The bigger marketing agencies haven’t changed much over the years, with companies reporting a fall in revenue and share prices. This begs the questions; does the traditional marketing agency model still work? Is it time for the rise of the boutique digital agency?
The Rise of the Boutique Digital Agency
Where bigger marketing agencies struggle to adapt to an ever-changing digital world, boutique agencies are more equipped to be flexible and modify their approach to a range of clients. They are results-focused and aren’t held up by a ‘this is the way we’ve always done it’ mindset. Instead, they are young, fresh and hungry. Where traditional marketing agencies may now struggle to understand user behaviour, the boutique agency is enmeshed in the digital world and are able to stretch themselves creatively without being bound by endless sign-offs and red tape.
As they are able to problem-solve and create more quickly, and in a culture where content is king, they can keep up with the demand for more content in a way that may be a struggle for the bigger agencies. At one point marketing agencies would have to create 4 pieces of content a year, whereas now you need to generate content daily, and for a marketing agency which isn’t equipped to do so, it would be a slog.
A New Era for Marketing Agencies
Boutique agencies don’t have the same overhead costs or investor scrutiny so they aren’t required to meet their own business expenses to the same degree. This allows for more trust between the agency and the client as they aren’t relying on traditional high-cost campaigns, instead, they can provide the simplest solution. Offering a bespoke service is possible for boutique agencies as the CEO’s and MD’s are close to the intricacies of the client account and adapt their approach to suit what is truly best for the client to ensure their success. They aren’t bound by unnecessary company policies, the way their counterparts at the bigger agencies are.
Plugged In Media’s Ethos
As a boutique digital marketing agency, Plugged In Media, recently took on a new client, South East based App company ANT. ANT is an app development company who were launching a new app and required us at Plugged In Media to produce new marketing material. It quickly became apparent that the current branding and website was hurting marketing efforts, so we quickly had to adapt in order to drive the results we wanted. We outlined a revised marketing plan, which included a rebranding and redevelopment of the website, including a renamed product to fit the purpose of the app. A larger marketing agency either wouldn’t have identified the issue at all or would have advised and then stepped away to allow the client to figure out what they should do next. They wouldn’t have given the amount of attention or focus that we as a boutique agency are able to offer. They would have dipped their toes in, where we dived right in.
