Marketers Care Less About Agency Specialization Than You Think

Marketers Value Expertise, But Many Experts May Be Pushing Agencies to Go Too Far

News provided by

Feb 26, 2013, 02:03 ET

CINCINNATI, Feb. 26, 2013 /PRNewswire/ -- How specialized does a marketing services agency need to be to be considered a specialist in their field?

The answers marketers gave in the 2013 RSW/US Agency-Marketer National survey might surprise you.

According to Mark Sneider, Owner/President of RSW/US, "While we know first-hand that specialization is important - we see it every day when we represent agencies as their outsourced agency new business firm - the percentage of specialization an agency needs to have has always been somewhat of a wildcard."

Some consultants claim you need 100% in order to be legitimate. According to this survey, marketers tell us otherwise.

Surprisingly, close to 60% of marketers state that an agency only needs 50% or less of their business focused on a sector to be considered a specialist.

And while marketers value specialization (77% say it's important), fewer of them (47%) relative to their agency counterparts (62%) think it is more important today than it was 3-4 years ago, suggesting a change in attitude.

The reasons why marketers feel this way about specialization came through in the open-ended comments in the survey:

Adds different perspective to business
Advertising methods are changing too rapidly
Strategy should cross specialties
More important to get ideas across industries than within industries
I see too many agencies in our vertical get stuck in the same ideas

Sneider goes on to say: "At the end of the day, if you can make the marketer feel like you know their category (no matter your level of expertise in their space), they will feel good about you. Agencies need to showcase knowledge of the space, and they need to share smart, strategic thinking applied from the marketer's industry and other industries they've worked in. This, and a lot of enthusiasm, is what will win the day."

About RSW/US
RSW/US is a full service, outsourced agency lead generation and new business development firm that helps marketing service companies (exclusively) find and win new business. They help Agencies find qualified leads, set meetings, better position them in the market, and help move them closer to close. More information about RSW/US can be accessed at: www.rswus.com or by contacting Lee McKnight, Jr. at [email protected].

Contact: Lee McKnight
Phone: 513-559-3111
Email: [email protected]

SOURCE RSW/US