Chris Young
Many marketing companies start out by catering to a specific industry or a specific marketing activity with a high degree of competency.
As time goes on and these agencies interact with more clients, they gain a greater awareness of the different needs that their customers have. In response to these needs, some agencies opt to create new products and departments while other agencies decide to stay in their lane with a narrow but excellent product offering. There are benefits to both of these approaches, but there is a “middle way”--white labeling or private labeling. Whitelabling another agency’s digital marketing services allows agencies to focus on doing what they do best while also expanding the suite of services to attract new and recurring business. Each business must determine whether to hire an in-house team or whether to outsource and white label. There are, however, some rules of thumb to increase the likelihood of successfully white labeling digital marketing services.
Private label services offer numerous benefits to agencies seeking to expand their offerings and enhance their market presence. One of the primary advantages is the ability to broaden service offerings such as SEO, PPC, or social media management, even in areas outside a company's primary expertise. This expansion appeals to a wider client base and caters to the varied needs of existing customers, fostering loyalty and satisfaction. Additionally, these partnerships allow businesses to concentrate on their core strengths, as the partner agency handles other services proficiently, leading to higher quality in both core and outsourced services.
Financially, private label agencies significantly boost revenue by allowing businesses to offer more services and take on more clients than they could alone, while reducing the need for substantial investments in new staff or service development. Local and industry expertise provided by white label partners is invaluable, offering tailored strategies that resonate with specific markets or sectors. This expertise not only enhances the effectiveness of marketing campaigns but also positions the agency as an authority, increasing trust and credibility among potential clients.
Cost-effectiveness is another major advantage. Outsourcing complex tasks like lead generation to a white label service is more economical than developing these capabilities in-house. This approach saves on the costs of hiring specialized staff and purchasing advanced tools, allowing agencies to allocate resources more efficiently towards growth areas. The scalability of private label solutions also provides agility to adapt to market changes, driving sustainable growth.
Furthermore, brand consistency is crucial in white label partnerships. Ensuring that the partner's services align with the agency's brand image and values reinforces reliability and professionalism. This involves clear communication and alignment of brand guidelines, regular review of outputs, and choosing partners who respect the importance of brand consistency. By maintaining a cohesive brand experience, agencies can strengthen client trust and loyalty, which is fundamental for long-term success.
Establishing a fruitful private label partnership program is ultimately built on a relationship of rapport and trust with the partner agency. The initial and critical step is the selection of an appropriate partner. When looking for a private label partner, it’s important to assess their expertise, dependability, alignment with your agency's values, and the caliber of their services. You should look for a partner whose strengths enhance your agency's services and who equally prioritizes high-quality output and customer satisfaction. These values are the basis of any partnership and relationship that will stand the test of time.
When you private label another agency’s product or service, it gives you the freedom to allocate assets that would have been used elsewhere. One of the best places to re-allocate these is into customer service. If you remember back to your “Economics 101” class where Country A produced apple pies and Country B produced pancakes, they were able to trade with each other to create better products at lower prices because of specialization. The same principle applies with private label digital marketing services. When your white label partner specializes in producing one service, it frees up your resources to focus on creating an amazing customer experience.
When creating a private label digital marketing product, you must invest the time and effort to make sure you have a good product-market fit. This involves essentially two steps. The first step is to identify and understand the different unmet needs that your current clients have. They may be as simple as needing SEO services or perhaps email marketing. With the understanding of what these clients need, you can go in search of a white label partner that has the best solution for you and your clients. Spending a few hours or a few days to understand the need can save you hundreds of hours later on with mismatched sales efforts and unhappy clients who were sold a product they didn’t need.
As the saying goes, “Good fences make good neighbors.” The same thing can be said of private label partnerships–setting clear expectations on both sides of the “fence” from the very beginning will help create clarity and future misunderstandings. Setting expectations should ultimately be a collaborative process between both companies rather than a one-way road of expectations. Yes, one company is paying the other. However, the white label partner often will have such a niche area of expertise and cultural fit that finding a replacement agency can be difficult if not impossible. The goal is to create a long-term, mutually beneficial relationship that provides each organization with additional revenue. We recommend creating a legal contract so that the expectations are not only clear, but also enforceable.
One of the most important (and underappreciated) pieces of white label marketing is reporting and data analytics. Reporting provides all parties involved with an objective reference point to show that the goals are being met or, if they’re not being met, where the choke point lies. A good white label partner agency should have its own suite of reporting tools that it can provide you with. When negotiating expectations, be sure to include reporting within those expectations as it will help both companies in the long term. Reporting helps justify the money that the final client is investing in these services and also can help serve as a single point of truth when disputes do arise.
Some companies freely disclose that they’re using private label partners. However, other companies choose to keep their white label partnership confidential. There is no right or wrong answer as long as the work gets done on time and on budget. However, it’s best to advise your white label partner as to the nature of the agreement, especially if you plan on having someone from outside of your company in a client-facing role representing your company. An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure.
Continuous improvement is one of the end goals of rapport; it is important to have open lines of communication to identify areas of improvement for both companies. Occasionally these may be service deficits that need to be addressed in order to continue in the partnership. However, most of the time, there will be new developments in the market or new areas that both companies could service. Propping the door open to continuous improvement ensures that the partnership will have long-term viability which creates a stable foundation for both companies.
As you explore the potential of private labeling digital marketing services, remember that it's more than just expanding your service offerings; it's about forging a partnership that can significantly influence your agency's future. The synergy between your business goals and your private label partner's strengths is essential and a partner whose capabilities not only complement but also elevate your agency's current services can lead to a highly successful long term partnership.
If you’re researching different white label partners for your company, Be More Digital would welcome the opportunity to discuss your needs. Our professionals have decades of experience in lead generation with PPC, SEO, email marketing, and video production. Get in touch with Be More Digital today for a comprehensive review and proposal or take a look at our numerous case studies to see a sampling of some of our success stories. Our customer experience team is standing by and is happy to answer any questions you may have.
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