The Rise of the T-Shaped Agency Model
Posted on 09. May, 2012 by Daniel Lemin in ad agencies, Blog, daniel lemin, Integrated Marketing and Media, pr firms, Small Business Internet Marketing, Small Business Marketing, Social Media
Daniel Lemin is Strategy & Analytics Lead at Convince & Convert. He also runs the consulting firm Social Studio where he provides analytics, PR and integrated marketing strategy to his clients.
Agency owners, take note: your traditional team structure – the one that divides your agency into “digital”, “account management” and “creative,” among others – may be restraining capacity to innovate and expand your client capabilities.
We work with a lot of agencies and have come to recognize the challenges that leaders are facing in today’s hyper-competitive market. There are smaller agencies that have specialized knowledge in one content area or social technology. There are larger agencies that have built labyrinthine digital teams with varying capabilities, making it hard to assess one agency’s true stripes over another. It’s mind-boggling how much has changed in the agency business in the last 5-10 years and we know how hard it is compete. There are no easy solutions to any of the business challenges and it can feel like you throw good money after bad by chasing new technologies as a service offering.
What is the T-Shaped Agency?
We have been talking this year about a concept – borrowed from the early years of digital agency business models – we call the T-Shaped Agency. This is a framework for agency owners and leaders to consider as they look to invest in staff education on new technologies, package that expertise into concise service offerings that clients will understand and don’t feel filled with hype and jargon, and – get this – actually deliver on the work in a profitable and consistent manner.
How Does the T-Shaped Agency Work?
T-Shaped Agency Architecture
The T-Shaped Agency concept is effective when there is recognition by agency owners that their traditional model of building, pricing and delivering a service to clients is misaligned with the need for rapid and articulate innovation in their client work. Let me build a metaphor for you to frame this concept.
Think of an agency as a software package, like Microsoft Office. Clients like to purchase an Office Suite; they know they will need word processing, spreadsheets, presentation software and possibly some other add-ons that make a packaged suite very enticing as a model. It’s fairly expensive to purchase all of this software and not every employee will want or need it, but it provides an easy solution for work productivity. Over time, the need for new features in that software changes and, slowly, the software manufacturer pushes out updates to the software which requires installation and deployment by IT teams and certainly does not put critical new features in the hands of employees quickly. It’s a slow model that does not evolve quickly.
Contrast that with newer open-source web-based software services like OpenOffice. These platforms – also available as a software suite, similar to Microsoft Office – provide immediate access to new features and fast deployment of updates without a lengthy installation process. Because it’s based on open-source software, it can take advantage of a community of knowledge – some of which may be very specialized – and new features can emerge rapidly that will be useful to a large number of its customers. This is similar to the T-Shaped Agency model that we’re describing here.
Agencies are filled with vast amounts of intelligence, and while employees may have line-item duties for specific skills – like creative, web development, account management – they may also have a knowledge of a specific technology that no other employee can match. Perhaps they are a weekend warrior on HTML5 development, or a passionate video producer looking for an outlet for their creative talents. The point is these skills exist within an agency and it’s difficult to put a description on them as a service offering; to say you have a video SEO product or a WordPress guru is a bit too specific for most agency engagements. But, clients crave those skills. So you have to adapt your ability to identify who those content experts are and allow them some lateral freedom to put their skills to use. Employees love it because they feel that they’re being valued for the unique insights they have about a specific topic. Clients love it because they feel the agency “gets it” and is able to deliver consistent innovative ideas and actually get them done. Of course, many scenarios will require an agency to look beyond its own walls for specific expertise, but having an internal champion of that technology, platform or concept will still be a valuable asset.
Deploying the T-Shaped Structure
How do you go about deploying this structure? It does not have to be a watershed moment. You can start informally surveying employees and asking them what areas interest them. For some, providing a small time or training allowance to bolster their existing knowledge of a topic will be a great incentive. For others, just the chance to show off their talent and contribute to the agency’s success is enough. You can expand the concept by crafting incentives for participation and, slowly, you’ll begin to see a natural evolution in how your teams are thinking about innovation for their clients. Clients will begin to notice too, and they’ll begin to see that your agency is evolving out of the Microsoft Office mindset and adapting an open approach to innovation.
Are you using the T-Shaped Agency structure in your business?
The Rise of the T-Shaped Agency Model
Posted on 09. May, 2012 by Daniel Lemin in ad agencies, Blog, daniel lemin, Integrated Marketing and Media, pr firms, Small Business Internet Marketing, Small Business Marketing, Social Media
Daniel Lemin is Strategy & Analytics Lead at Convince & Convert. He also runs the consulting firm Social Studio where he provides analytics, PR and integrated marketing strategy to his clients.
Agency owners, take note: your traditional team structure – the one that divides your agency into “digital”, “account management” and “creative,” among others – may be restraining capacity to innovate and expand your client capabilities.
We work with a lot of agencies and have come to recognize the challenges that leaders are facing in today’s hyper-competitive market. There are smaller agencies that have specialized knowledge in one content area or social technology. There are larger agencies that have built labyrinthine digital teams with varying capabilities, making it hard to assess one agency’s true stripes over another. It’s mind-boggling how much has changed in the agency business in the last 5-10 years and we know how hard it is compete. There are no easy solutions to any of the business challenges and it can feel like you throw good money after bad by chasing new technologies as a service offering.
What is the T-Shaped Agency?
We have been talking this year about a concept – borrowed from the early years of digital agency business models – we call the T-Shaped Agency. This is a framework for agency owners and leaders to consider as they look to invest in staff education on new technologies, package that expertise into concise service offerings that clients will understand and don’t feel filled with hype and jargon, and – get this – actually deliver on the work in a profitable and consistent manner.
How Does the T-Shaped Agency Work?
T-Shaped Agency Architecture
The T-Shaped Agency concept is effective when there is recognition by agency owners that their traditional model of building, pricing and delivering a service to clients is misaligned with the need for rapid and articulate innovation in their client work. Let me build a metaphor for you to frame this concept.
Think of an agency as a software package, like Microsoft Office. Clients like to purchase an Office Suite; they know they will need word processing, spreadsheets, presentation software and possibly some other add-ons that make a packaged suite very enticing as a model. It’s fairly expensive to purchase all of this software and not every employee will want or need it, but it provides an easy solution for work productivity. Over time, the need for new features in that software changes and, slowly, the software manufacturer pushes out updates to the software which requires installation and deployment by IT teams and certainly does not put critical new features in the hands of employees quickly. It’s a slow model that does not evolve quickly.
Contrast that with newer open-source web-based software services like OpenOffice. These platforms – also available as a software suite, similar to Microsoft Office – provide immediate access to new features and fast deployment of updates without a lengthy installation process. Because it’s based on open-source software, it can take advantage of a community of knowledge – some of which may be very specialized – and new features can emerge rapidly that will be useful to a large number of its customers. This is similar to the T-Shaped Agency model that we’re describing here.
Agencies are filled with vast amounts of intelligence, and while employees may have line-item duties for specific skills – like creative, web development, account management – they may also have a knowledge of a specific technology that no other employee can match. Perhaps they are a weekend warrior on HTML5 development, or a passionate video producer looking for an outlet for their creative talents. The point is these skills exist within an agency and it’s difficult to put a description on them as a service offering; to say you have a video SEO product or a WordPress guru is a bit too specific for most agency engagements. But, clients crave those skills. So you have to adapt your ability to identify who those content experts are and allow them some lateral freedom to put their skills to use. Employees love it because they feel that they’re being valued for the unique insights they have about a specific topic. Clients love it because they feel the agency “gets it” and is able to deliver consistent innovative ideas and actually get them done. Of course, many scenarios will require an agency to look beyond its own walls for specific expertise, but having an internal champion of that technology, platform or concept will still be a valuable asset.
Deploying the T-Shaped Structure
How do you go about deploying this structure? It does not have to be a watershed moment. You can start informally surveying employees and asking them what areas interest them. For some, providing a small time or training allowance to bolster their existing knowledge of a topic will be a great incentive. For others, just the chance to show off their talent and contribute to the agency’s success is enough. You can expand the concept by crafting incentives for participation and, slowly, you’ll begin to see a natural evolution in how your teams are thinking about innovation for their clients. Clients will begin to notice too, and they’ll begin to see that your agency is evolving out of the Microsoft Office mindset and adapting an open approach to innovation.
Are you using the T-Shaped Agency structure in your business?
About the Daniel Lemin:
Daniel Lemin is Strategy & Analytics Lead at Convince & Convert. He also runs the consulting firm Social Studio where he provides analytics, PR and integrated marketing strategy to his clients.
The Rise of the T-Shaped Agency Model is a post from: Convince and Convert Blog: Social Media Strategy and Social Media Consulting
Email Isn’t Dead Among Facebook’s Exec Team
Posted on 24. Oct, 2011 by Jay Baer in Blog, email, Email Marketing, Email Marketing Advice, facebook, Integrated Marketing and Media, Small Business Internet Marketing, Small Business Marketing, social media integration
One of the great modern mysteries is how so many people legitimately believe that social media is “killing email” when nothing could be further from the truth. Social media and email are complementary tools, and it’s no accident that you can’t even SIGN UP for a social network without an email address.
There’s been a lot written about the folly of this “email is dead” conviction, and in fact I’ll soon be publishing here at Convince & Convert my recent presentation on the integration of Facebook and email.
But for now, please enjoy the thick and delicious irony of this interview of Facebook COO Sheryl Sandberg who says “I check my email the first thing in the morning, and the last thing at night.”
Is Youtility the Future of Marketing?
Posted on 15. Oct, 2011 by Jay Baer in Blog, Integrated Marketing and Media, Small Business Internet Marketing, Small Business Marketing
Ever since the first caveman tried to sell a rock to another caveman, we’ve been relying upon some variation of the same marketing song and dance. It doesn’t matter if the message is conveyed via smoke signal, carrier pigeon, direct mail, TV, or flashy banner ad, the plea is the same:
“We’ve got good stuff, wanna buy some?”
What we’re trying to do with all forms of marketing is tie interests to actions. We assume that some percentage of the people seeing your smoke signal are indeed in the market for a new horse, and when we link interest and action to create a prospective customer, we call that “filling the top of the funnel.”
There are 3 ways to fill the top of that funnel, to tie interest to action to create a potential customer.
Top of Mind Awareness
The first way has been around forever, and is called “top of mind awareness.” The premise is that you maintain a consistent presence in the marketplace of messaging, with ongoing advertising and promotions so that customers think of you first when they are ready to purchase whatever it is that you sell.
This system is of course expensive, because it requires always-on marketing. It’s also a system that’s getting far more difficult, as our highly fractured media landscape makes it harder to consistently reach audiences. And there’s also rising suspicion of the integrity of marketing messages, especially among desirable, young consumers.
Frame of Mind Awareness
The second way to fill the top of that funnel has been around since the invention of the Yellow Pages, but really took off with the advent of Yahoo!, and then Google. I call it “frame of mind awareness.” In this approach – which we now often call “inbound marketing” – the premise is that when they’re ready, the potential customer will find you. You create content that makes it easier for your company to be found via search and social media, and wait for the leads to roll in.
While frame of mind awareness is more efficient than top of mind awareness because you’re only interacting with self-determinant hand-raisers, your upside is capped. You don’t create demand with inbound marketing, you just fulfill demand that exists organically.
Friend of Mine Awareness
There is also third system. A new way to fill the funnel that may be the best of both worlds. I call it “friend of mine awareness.”
With friend of mine awareness, you seek to have the prospective customer allow you inside their circle of trust, where you become more than just a purveyor, but rather a valuable resource.
Then, when the customer is ready to buy, they don’t have to go find you, because you’re already there.
Be a YOUtility
The difference between helping and selling is just 2 letters. But those letters make all the difference. Your company needs to become a YOUtility. Sell something, and you make a customer. Help someone, and you make a customer for life.
Geek Squad understands YOUtility.
I was at a conference a couple years ago where Robert Stephens, the founder of Geek Squad, was speaking. He showcased their YouTube channel which has hundreds of instructional videos on how to set your DVR, swap out a hard drive, and tasks of that nature.
Someone asked him a great question: “Let me get this straight Robert. You’re in the business of fixing things?” “yes” he nodded. “But yet, you have all these videos showing people how to fix things themselves. How does that make business sense?” “Well, our best customers are the people that think they can do it themselves. But even if they can, someday they’ll be over their head, and who will they call for help? We’re betting it’s the company whose logo they looked at for 8 minutes when we gave them free video help.”
Vanderbilt University Medical Center understands YOUtility.
They provide free of charge for expectant mothers a Baby Time mobile app. It includes a contraction timer, a phone book to list contact information for people to call when the baby is on the way, a checklist of items to bring to the hospital, and driving directions.
Taxi Mike understands YOUtility.
Mike drives a cab for Banff Taxi in Alberta, and to stand out from the rest of the drivers, he produces an online and offline guide to the local hotspots. Taxi Mike’s Dining Guide is a simple, 8.5×11, tri-fold rack brochure, printed on bright yellow paper, and available for free just about everywhere in town.
In his guide, Mike tells you the best BBQ places, clubs, happy hours, patios, places for kids, and other insider info. Wisely, he also includes a map of the downtown area on the front. The portable size and map make it perfectly logical to bring Mike’s Dining Guide with you when out on the town in Banff. And then, when you’re blurry-eyed at 12:30am, you pull out the guide and there is Mike’s phone number in big, bold letters.
Your Company Can Do This
In a world where every prospective customer is facing an invitation avalanche, where every business is asking people to follow their tweets, read their blog, or watch their videos, you must resist the temptation to communicate solely and endlessly about your company, hoping for a quick sale.
Helping can replace selling, or at the very least reduce the friction within that sales transaction. And you can do this. You can help your customers learn – like Geeksquad. You can help them plan – like Vanderbilt. You can help them enjoy – like Mike the Taxi Driver.
If you want to succeed in a world where the balance of marketing power has swung dramatically in favor of the customer, you need to become a YOUtility.
Will you? Is this the future of modern marketing?
(I’m not sure if he coined it per se, but Jay Deragon – whose blog is one of the best anywhere – used this YOUtility phrase two and a half years ago.)
How to Market to People Not Like You
Posted on 13. Jun, 2011 by Jay Baer in Blog, Book Reviews, Hispanic Marketing, How to Market to People Not Like You, Integrated Marketing and Media, Kelly McDonald, Small Business Internet Marketing, Small Business Marketing, Video Blogs, video posts
Sometimes business success isn’t about changing the message, but rather changing the market.
That’s the premise of the new book How to Market to People Not Like You: “Know It or Blow It” Rules for Reaching Diverse Customers
Bursting with fascinating anecdotes, sound advice, and interesting facts about how different populations think, feel, shop and share this is a book that will benefit every marketer in some way.
It’s an easy read – perfect for a plane – and Kelly’s style is approachable yet sharp. I found a lot of social media corollaries in this book, especially the sections about companies having to be operationally ready to address new markets. The discussion around corporate culture and its importance in market expansion was especially relevant.
A key theme that is dead-on with social media is the notion that consumers want to do business where they feel welcomed and comfortable. Whether that’s hiring Spanish-speaking bank tellers or using content marketing to help customers understand what makes your company different and special, humanization and building kinship bridges is always a net positive.
I interview Kelly about the book, her outstanding Hispanic agency (McDonald Marketing in Dallas) and the big takeaways inHow to Market to People Not Like You
Connect With Us Here:
