A plea for polarisation and investing in your agency brand
Whilst estimates vary, there’s about 30,000 agencies of all stripes in the UK. That’s a lot of competition. Especially when clients are increasingly seeking alternative automated solutions.
So, whether you’re looking to acquire new clients, fresh talent or perhaps be acquired, the question is always why you?
Which is why we advise every agency we work with to be more pointy. To seek and sharpen their competitive edges and be unafraid to polarise.
Put bluntly, there’s little value created by being vanilla. Forgettable generalists can never charge as much as highly valued specialists. Confused offerings rarely convince procurement nor sit at the client top table.
Being pointy should power your sell, your people and your growth potential. Here are some points to consider:
Ok, so what’s the point?
Agency life can be both personally and commercially rewarding but it’s also hard graft. So, having a clear central purpose is critical, to drive you forward and provide perspective on those tricky days.
Can you clearly articulate: why your agency exists and what your personal goal is? If you can’t, we’d suggest starting here.
Have a point of view.
We refer to three types of agency – do for me, think with me and help me think. The more you can help clients think, the deeper and more valuable the relationship.
Your business must be able to add value to theirs by delivering support, perspective and clarity. Therefore, you’ve got to be clear on what you think, how you think and how you can help clients solve their problems.
And don’t be afraid to say what you think. Taking a stand on your sector, on working practices and the future, can fuel your team and your content. Not everyone will agree with you but fresh perspectives delivered with conviction, will cut through and create conversation.
Champion your points of difference.
To compete, you need to have competitive edges. Points of distinction that will attract clients, engage talent and build value over time. As such, don’t just focus on service.
Look to your processes, culture, IP and technology. What makes your agency tick, what makes you stand out and how do these points make a difference to what you deliver for clients?
Get to the point.
Waffle doesn’t work.
Imagine, you have 30 seconds facetime with the notoriously impatient CMO of your dream client. What do you say? What’s the pitch? Could you sell your business in seconds?
A tight, position and proposition is imperative. And that proposition needs to capture those all-important points of difference mentioned previously.
Avoid the pointless stuff.
All the above should help you to have a clearer perspective on who you are, what you do and, importantly, what you are not. Ultimately, helping you to make better decisions, faster.
Meaning you won’t chase the wrong clients, you will invest in the right people and will be unafraid to have the hard internal conversations. Saving you time, money, stress and worry!
Of course, the point of articles like this is to get you thinking. If we can help you be more pointy, drop us a line.
Owen Catto
Strategic Positioning & Propositions
Owen has 20+ years agency leadership experience. He brings a unique blend of strategic clarity and creative clout, working with agencies to distil their positioning, proposition and cultural DNA.
