The Irony of Poorly Positioned Agency Websites
Advertising agencies are experts in helping their clients define and focus brand positioning. It's ironic that advertising agency websites are so poorly positioned themselves. Let's take an agency website positioning pulse...
1. Can your main positioning statement be applied to, or swapped with, any number of other agencies and still be valid?
Here's a sample of positioning statements straight off the top of a random list of advertising agencies...
"...solve marketing problems in creative ways..."
"...creativity and passion in selling..."
"...media expertise and imaginological creative..."
Most agency positioning statements focus on creativity, imagination, marketing intelligence, strategic thinking, agency size (we're small so you get personal attention from senior staff), selling, R.O.I., etc. But all advertising agencies are all these things (to one degree or another). You can substitute just about any of these positioning statements with any other.
All positioning statements and differentiators must be able to pass the "obvious" test. If you can say "Obviously your agency is _____ (creative, strategic, effective, service oriented, etc.). If you weren't you wouldn't be much of an agency...," then it's not a good positioning statement.
Some agencies focus their positioning statements on their creative or strategic process, speaking of process...
2. Does your agency's unique process consist of four stages, perhaps each starting with a common consonant?
Most agency sites include a process page. It usually has four stages like Discover (the problem), Define (the solution), Design (the stuff), and Demonstrate (the results). These process pages fail the obvious test--if an agency didn't perform these steps, they wouldn't be much of an agency. They also fail the differentiation test, since all agencies have almost the same process--albeit with unique names.
3. Does your positioning statement effectively exclude many kinds of potential clients? (If not, it's not good positioning.)
As David Baker likes to point out in his positioning work with agencies, "if your positioning statement does not effectively exclude a large number of prospects from your marketing list, it's not an effective positioning statement." He also likes to say if your positioning does scare the pants off you, it's probably not effective positioning.
While effective positioning may be scary, the opposite of effective positioning is generalist positioning. If you're a generalist firm, you'll have an uphill battle in marketing, and you'll rarely be viewed as an expert in your field. And when it comes to web strategy (which flows from content strategy), it's almost impossible to be effective without narrow positioning.
4. When you think about writing content for your website, do you default to articles about design, marketing, and branding, with a few case studies and examples of your work thrown in? If so, your positioning is way too broad.
Agency email newsletters and blog posts are commonly filled with information about design, and branding. They also frequently focus on the latest projects the agency has won or completed. This is not bad, but it is very weak in terms being compelling or demonstrating expertise. Such content is common, and no expertise is evident. Devise a narrow, focused positioning and a robust, compelling and effective content strategy will follow.
Like all small service oriented business, the idea of deliberately limiting opportunities via a narrow positioning is terrifying.
We're afraid that if we develop a narrow positioning, either horizontally (media focus, web, direct mail, etc.) or vertically in a particular industry (healthcare, retail, education, etc.)--we'll get bored.
We think that specialists are stuck thinking inside the box and that our broad experience can help us see each problem with fresh eyes and develop creative solutions.
These are all fallacies. And we know this because when it comes to our own businesses and seeking expert advice, we don't want generalists. We want experts who know about our particular needs and can bring a wealth of experience from our industry to bear on our specific problems.
1. Can your main positioning statement be applied to, or swapped with, any number of other agencies and still be valid?
Here's a sample of positioning statements straight off the top of a random list of advertising agencies...
"...solve marketing problems in creative ways..."
"...creativity and passion in selling..."
"...media expertise and imaginological creative..."
Most agency positioning statements focus on creativity, imagination, marketing intelligence, strategic thinking, agency size (we're small so you get personal attention from senior staff), selling, R.O.I., etc. But all advertising agencies are all these things (to one degree or another). You can substitute just about any of these positioning statements with any other.
All positioning statements and differentiators must be able to pass the "obvious" test. If you can say "Obviously your agency is _____ (creative, strategic, effective, service oriented, etc.). If you weren't you wouldn't be much of an agency...," then it's not a good positioning statement.
Some agencies focus their positioning statements on their creative or strategic process, speaking of process...
2. Does your agency's unique process consist of four stages, perhaps each starting with a common consonant?
Most agency sites include a process page. It usually has four stages like Discover (the problem), Define (the solution), Design (the stuff), and Demonstrate (the results). These process pages fail the obvious test--if an agency didn't perform these steps, they wouldn't be much of an agency. They also fail the differentiation test, since all agencies have almost the same process--albeit with unique names.
3. Does your positioning statement effectively exclude many kinds of potential clients? (If not, it's not good positioning.)
As David Baker likes to point out in his positioning work with agencies, "if your positioning statement does not effectively exclude a large number of prospects from your marketing list, it's not an effective positioning statement." He also likes to say if your positioning does scare the pants off you, it's probably not effective positioning.
While effective positioning may be scary, the opposite of effective positioning is generalist positioning. If you're a generalist firm, you'll have an uphill battle in marketing, and you'll rarely be viewed as an expert in your field. And when it comes to web strategy (which flows from content strategy), it's almost impossible to be effective without narrow positioning.
4. When you think about writing content for your website, do you default to articles about design, marketing, and branding, with a few case studies and examples of your work thrown in? If so, your positioning is way too broad.
Agency email newsletters and blog posts are commonly filled with information about design, and branding. They also frequently focus on the latest projects the agency has won or completed. This is not bad, but it is very weak in terms being compelling or demonstrating expertise. Such content is common, and no expertise is evident. Devise a narrow, focused positioning and a robust, compelling and effective content strategy will follow.
Why Agencies Resist Positioning
Like all small service oriented business, the idea of deliberately limiting opportunities via a narrow positioning is terrifying.
We're afraid that if we develop a narrow positioning, either horizontally (media focus, web, direct mail, etc.) or vertically in a particular industry (healthcare, retail, education, etc.)--we'll get bored.
We think that specialists are stuck thinking inside the box and that our broad experience can help us see each problem with fresh eyes and develop creative solutions.
These are all fallacies. And we know this because when it comes to our own businesses and seeking expert advice, we don't want generalists. We want experts who know about our particular needs and can bring a wealth of experience from our industry to bear on our specific problems.
Web Smart Agency Consulting
helps agency principals work through these fears and hesitations to make bold changes in their positioning. And nowhere can a clear statement of positioning have a more dramatic effect than on the agency's website. Refined, bold positioning results in a powerful content strategy, and content strategy is the fundamental to moving toward a healthy web strategy.
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