin by shopping around for creative help… Beware! As soon as you’re spotted by agencies as a prospect, they’re going to sic their sales teams on you and hit you with all the reasons why you should go with them.
Let’s hope this post finds you in time so you can be well-prepared as a conscious consumer of marketing to make a well-educated decision. (You can thank me now or later.)
Let’s talk about the various agency options out there:
Niched-Service for Niched-Industry Agency
(AKA “Fitting In When You Should Be Standing Out”)
Many agencies offer a very niched-service for a niched-industry.
There are agencies that specialize in email marketing specifically for car dealerships, agencies that solely offer SEO for dentists and agencies that design websites for non-profit organizations in particular.
While there may be some reasons this route seems beneficial, there are plenty of reasons for steering clear of this direction.
Granted, you want your marketing team to be good at their skills and to know your industry. (Duh.) However, your marketing strategy should set you apart from your competition. By hiring a niched-service agency for your niched-industry, you are going to receive their “tried and true” template they’ve used for all their other clients just like you — meaning, your campaign is not going to be all that unique.
Plus, to achieve an effective marketing campaign for your business, a holistic approach is required. So if you are considering hiring a niched-service agency, you will have to hire several different specialized vendors in order to cover all the necessary bases — a web designer, a web developer, a copywriter, a photographer, a SEO specialist, etc — which will make it more challenging to keep your branding consistent.
If your business is not trying to be innovative and the goal is to do exactly what your competitors do, then play it safe and hire several niched-service agencies specific for your niched-industry. (Good luck with that.)
Full-Service for Niched-Industry Agency
(AKA “Complacent Elitism”)
Some agencies provide full-service for a niched-industry.
This type of agency offers all the marketing services you’ll need specifically for your special industry. There are full-service agencies that specifically target agricultural companies, that target sports teams, that target bridal/wedding businesses, that target universities, or even pet businesses.
Business owners, you may be thinking “Umm…perfect — someone who knows our industry that can provide everything we need!”
Well, you may want to think again at the implications of going this route…
Granted, you will be working with a team of creatives who are familiar with your industry. They already know your target markets, your competitors and are prepared with the best communication strategies for your business — before they even get started on your project.
While there may be innovative professionals working at agencies like this, you can’t help but notice a twinge of tunnel vision among the team members. (I know from personal experience.)
When you work long hours on the same subject, exploring the same exact topic day after day, you become an expert on that matter, sure. BUT… brilliant connections get ignored from lack of experience in other relatable industries. People get comfortable in this state, and quite frankly, a little complacent — providing the same ole’ “tried and true” solutions they’ve used time and time again in the past, venturing not far from their norm. Agencies like this tend to lag behind on innovation and breakthroughs because they’re accustom to their cookie-cutter ways.
It’s not the end of the world, but certainly something worth noting while considering all your options.
Niched-Service for Any Industry Agency
(AKA “Close But No Cigar”)
Some agencies provide a niched-service for any industry.
For example, there are agencies that specialize in what they do — whether it be search engine optimization (SEO), web design, web development, content management or email marketing — and apply that one specialty skill to any type of business in need of that service, regardless of industry.
These people do the same type of work every day but for a diversified clientele. One day they will be working for a baby clothing retail store, the next day a motorcycle dealership, then an international consulting firm, a law office and a Buddhist monastery. (Rarely is there a dull moment.)
They don’t claim to know more than they do. They won’t try to get you to opt in to other services they can only provide mediocrely. They are here to provide what you need — nothing more and nothing less. These types of agencies must begin their creative process with extensive research to learn your ever-evolving industry as it is today, your business, your target markets and competitors. This way, the data they reference is fresh and relevant to your unique business every time, compared to niched-industry agencies that can sometimes use data they’ve collected from a previous client on you!
This route could work nicely; HOWEVER, you will still need to hire several vendors to optimize your marketing campaign.
Full-Service for Any Industry Agency
(AKA “The Sweet Spot Where Freedom Rings And Magic Happens”)
Then there are the agencies out there that provide full-service for any industry. (Now that’s what I’m talkin’ about.)
These agencies are a “one stop shop” offering all the various marketing services you’ll ever need — for any industry. (I don’t care who you are.)
Full-service agencies can sometimes be frowned upon and seen as scatter-brained. Business advisors suggest niching your company will help position it for success compared to targeting a general audience. While it may be true that’s the trend, it doesn’t mean it’s actually valid — especially when it comes to creative marketing. Do you ever wonder if the status quo is flawed? (Unless you’re a slumbering sheep, I’m sure it’s crossed your mind.)
Think about it… niched-marketing agencies consist of creatives disguising themselves as superior experts in your field — when really, any other creative professional could become just as much an expert after some business analysis and market research, only not as pretentious. (hehe)
A full-service marketing agency that is inclusive to everyone is the most genuine creative team you will find. That’s right — true blues at your service.
They don’t try to trick clients into thinking they know more than they do and certainly aren’t interested in changing who they are for any one industry. They welcome new challenges that truly test their creativity and enjoy learning the ins and outs of new industries. They experiment with new creative methods and are able to make bigger and better connections that enable more innovative solutions in the long run. In fact, that’s what these teams live for—the wonderful spices of life… variety, diversity, innovation, community engagement—creating something from nothing.
There’s the limited and the limitless — and that’s what distinguishes “full-service for any industry” agencies from niched out ones. When it comes to shopping for creativity, I’d go limitless.
Bottom Line Though
There are 2 main factors you will want to consider when hiring your marketing team: 1.) their level of expertise and 2.) their proven success rate. Sure, there may be special distinguishing factors that make one agency more appealing than another, but at the end of the day, what really matters is: will they effectively provide what you need?
