What Is A Digital Marketing Boutique?
The demand for digital marketing services has skyrocketed over the last decade. While these services have been around since the conception of the Internet, they now serve a completely different, new-age purpose for many brands and businesses.
At first, digital marketing focused solely on search engine optimization. Now, not only is SEO still a major contributor to a brand’s success online - there is also the added pressure of winning on social media platforms that drive a significant portion of business.
So, if a brand needs to be searchable, active and engaged on every social media platform and putting out quality content daily - how exactly do they manage to do it all and take care of their loyal customers? The short and quick answer - they hire a digital marketing boutique.
You’ve probably heard the term of “digital marketing boutique” before, but never knew exactly what it meant.
Is it the same as a digital marketing agency?
Is it less reputable than other agencies of its kind?
What in the world does ‘boutique’ mean anyways?
Let me break it down for you real quick - in layman's terms, a digital marketing boutique is just another name for a digital marketing agency. Yet, the significant difference is that they offer their clients a more niche, personalized and affordable approach. In comparison to the “big dogs” aka agency frontmen with hundreds of employees - boutiques may be smaller, but that doesn’t mean they aren’t mighty.
I’m going to dig deeper and discuss what a digital marketing boutique is and how it compares to the other players in the industry. Pro tip: if you’re a brand looking for an experience that makes your business feel valued, understood and special - a boutique is the move for you. Let’s discuss why.
What is a Digital Marketing Boutique?
Digital Marketing Boutique vs. Agency |Photo by Austin Distel on Unsplash
As I previously mentioned, a digital marketing boutique operates in the same capacity as an agency, minus the large scale and expensive price tag. A boutique is usually going to be made up of a group of around 10 employees who each bring years of combined experience to the job.
Considering the boutique wields less manpower, they are often more selective about the number of clients they take on and what services they offer. Solely due the fact that they want to focus on giving their clients the most tailored experience possible. The services they offer are less of a catch all approach and more about showcasing what talents they possess and excel at.
Let’s cover the 3 aspects that make a digital marketing boutique unique:
They Have The Big Level Expertise, Yet Focus In On The Niche Of Your Business
There’s a misconception that a smaller agency equates to less services for a business. Yet, this simply isn’t the case. A boutique marketing agency may be scaled down in size, but they still have the big level expertise of a lager agency.
This is due to the fact that the majority of founders and employees at a digital marketing boutique have years of valuable work experience at an agency, large corporation or as a freelancer for various clients. In essence, these strategists bring years of experience to their positions and therefore know exactly how to help your business grow online.
A digital marketing boutique will offer the same services as an agency such as:
Social Media Growth
Online Advertising
SEO & SEM
Website Development
Branding
Communications and Strategy
Analytics
This is only a condensed version of expertise that boutiques offer and depending on the individual boutique, they may specialize in one area more than another. For example, some digital marketers aim to excel in branding a business’ online presence, while others want to target their search visibility with increased SEO practices.
The difference between a traditional agency and a digital marketing boutique is that the boutique is going to follow a more niched approach when deciding which areas to target for your business. While they can go wide and cover all aspects of the digital space for your business, most prefer to figure out where your business could use some help before diving in.
For example, if a boutique discovers that your business’ website isn’t built to capture and generate new leads - they may recommend starting with an update or redesign. Or, if they see that your search visibility on Google is low, they may focus on upping your SEO practices.
Whichever approach they choose, you can rest assured knowing that a boutique has all the ammunition of a large agency and carefully chooses which digital tools to pull from their arsenal.
All The Bells & Whistles of a Large Agency, Without The Expensive Price
The second appealing aspect of a digital marketing boutique is that even though they have all the expertise of an agency, they don’t come with the expensive price tag. More times than none, a boutique agency has more affordable options for businesses and are able to customize their plans to fit a client’s needs.
This is possible for various reasons including the fact that their smaller team means less markup on pricing to cover the cost of many employees. And, since their team focuses on a more personalized approach - they can offer options such as hourly consult rates instead of packages that tie your business in for months.
While some digital marketing boutiques do offer preset packages for their clients to choose from, they also utilize the practice of custom packages in order to facilitate businesses who may not have a large budget.
In all, agencies are notorious for being more expensive no matter what industry they work within. While big brands making massive revenues can afford the hefty price tag, smaller businesses with the eagerness to grow can’t quite compete. That’s why as a small business looking to break into the digital space would be far better suited seeking the expertise of a digital marketing boutique.
Digital Marketing Boutique is Niched, Focused & Affordable | Photo by S O C I A L . C U T on Unsplash
Their Clout Matches The Popular Kids, But They Make You Feel Like Family
As a business owner, you want your digital marketing strategists to make you feel important and seen. You want your business to be their main priority and know that they are doing everything possible to make it grow and succeed.
In truth, at a large agency with hundreds of clients - your business may be placed on the back burner in terms of priority. Again, as I mentioned above, this is solely due to revenue. The bigger brands that bring in the most money are always going to be slated first for agency attention. It’s just the name of the game.
So, instead of being low on the totem pole in an agency setting, why wouldn’t you opt for the care and consideration a boutique agency can give you? Instead of making you feel like just another number, a digital marketing boutique aims to make their customers feel like family. They focus on your needs, wants and concerns as a business. And, instill an equal playing field across each of the clients they work with.
In short, a digital marketing boutique still has all the clout of the popular kids (the big agencies), yet they don’t ignore you when something cooler comes along. Instead, they invite you to sit with them at lunch (yes, I’m really milking this analogy) and make it evident that they value and respect your business.
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There you have it, the answer to your question: What is a digital marketing boutique?
As you can see, these boutiques have all the skills, expertise and relevancy of a larger agency. Yet, they bring a level of affordability, relatability and focused attention to their clients. They put your business’ digital needs at the forefront and aim to help growing brands like yours make it to the top.
Need any insight on your business’ current digital marketing strategy? Feel free to send me an email at james@thehhub.com to discuss your plan of action and chat about some ways you can win online.
If you’re looking for more digital marketing inspiration, don’t forget to read The Important Role of Branding in Marketing.