The question, “Do you have any other clients in our industry?” comes up regularly as I am talking to prospects looking to re-brand, refresh their website, or implement digital marketing campaigns.

It’s understandable; people want to know if we already understand their business and are already familiar with their industry.

Truth is, we have clients all across the board; ones in wildly-different markets, offering a slew of different services, operating out of a myriad of different locations – plus much more that diversifies them from the next.

So, with that said, my answer to the question specifically varies from call to call.

Sometimes it’s, “Yes, we have dealt with other companies very similar to yours.”

But, more often it’s, “Not exactly, but we have clients that are similar in many aspects.”

Some prospects easily digest the response while others hold steadfast to extracting an answer they find to be more definitive.

So much focus on industry experience

Your approach to seeking an industry-specific partner is logical on so many levels. If I am the marketing director of a company within a specific operating niche or industry, why wouldn’t I demand that the agency responsible for the design, development and marketing of my website be well entrenched in my industry?

Makes sense, right?

It does in many ways. My intention is not to rule out the possibility entirely but rather to further explore the outcomes of that approach and to delve into some of the basic criteria for any digital agency search.

Truth is, going about the search with an intent to settle on an industry-specific partner may very well result in success and, most importantly, your satisfaction but, we’ve also seen companies steered into costly pitfalls that could have been avoided with a better sense of direction earlier on in the search process.

If you are looking to identify an agency that can act as your partner in navigating the nuances of the digital landscape, here are my top considerations to keep in mind during your search.

Advantages of Partnering with a Vertical-specific Digital Agency

Regardless of your industry, going with a firm that has specific experience in your industry comes with its obvious benefits.

They typically can talk the talk to a T, they understand the players in your industry and they get how that all relates to representing and marketing your brand and its services digitally.

Traditionally, the industry-specific agency is very capable of getting you up and running quickly – mostly due to the template-based processes and collateral which have been leveraged for other players in space.

Additionally, they are savvy to the industry-specific 3rd party vendors you can integrate with and leverage. On the marketing front, they are already versed as to what channels will provide the best return and how to operate successful campaigns through them.

Disadvantages of Partnering with an Industry-Specific Digital Agency

All of this experience, industry-specific knowledge and a portfolio of turnkey solutions doesn’t come without its disadvantages and possible pitfalls.

I acknowledge there are many great, industry-specific providers out there that are constantly pushing and improving their product and services. Though, in our experience, those outfits are typically the exception rather than the rule and here’s why:

Industry-Specific Experience Often Means No Customization

A digital solutions provider specializing in a particular industry, by its nature, has developed a series of template-based solutions that, typically, are specific to that industry alone.

Sure, they know the space intimately, but they also tend to be mostly-interested in providing a turnkey solution and either do not have the desire or capability to customize it to meet the specific needs you may have – which most likely fall outside of their established framework.

In many cases, they will look for you to adapt to fit their solution as opposed to developing solutions that are custom-tailored to your specific needs.

Industry-Specific Experience Means They Are Likely Working For Your Competitor(s)

Simply ask, what can the provider do to differentiate you from the competition?

If they are seeking clients only in your industry then there’s a good chance that they also serve your competition, as well. Expect a lot of fluff and icing in reply but when you ask, it’s likely that you’ll find that little is being done to differentiate their current clients from you and others in the space.

Industry-Specific Solutions Can Lead to Abrupt Stagnation

A solution for a vertical is established but how much effort is put into continuously improving that solution after-the-fact? This is an issue we have seen time and time again.

It was good in the beginning but they haven’t improved!

This isn’t always the case but you can see how once a provider establishes a sizable base, it’s easy to become complacent, collect on your naivety and, worse yet, not allocate the time required to improve and roll out adaptive solutions that address your specific challenges as a business.

When changes in design trends, industry-accepted best practices and more can change up on a dime, there are few instances where ‘always being behind the curve,’ is advantageous to your business.

Advantages of Partnering with a Non-Industry Specific Agency

A digital agency that doesn’t lay claim to having specific experience in a single business vertical comes with a ton of advantages for the partnering business.

The first, and most important advantage of this type of agency is their team and the people on it.

While they may be smaller in size than that of their niche-specific competitors, these teams have been crafted with care over time. The people on them typically have prior or long-standing experience in the industry and have been nurtured with a whole host of well-rounded experiences that make them capable of providing a slew of solutions that most likely fall outside the realm of their working title.

The talent too, is just as proactive as it is sharp; thriving on the thrill of seeing the result of their personal investments.

People who do Digital that are people-first; what a crazy concept…

Lastly, the capabilities of the team typically span the entire length of the digital journey; boasting technical expertise in the Big 3: Digital Design, Custom Web Development and Digital Marketing and Advertising.

If you find an industry-specific agency claiming deep expertise in all three then, dive on in, and deep – they’re unicorns in our industry.

What’s Important to Identify when Searching for an Agency

No matter which approach you take up when performing your search for a digital agency partner, these specific traits are important to keep in mind when considering your options.

Understanding

You should be able to have a confident sense of understanding, as well as an understandable conversation with your prospective partner.
Fairly quickly, you should be able to determine whether they “get you.”

Ask yourself:

• Do they understand my pain points?
• Are they able to draw correlations and ask relevant questions?
• Do they understand my business and its prospects, clients, and customers?
• Do they make themselves understood or, mask it all up with questionable jargon and big fancy words?

Talent

If you are looking to step things up you need talent that can pull it off and be there for the long haul – well beyond the project at hand.

You should have a clear understanding of who your team is and how each member contributes to your success.

Too often you’ll see in an active project that the higher-end, more-experienced member is brought in to seal the deal at Kickoff, only for the project to be left with a haphazardly-arranged team lacking big on experience.

Personality and the Fit

This ‘fit’ takes all of the above into account and is weighed against your own sense of intuition and feel for the team in question.

Ask yourself:

• Does the prospective team seem like a fit?
• Do you easily relate to them and have to work hard to be on the same page?
• Do you genuinely feel that, together, you’ll accomplish great things that elevate your brand?

Concluding Thoughts

Over the last 15+ years, I’ve been elevating the position of brands of every vertical with hand-crafted digital experiences that captivate and compel users to conversion.

I continue to do so every day by nurturing a hand-crafted team of talented professionals who not only have diverse skill sets but who thrive on the thrill of seeing the success of their personal investments. By default, our team of in-house designers, developers, and strategists have an insatiable passion for conquering complex digital challenges through a human-centric approach.

While other agencies may be built on outdated processes and template-based solutions; Durkan Group was built with a people-first mentality and designed to augment your business as a swift partner that proactively nurtures your brand across the digital landscape.