The only way to survive the competitive environment that is agency life is standing out from your competition. With over 120,000 agencies in the United States alone, it can be challenging to differentiate yourself. One way to set yourself apart is by investing in research & development (R&D). However, most agencies ignore this crucial investment. In fact, our research found that 77% of tracked agencies didn’t spend anything on R&D. In this blog post, we’ll discuss why research & development is essential for your agency’s success, and how you can make it work for you.
Why is R&D important for agencies?
Knowledge is power, and R&D investment gives you more power when making decisions. Most importantly, it can help your agency stand out by providing superior services to clients. R&D can help you innovate your current processes, develop new products or services, or upgrade existing ones. It can also keep you ahead of new trends and competitors. R&D can help you provide better value to clients and increase revenue.
How to start investing in R&D?
To start investing in R&D, you first need to allocate a budget. We recommend allocating 5% of your revenue to R&D. Next, define your goals and objectives for R&D. Establish what markets you want to target, what problems you want to solve, and what services you want to improve. Take the time to research, analyze, and test your ideas before launching them. Lastly, collaborate with professionals to help bring your ideas to life.
How to implement R&D strategies?
To implement R&D strategies, create an innovation roadmap. Map out what types of R&D projects you will undertake, and over what time frame. Consider the investment, expected return, and the timeline for each project. You might also consider outsourcing R&D to third-party service providers.
Types of R&D Projects
There are different types of R&D projects to consider when investing in to improve or expand services. Some may opt to invest in technology, develop processes to improve service delivery to clients or even launch a new service. Consider your audience and what would make them successful, then focus on improving or expanding services to help them achieve this.
Advantages of R&D
Investing in R&D provides numerous advantages to your agency. It can offer you unique and superior services, improve customer satisfaction and retention, increase brand recognition, and generate new revenue streams. R&D can also boost employee morale, foster innovation, and attract top talent.
In conclusion, investing in R&D can set your agency apart from its competitors. While it’s a challenging investment, allocating a budget for R&D can help you stand out in the market. By focusing on developing new or improving existing services, R&D can help you create value for your clients, as well as increase revenue and brand recognition. So, don’t ignore R&D, get started today!