I’m going to be perfectly honest with you. I’ve been struggling with this whole “specialization” topic for the last year. I hear and read all of these marketing consultants talking about how we need to “specialize” in a particular industry. We need to become “experts” in (fill in the blank). Ugh.
I get it. I can see how it works for some agencies. I do. But, for the past 25 years, Multiple has NOT specialized in any particular industry. We “specialize” in delivering quality brand and marketing programs driven by thorough research, solid messaging, smart design, and comprehensive reporting. I have a really hard time when I read crap like this from our amazing and wonderful partners at HubSpot when trying to make the point that you shouldn’t try to specialize in multiple services (Note: we are a certified HubSpot partner, so we actually really do love them):
“When’s the last time you heard someone ask, 'Do you know of any great massage therapists who can also cut my hair?'
Or 'I just wish my physician could fill this cavity after we’re done with my yearly physical?'
Most people don’t trust people who claim to be experts in multiple services or skills.”
First of all, don’t start out your argument with a weak example. In the example above, the writer is talking about someone trained in a particular job and performing services outside of that job. I am in no way going to offer a comprehensive inbound marketing strategy (which we are trained in because we are designers and marketers) and also remodel my client’s break room (which we are not trained in).
What I think Mrs. HubSpot Writer was trying to say throughout the article is pick an industry and skill, and stick with it. Pick a skill? Ok. Pick an industry? For some, I know that works. For others, it’s too confining.
It’s About Problem Solving
Massage therapist:
- massages (service, or what they do)
- help reduce pain and discomfort (the problem they solve)
- make day to day living more comfortable (why the do it)
A great massage therapist doesn’t only do massages (service) for people in the healthcare industry. They understand a particular problem (shoulder pain, neck pain, etc.) and help to solve that problem to make day to day living for that person more comfortable. Does it help if that massage therapist “specializes” in working with people in the dental industry? Possibly. But why would they do that? Dental hygienists are going to have relatively the same issues as everyone else in the world. The problem is the same. The cause of the problem may be different.
Our clients generally have the same problems. The causes of those problems are what may be unique.
We are like the massage therapist. We provide a particular service, that solves a problem, to bring some kind of benefit to you. We have a process as well as tools we use (just like a massage therapist uses charts or their hands) to help solve your marketing pain. We don’t care if you’re in the healthcare, finance, education, or any other industry. What we do, how we do it, and why we do it doesn’t change.
Mrs. HubSpot Writer goes on to say:
“We want to choose a provider of services based on their qualifications and expertise to solve our specific problem. We want to have a strong reason for going with this provider over that.”
Exactly! We want our clients to base their decisions on our qualifications and expertise to solve their specific problems. NOT their specific industry. We don’t claim to be experts in any one industry, and we feel that makes us a lot more valuable to you as a marketing partner. (You can read more about it in a post I wrote here.) When it comes to branding and digital marketing, we have the qualifications, and we for damn sure have the expertise. Plus, people like us. And that always sweetens the deal that much more.
Venting?
Yes, I’m venting a little. I’ve been sitting on the fence for a bit trying to weigh the pros and cons of “specializing”. This article made me think that much more about it, and has convinced me (for now anyway) that “specializing” in a particular industry is for medical device companies and manufacturers of car steering wheels, not for us. We “specialize” in solving brand and marketing problems for our clients. Not break room remodels.
Take a peek at our non-industry specific client list to see what I mean.
32LOUD
3Com
Ahold USA
AIGA
Aion Solutions
Adello Biologics
Advance Illinois
Albertson’s
Alcon Laboratories
Amdocs
American Bar Association
American College of Foot and Ankle Surgeons
American Marketing Association
American Planning Association
Ameritox
Amica Mature Lifestyles
Antec
Aon
Appleton Coated
AptarGroup
Archstone-Smith
Atlanta Mission
The Atlantic Philanthropies
AV Chicago
Avcorp
Avizent
BC Cancer Agency
BC Children’s Hospital Foundation
be.group
Bernice Wahler Landscape
Black Blanket Farms
Bobby Dodd Institute
Bopomo Pictures
Brandtrust
Bright Hope International
British Columbia Real Estate Association
Broderbund Software
Brown Shoe
Calgary Academy
Cambridge Integrated Services Group
Career Education Corporation
Center for Public Integrity
Centers for Disease Control & Prevention
CEOs for Cities
Chapin Hall at the University of Chicago
Charming Shoppes
CHC Helicopter
Chicago Community Trust
Chicago Loop Alliance
Children’s Home + Aid
Chicago Public Education Fund
The Children’s School
Chiquita Brands
Cisco Systems
The Coca-Cola Company
Columbia College Chicago
Come & Dish
Department of Fisheries and Oceans
DePaul University
Devon Energy
Discovery Charter School
Eby-Brown
eGate Solutions
EG&G
Finning International
Florsheim Group
Formica
Cincinnati, OH
Fox River Paper
Fresenius Kabi USA
Gallagher Bassett
Gaylord and Dorothy Donnelley Foundation
Georgia Institute of Technology
Georgia-Pacific
GolinHarris
Graphis Inc.
Great Lakes Protection Fund
Greater Chicago Food Depository
Hartmarx
Healthcare REIT
Heedo
Houghton Mifflin Harcourt
i.c. Stars
iCarnegie
Ignite Progress
Illinois Works for the Future
Indiana University
Indiana University–Purdue University
Insurance Corporation of British Columbia
International Truck
Intrawest
iQue Repair
Ivanhoe Mines
Jabra
JP Morgan Chase
Klein and Hoffman
Lincoln National
Littelfuse
Loewen Windows
Lyric Motion
Marathon Pharmaceuticals
MDA
Meinhardt Fine Foods
Meijer
Motorola
MVP.com
The Nantucket Project
The Nature Conservancy
Navistar
NCR Corporation
Norske Canada
Northwestern University
one20
Openlands
OpinionLab
The Ounce of Prevention Fund
Oxbow Social Media Monitoring
PaineWebber Group
PanAmSat
Paragon Pharmaceutical Capital
Pearson Education
Peppercomm
PepsiCo
Perkins + Will
Petro-Canada
PGA Tour
PG&E
PowerPlayer
Preservation Compact
Price.com
PwC
Protox Therapeutics
Prudential Insurance
Public Broadcasting Atlanta
Qiditi
QLT Inc
Real Estate Board of Greater Vancouver
Rehabilitation Institute of Chicago
The Richard H. Driehaus Foundation
Ringling College of Art + Design
Robert Bosch Tool Corporation
Rotary International
Royal Caribbean Cruises
RR Donnelly & Sons
RTC Inc.
Scandent Group
Scientific Games
Sedgwick Claims Management Services
ServiceMaster
Security Point Media
Sesame Workshop
Sierra Wireless
Silencerco
Silver Standard Resources
Simpson Paper
Smart Papers
Society of Graphic Designers of Canada
Society of Thoracic Surgeons
Spertus Institute
Success by Six – United Way
Swiss Army Brands
Take a Hike Youth at Risk Foundation
Tandberg
Taubman
Techo-Bloc
Telus
Terra Foundation
Thomson NETg
TIR Systems
TRW
ULTA Salon, Cosmetics & Fragrance
Urban Juice & Soda
University of Chicago
University of Illinois at Chicago
Vancouver Art Gallery
Whirlpool
World Business Chicago
Wolters Kluwer
WPA
XRS Corporation
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Want to learn more about creating a solid marketing strategy that will give you more overall structure and piece of mind? You can read The 5 Step Process For a More Structured Marketing Strategy eBook for a more in-depth discussion of these concepts and how you can begin to implement them.
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