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Whether you are shopping for a new digital marketing agency or picking one for the first time, it might seem logical to pick one that solely focuses on your industry.
Many agencies have made quite a niche for themselves by focusing on one type of client, such as law firms, doctor offices, or even automotive dealers. They most likely focus all their time and attention on this single industry and then target businesses like yours. But they’re also approaching your direct and indirect competition as well.
While we certainly understand the initial appeal of an agency like this, reality doesn’t often play out like you’d hope. In fact, there are several pitfalls to choosing an agency like this that they aren’t going to tell you about.
Here’s why you don’t need a vertical-specific agency.
1. You lose out on thinking differently.
It might seem like a great idea to work with an agency that focuses on the ins and outs of one industry. After all, they know what you do and who you’re trying to reach, right?
In theory, sure. But we bring in new information and perspectives from other verticals.
While some of the knowledge we have may not seem 100% relevant to your work, we can actually take ideas from other adjacent industries to give your customers the full picture of what you offer.
We think about your business differently so we can reach the people you really want to speak to.
2. You’re missing first-mover advantage.
That brings us to first-mover advantage. This means that we implement new techniques that current competitors who work with an industry-specific agency aren’t doing. We have an outlook on so many other verticals that we can take our wider knowledge of trends, algorithm changes, and other updates, and apply that proof to all of our clients—regardless of industry.
For instance, in August 2018, Google rolled out a massive algorithm change related to health and life content. If your agency doesn’t focus on health content, they might not have known about the details of this update, let alone that it existed at all. Regardless of your industry, an agency who’s not paying attention to things outside their wheelhouse wouldn’t know to look for negative hits that could impact your traffic.
We know what’s coming around the curve because we have so many different clients with different needs—and we meet them all.
3. You might be locked into a platform.
Commonly, vertical-specific agencies build these templates on their own web platform. You pay them money, they “build” your site, and they manage it for you. What happens if you decide to leave the agency?
If you want to leave, your choices are often to a) stay with them and not leave, or b) buy a new site and start from scratch.
You can also rest assured that with Digital Strike, you’ll retain all rights and ownership of your site and your data—even if you decide to leave our agency.
4. The outcome will simply be less unique.
Many vertical-specific agencies develop a single template for their clients’ websites. This template is often a good one, if not a bit simplistic. They then apply this to template to every single client website. If you’ve searched for a lawyer or doctor before and noticed their website looks the same as the one before it, this is probably why.
Imagine the effect this can have on a customer who’s not sure which company to turn to.
In a sea of similarity, you won’t stand out.
5. You might share content with your competitors.
Not only will the template likely look similar (or even identical) to your competitors’ sites, you may find that the content is similar too.
Instead of researching your specific company, writing about your origin story, and highlighting your unique value proposition, vertical-specific agencies focus on getting it done cheaply and quickly.
Many of these vertical-specific industries charge low prices for copywriting. However, what they actually do is pre-write generic copy about Business X in your industry and fill in the blanks with your company’s information. Then they rinse and repeat with dozens or even hundreds of sites—many of whom are your direct competitors. This certainly doesn’t help and can even hurt your organic traffic.
Our strategists and writers do exhaustive research into our clients’ industries and learn the lingo, so we can speak directly to your customers and clients.
6. It’s just not necessary.
You’ll often get reassurance from these vertical-specific agencies that they “know your industry.” What they don’t tell you is that digital strategy is often pretty similar. Industry-specific knowledge isn’t as necessary as reading the data, finding ways to link your content, growing your traffic, analyzing content, and researching competitors.
Digital Strike does all of that—all while working with you to customize your marketing experience. Whether you’re trying to get leads for a cleaning service or dealing with the complex legality of advertising pharmaceuticals, we’ve probably already done it—and everything in between.
We’re not a vertical-specific agency; we don’t work in any one industry (though we know a lot about a lot of them). We have clients who do different things, have different budgets, and want different outcomes. And we take the time to learn the details of your industry so we can hit the ground running on day one.
As a targeted marketing agency, we narrow in on what you need, what your customers are looking for, and the best way to achieve your goals.
We have a wholly personalized approach that’s just right for you—not a template strategy we’re using for dozens of your competitors.
Want to learn how Digital Strike is right for your business? Get in touch with us today. We’re happy to walk you through our services and create a completely unique, customized proposal just for you.
