According to some counts of late, there are over 16,000 communications and marketing agencies in the UK.
And as people who spend most of every business day speaking with, reading about and selecting agencies as part of the search and selection process, our worker bees are continually disappointed by how many marketing agencies neglect marketing themselves
We have conversations with clients daily to the tune of ‘Believe me, they’re a good marketing firm with talented people onboard…they just aren’t great at marketing themselves.’ It's frustrating and disappointing, especially when these agency teams are so full of talent and have a host of great work they're not making the most of.
Though we realise we’re ‘preaching to the choir’… the good news is that because so few (especially small) marketing agencies do a great job of marketing themselves, there’s much to gain by making an effort.
So, what to do first then? We're sure this process will be familiar…
- Determine what makes you different: Survey clients and employees to uncover the truth.
- Find a passion point: What do your employees enjoy outside the office? Why not focus new business efforts seeking clients in industries which would really get folks excited. [But, get creative. If folks are keen on cars, consider going after that amazing new automotive paint brand which shows promise rather than Audi.
- Shout about it: Don’t be shy about saying what makes your firm different. WIth a huge agency database on-hand containing self-supplied agency profiles, it’s clear to see that everyone can do just about everything. ‘Integrated’ is a catchphrase and most are hesitant to brand themselves otherwise. But I’ll echo a point made by Bart Cleveland back in 2009, the game of new business is all about relevance.
At least in your dealings with intermediaries, like FindGood, aim to communicate that you’re the best at one or two things rather than average overall.
In the interest of seeing more differentiation in the industry, we’re happy to offer objective advice along the way.
