Find the best matched agency for your web project

Lauren: So Phil, we've been around for nearly 25 years now, haven't we?

Phil: Yeah and in that time, it's allowed us to really understand the importance of choosing the right partner for your big web project. 

Lauren: Yeah, you've been on both sides of that coin, haven't you? So you've been in-house and you've been in agency. 

Phil: Yeah that's true, actually. I suppose 20 plus years in digital, but for a good chunk of that, I was on the other side. I was in in-house roles, you know, trying to choose the right partner for big web projects and obviously doing that I learned some of the pitfalls. 

Lauren: Yeah, so we know there's three key areas, isn't there really? 

Phil: Yeah, I think the most important thing to get right first and foremost, is choosing an agency partner that's specialist in your particular sector. And I suppose using Bespoke as an example, you know our specialism is a B2B lead gen Partners but specifically businesses that are in servicing, SAS, financial services, manufacturing, wholesale that type of area. So that's our sweet spot and that's the majority of big projects we do, would be with clients like that.

Lauren: Yeah, so sector specialism. And then there's location as well that's also really important, we talk about that, don't we? 

Phil: Yeah, location's important again and I suppose it's easy to use Bespoke as an example, you know, we've always been a Northwest-based agency. I would say two-thirds of our clients are around here, that's our sweet spot if you like, but probably, you know, we have an office in London and a third of our clients will be in the Southeast as well.

Lauren: Yeah that's really interesting actually, because I think a lot of clients might not know, rather than going to a London agency, if they're based in the Northwest they might not think to just look a bit closer to home. 

Phil: The third important thing when choosing the right partner agency for your project would be the right size of organisation as well. Again, it's easy to use us as the example, but our best match clients would be probably from 1 million to 100 million that sort of area, that size of client. Anything below a million, you know it's likely that perhaps a start up with different challenges that we’re not best placed to support them with. And over 100 million, they tend to have different types of agency relationships or partnerships. But the rules aren't hard and fast, it might be you've got a multi-billion pound organisation that has a department and we can do a project with them, but generally it's best to be matched with the right size of organisation.

Lauren: So it's three things isn't it? It's sector specialism, it's location, and then it's also the size of the company.

Phil: Yeah, but I would say there's another important thing to consider as well and it's making sure you don't fall into the trap of choosing an agency partner because of personal likes. You've got to choose them because of the experience they've had of delivering the right sort of projects that are in your area and not choosing them for some perhaps personal like of a project they may have done which has influenced you. It's got to be around the practicalities of being well matched. 

Lauren: Yeah, so it can't just be because they look good?

Phil: Not because they look good or they've done something you like the look of. There's got to be more to it than that. So yeah, sticking to those three key areas, an agency that has the right sector specialism, they're generally in the right location or of a particular size.