Specialism at scale is the future
Being multi-faceted, multi-disciplinary and multi-channel, organic digital marketing needs to evolve and adapt to add more value and enhanced experience than the short-term, tactical and siloed approaches that hold so many brands back today.
Delivering on a unifying strategy and doing organic well is really hard. It requires specialist knowledge and ringfenced investment, and a plan that puts brand at the centre of the digital ecosystem. It also relies on pointed outcome conversations about incremental revenue, CPA reduction and long-term strategic growth – and should be measured in terms of brand health and equity not just arbitrary proxy metrics (link numbers anyone?).
It’s no surprise the agency of record (AOR) model is dying, and the shift to specialist agency partners is gathering pace.
In the agency landscape itself, evolution has to be a constant. Those moving too slowly or constrained by their constructs will have felt the pain in 2023, and will be fearful of the year ahead, but the power of being an independent is that we are the masters of our own destiny, with the agility and pace to adapt to the changing needs of the market and those of our clients. And change is needed.
The new era of Builtvisible
The big idea is the Connected Digital Society.
It reflects the fact that digital is a vital facet of society now. It’s central to how we operate and interact as humans. The countless connections of digital that underpin our world mean it is nigh on impossible to do anything today without a digital touchpoint.
And this is especially true for companies looking to grow in the digital age.
There are millions of connections out there between audiences and brands, and every one of those connections come at some kind of cost – both to acquire and to retain. The goal is of course to turn these connections into monetary value, but doing so is hard. Making them strong and resilient enough to have tangible and traceable business impact? Even harder.
And that’s where Builtvisible come in.
Connection is the new currency
We believe that in today’s digital society brands need more insightful, innovative and imaginative ways to cut through the noise and to be distinctive to create meaningful connections with audiences. And we believe that connected thinking is the key to unlocking this potential.
What traditionally sits under the umbrella of “SEO” is often in silos. Taking a disparate approach, both brand and agency side, is reducing its effectiveness, commoditising an entire industry and worst of all alienating customers and stagnating the growth of brands that deserve better.
Over the 14 years of our existence we have seen time and again the compound impact that connected thinking has for clients. Organic strategy that’s about business growth not keyword rankings, content campaigns focused on outcomes not outputs, and digital transformation projects at the centre of brand evolution not a late to the party “SEO” remit for a platform migration.
Connected thinking demands a seat at the table and helps marketers understand the value they can add through the smart application of data, SEO and content more widely.
We believe the industry needs to think bigger, it needs to think differently, and our approach to how we will support the needs in the market is the first step.
We are repositioning Builtvisible because we are already so much more than a content agency, an SEO partner, a technical consultancy or whatever the mode du jour is. We have been adding value and capability over the past few years to more closely and strategically align ourselves to the needs of business, and embed our teams within our client teams to ensure we are critical partners on their growth journey; our repositioning is the realisation of that process.
We want to drive, build and influence strategy from the heart of a brand, architecting digital experiences and journeys that connect, creating content to activate and amplify brand stories (whatever the channel) and partner and consult with organisations to affect change and enable transformation in their businesses.
Connected thinking is the key to doing all of this – to build brand equity, reduce CPA and deliver long-term sustainable value to clients and their customers.
Finally…
Marketing aside, it will be of no surprise to those that know me that the idea of connection sits at the heart of my biggest passion – going on the journey with amazing people to deliver brilliant results, and having fun as we do it – everything that working with an agency should represent!
It’s where all the reward comes for me and my team, and whether you are part of our current team, an ex-employee, a client, a supplier, a partner, a friend of the agency or just someone who has stumbled across this post, the fact that Builtvisible itself is a connector, is something I absolutely love.
Here’s to the next leg of the journey.
