Featured image by Kara Laws
Bundling isn’t a great strategy for digital marketing agencies. Your agency could enjoy more success if you offered á la carte services. Here’s why.
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Bundling goods and services is a great marketing strategy for many businesses. Free breakfasts with hotel rooms, cable and phone packages, and shampoo with conditioner are just a few examples. Agree to buy the bundle and get a better price.
However, bundling isn’t always the most lucrative strategy for digital marketing agencies. For sure, agencies can offer some economies of scale if clients want to enjoy the buffet. But if they aren’t that hungry, they’ll go where they can sample only what they want right now.
If your agency’s all-or-nothing approach has you turning away clients at the door, that’s good for you. But if you could use a few more customers in your portfolio, you might want to consider offering your services á la carte. Here are three reasons why you should.
1. It Can Get Your Agency a Foot in the Pie
Call it getting your foot in the door or grabbing a slice of the pie. Whatever metaphor you use, offering á la carte services can help your digital marketing agency get a piece of the action. And it does so in a couple of ways.
Companies seeking ways to market their products and services can take multiple paths. Those getting respectable results may be reluctant to completely cut ties with an agency they’ve built a relationship with. However, that agency may not offer expertise in every service the company may want to try. By offering one service at a time, you’re providing those companies with options.
On the other hand, there are companies that might have never taken any marketing efforts out of the house. They may be averse to handing over everything to an external agency. But they might be willing to begin with one service to try it on for size.
Take a company like Crocs, Inc., the eponymous footwear maker. It’s investing a lot of money in a broad range of marketing efforts. But when it can pick social media off the Hawke á la carte menu, it brings the agency on board. And once Hawke delivers great results, Crocs may think about sampling other services.
When digital marketing agencies want the whole pie, they may end up with nothing at all. Doing one service really well for a client instills trust in the rest of what they have to offer.
2. It Helps Marketing Agencies Meld the Traditional with the Digital
In this century, digital marketing agencies have a bunch of marketing services to offer. In fact, few would try to offer a full range of traditional marketing services as well. Doing so would likely render the agency a jack of all trades but master of none.
Of course, a company’s products and services will determine whether traditional, digital, or a combination are the best tools. For some, the enduring value of traditional marketing is undeniable. Traditional PR, print, television, billboards, radio, and other media may be the bread and butter offered by some agencies.
That said, digital marketing approaches can be integrated effectively with old-school ways. Done right, using an omnichannel approach could boost the results of both, maximizing visibility and reach. And that can leverage a company’s marketing dollar. For example, Rocket Agency focuses on businesses freshly navigating the digital realm and helps them communicate effectively across various channels.
OCR codes on print ads, hashtags on billboards, digital coupons scannable in store aisles are a few examples of integration. Target demographics that don’t tend to use social media or technology still get messaging. At the same time, integrated efforts appeal to the digitally inclined in the audience.
It’s tough for digital marketing agencies without á la carte services to combine the best of both worlds. Without this option, agencies miss the opportunity to use this integration to amplify customer engagement and response rates. By design, this marketing meld requires some flexibility.
3. It Builds Smaller Ships That are Easier to Turn
The digital age has forever altered the way companies interact with their customers. On the flip side, customers have completely different expectations about the rules of engagement with brands. Everyone is looking for a far more intimate relationship.
These rules don’t just apply to consumers and the companies they purchase products from. They also apply to the digital marketing agency-client relationship, even if the customer is a business rather than an individual.
Every service offered by an agency is filled with people who excel in a certain area of expertise. For example, the agency’s social media manager’s knowledge is probably different from the employee’s with digital PR experience. Agencies can position themselves by service when pitching potential clients accordingly.
There’s a clear advantage to tailoring “bite-size” services to clients rather than pushing them toward all-encompassing marketing plans. Agencies can monitor results, adjust with more agility, and maintain client confidence in the process. There’s no waiting until the end of a massive, comprehensive marketing effort to figure out what worked and what didn’t.
Tailoring digital marketing efforts, narrowing the focus of agency talent, and adapting on the fly checks all your clients’ boxes. But you can’t offer those advantages if you’re only selling the complete package. Bring your best to the table, one service at a time.
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Stick a Fork in It
Never before have there been so many ways brands can market their goods and services. Most of them are overwhelmed and confused by their choices. It’s the agency’s job to recommend what selections will help them achieve their goals.
If all your digital marketing agency is offering is the whole enchilada, you’ll be missing out. Attract more customers and garner better reviews by offering your services á la carte. Earn every star you can.
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