Online marketing companies are a dime a dozen these days. You can easily search for ‘digital marketing agency’ on Google, Yahoo, or a social media platform and find page after page of results. When you open each of these websites the only thing that seems to be different is the web design. The services, the goals of the agency, and results promised are all the same just explained a little differently in each instance.
How can you create a digital marketing agency that looks different?
One trick that can differentiate your marketing services for potential clients is to create readymade, but adjustable, online marketing plans for specific industries. For example, your home page could display your key services such as ‘SEO’, ‘Google Ads’, ‘Social Media’, ‘Content’, ‘Web Design’, Graphic Design,’ and ‘Email Marketing’ as usual.
However, you could also add a little twist by also offering a section that allows your website visitors to click through to marketing plans idea for:
· Dental Clinics
· Architect Firms
· Sports Companies
· Restaurants
· Financial Services
· Veterinary Practices
· Ecommerce websites
· Plumbing, security, and electricians
Surprisingly, there are not many agencies that do this, better still, it is highly unlikely that any of your local competitors target specific businesses. Not only will your efforts in adding industry-specific services to differentiate your marketing agency, but those searching for marketing services are also more likely to remember your website.
Let’s look at a couple of scenarios:
Scenario 1: A dental clinic is looking for a digital marketing agency. The person in charge of shortlisting marketing agencies comes across your website. On your home page not only are all the services your agency can provide listed but also there is a dedicated ‘marketing for dental clinics’ page. There is 99.9% chance your agency will be shortlisted or better the person may email your agency giving you a qualified lead.
Scenario 2: Someone is looking for marketing services and discovers your agency. They may or may not end up signing a contract with your firm. However, that person also knows someone or has been asked by someone in the veterinary services industry for a recommendation. Your website is likely going to spring to mind because there is a dedicated ‘marketing for veterinary practices’ page. Simply by word of mouth your business could have a qualified lead.
Create Easy to Understand Dedicated Industry-Specific Service Pages
When it comes to explaining digital marketing services, sometimes agencies can go over the top. Too many technical and industry-specific marketing jargon can often overload the text. Save the jargon for your main services pages while on your dedicated services pages keep things simple. That said, feel free to research and include technical jargon from the ‘target industry’ as the reader will understand.
The idea of your service page is to:
a) Recognize the digital marketing needs of the target industry
b) Make it clear what your market plan will achieve
c) Briefly explain why this combination of services will work
d) Provide examples where possible
e) Use explainer video and/or infographics
For instance, a dental practice will need to be listed in all online and offline directories like White Pages or Yellow Pages. It will need to be on every possible map such as Google and Bing Maps. An email marketing campaign will need to be set up so anyone registered with the clinic can be kept up to date of temporary interruptions to services, and new cosmetic procedures.
Many marketing agencies even automate the email reminders to book an appointment for regular checks ups. Email marketing software is so advanced these days that it can plug into the dental practice's database and auto send emails to those that have not had a dental check-up for 6 months or more. This may not sound like marketing, but it is – dentists still make money out of regular checkups.
Imagine that your team has researched every marketing need for a dentist clinic, explains how your firm’s marketing plan can automate all dental processes, connect the dentist clinic to customers via email, reduce the workload for receptionists, and deliver a powerful local digital marketing solution!
Do Your Research to Really Stand Out
If you want your marketing packages to stand out, make sure you research the industries you want to target. Find out what their ‘exact’ marketing needs are. If you are being hired online by a firm in another country, then make sure you use a VPN to find out how you for your research. Of course, not every marketing solution you offer will need fulfilling but you can still offer options.
For example, in the dental practice example above, you can offer to automate emails, but the dental clinic’s IT team may already have a solution place, while, another dental clinic will jump at the idea.
If you do get your foot in the door, then start to gather information about competitors.
· Does the competitor use social media?
· Do they use email marketing?
· Is there a newsletter sign up?
· Which local directories is the competitor listed on?
· Is the dental website mobile friendly?
· Is there an online booking system on the website?
There are so many ways you can walk into your meeting with solutions that will not only improve your potential client’s marketing, but how the business runs, and how it compares to successful competitors fighting for the same market share. If there are no competitors, then use an example of another firm in the same industry that is a success story and killing it with their awesome marketing strategy.