Industry-Specific Questions For Marketing Agencies
Clients have businesses in different industries. They can range from industrial manufacturing to entertainment, or service providers. The United States has hundreds of industries in the United States alone.
Prospects ask marketers “Do you work with our industry? Have you done any marketing within our industry? Have you done any functionalities within our industry? Have you ever done an eCommerce project, web development project, web service API within our industry?
Working With A Marketing Agency In the Long-Term
Optimum7 has served clients for 14 years. Despite that longevity, the team hasn’t worked with every single industry and its sub-industries. For example, the marketers have not helped a client that sells sweaters for cats.
What is the right response?
Custom functionality and integrations for the industry are irrelevant because the technology and know-how matter more. They’re asking the wrong questions. A customer should inquire about the experience with the technology aspect of it, how it’s executed and if it’s executed properly.
The technology does not change across the front subsets of that industry. Neither does the functionality or the marketing execution. The brand, your message, value proposition, services, products, and demographics.
Marketing Campaigns Within The Same Industry
Suppose a prospect asks, “Have you done marketing or development for somebody exactly like us?” That question does not make sense. You don’t want an agency that is working with all of your competitors. That leads to a conflict-of-interest.
Optimum7 seeks to avoid that. The team tells prospects and clients about one rule: the marketers don’t work within the same region with two different businesses that are direct competitors.
Nowadays, your eCommerce competitors are Amazon, Wayfair, and Overstock. Medium-sized businesses serve as keyword competitors on Google search, Paid search, Facebook, and Tik Tok. They may use influencers to endorse their products.
Don’t ignore the question. Instead, find a means for the prospect to rephrase it. Suppose a manufacturer makes cat sweaters. This business comes to Optimum7 and asks the crew if they had worked with similar manufacturers. The answer was no.
What do you say next?
You’re asking the wrong question. Business owners should ask about their business plans and monetization strategies. They should ask, “Have you ever successfully executed a strategy like this and grown a business from using this technology, these channels, these mediums and scaled it”
“Can you increase my organic visibility?” Yes. “Can you increase my conversions?” Absolutely.
Those are the right questions to ask. Case studies show it doesn’t matter what industry you’re in; if these are implemented correctly, you can scale any industry.
Ask about how a firm has been able to grow X, Y, or Z, if you look at their portfolio. Look at how they scaled specific brands.
Integrations Within Content Marketing
Does the same principle apply to integrations?
Optimum7 has completed 100 different types of API integrations before. Clients ask about specific integrations and if the team can do them. Execution and the process provide the answer.
The type of data that flows is not important in contrast to the business objectives. Marketers try to understand your business operations and what knowledge or expertise your operations require.
Marketing Strategy Restrictions
This conversation changes if you’re in an industry that requires compliance. Suppose you are selling firearms. Then the agency must know how the FFL structure works, how Federal Firearm Licenses work. Other regulated industries include health insurance, nicotine products, sexual enhancement products, firearms, finance, banks, mortgages, educational institutions, and CBD.
You want to be with an agency that understands the rules restrictions. Red flags include an agency that wants to run Google and Facebook ads for firearms. That is technically illegal. A responsible business will seek a partnership with another agency.
How is it illegal?
You cannot advertise firearms or CBD products or nicotine products. Those fall under restricted categories on Ad words, Facebook, and any type of paid advertising. A good agency understands your angles and restrictions.
What are other potential red flags in agencies?
Once someone approaches with their business and a request for digital marketing, the team immediately focuses on the strategies that they can actually implement to scale their business. This is better than focusing on a generic strategy X. You don’t want to go A through Z of all the different types of campaigns and strategies you can implement.
The team has that experience due to working with every single industry out there. If they have not touched your niche, the marketers can accommodate and replicate successes from before. The team has done that for so many businesses despite the demographic or niche and implements the same exact strategy and scales your business.
Does knowing the industry help?
Yes, it does help when you’re dealing with a partner that knows about the industry. This allows for more insights. Even so, lack of knowledge will not kill the campaign.
The Optimum7 team is happy to answer any questions that you have. Reach out with all your questions about marketing services for various industries.
