Starting at the Research Bench
Selecting an agency focus is a topic we discuss a lot on Inbound Agency Journey. People are torn. Some believe that you should pick several key industries to focus on. Others believe that you should wait and discover industries that work best for you. Still others believe that you should focus on companies that are willing to use HubSpot.
Today’s guest comes with a deep rooted history in the industry. Dr. Paul Avery is a co-founder of BioStrata Marketing—a life science inbound agency.
Their focus helps separate them from other agencies in the market. With a mix of in-depth industry knowledge and inbound marketing skills, they deliver killer stories for their clients.
For Paul and his co-founder—Dr. Clare Russell—life science is in their blood.
Before starting BioStrata, both Clare and Paul came from agencies that specialized in the scientific sector. And even before that, Paul was a geneticist. This long background in the industry made selecting an agency focus a no-brainer for them.
Sometimes when people think about selecting a niche, they worry that the limited number of client types will leave them feeling bored. Paul says that nothing could be further from the truth.
One day they might be working with a client who is researching a new type of medical device. The next, they’re working with someone who is researching a new diagnostic test.
By selecting a focus and building a reputation in a specific niche, BioStrata has been able to attract a wide array of clients in the life science field.
Telling the Stories that Need to Be Told
Merely selecting an agency focus is not enough. In addition to selecting a focus, your agency needs to be known for something.
BioStrata is known for its creative eye. They combine their marketing experience with their knowledge of the industry to create a memorable message.
Many of the companies in the life science industry are making a real impact on the world by producing ground-breaking tools and technologies. Paul shares that their role is to pick out what makes them awesome and share it in innovative and creative ways.
Technical people don’t always think like marketers. They can stress the wrong things when telling their product story, focusing too much on the details. This causes them to forget about their audience and the benefits their products offer. On the other hand, marketers don’t always understand the important technical details and leave them out of the conversation. This isn’t the right approach either.
Enter BioStrata. Their role is as translators between the groups. They craft messages that speak to their client’s target audience and allow them to stand out from the clutter.
Setting Clear Expectations
Gaining buy-in from the client executive team comes down to setting the expectations in the sales process. Dipping into their own experience gives the agency a great perspective into what the target market is expecting.
Most of the time this perspective pays off and delivers a successful campaign. On occasion, it doesn’t. That’s when it’s important to own up, learn from the mistake, and keep moving forward.
No matter what industry you select for an agency focus, remember to think outside the box. Find new and creative ways to deliver the message. You’re an expert at inbound. Use that to craft a message that resonates with the target audience.
How to Grow a Niche Team Smart
BioStrata has a deep roster of industry-specific talent. This team brings a lot of collective experiences to the table that can help their clients overcome specific challenges. It is important for Paul and Clare to have a process in place to attract new talent.
Paul says that over the years they have gotten better at hiring. This progress is the result of a strict hiring process.
The goal of the hiring process is to attract the right type of talent to the agency. This means finding people who have the right background and the right personality.
Paul looks to build a team with a diverse background. This diversity helps deliver solutions to clients who are facing challenging situations.
When you’re looking to build your team, don’t necessarily look for people who only know inbound. Think outside the box. A lot of the inbound skills can be learned over time. A career of industry experience can be extremely useful when servicing clients.
Bringing Clients into Project Management
We deliver delight to clients when we give them access to the information they want, when they want it. For Paul, this means bringing clients into the project management process. By using shared spreadsheets, the BioStrata team keeps clients up to date of the progress of the engagement.
The goal isn’t to have the client working at your side each and every day. If they could do the work themselves, they wouldn’t need to hire you. The goal is to build trust.
Over time you build trust by leading with transparency. Once the client trusts you, they don’t need to look over your shoulder all the time. That kind of trust is hard earned. Make sure you cherish it when you get it!
