by Nick Bennett | Founder and Agency Niche Designer at Harness & Hone

Hey, thanks for checking out the Agency Niche Design Playbook!

<aside> 💡 In this document, you will find:

An overview of Agency Niche Design
A deep dive into the three phases of Agency Niche Design
And all the bonuses I promised you </aside>

How to get the most out of this playbook

My goal with this playbook is to help you move your agency from Interchangeable to Niche.

It’s important to note that the contents of this playbook go against the conventional marketing wisdom we’ve all been taught over the years and many will feel the urge to immediately reject this new and different way of thinking about how we grow our agencies.

In order to see success with this information, you must resist that urge.

What this playbook is not

This playbook is not your “how to build a ‘better’ brand/service/website/ than your competitors’ playbook.”

And it is certainly not a “whatever-led growth” pitch.

If that is what you’re looking for, you’re in the wrong place.

What problem does this playbook solve?

The problem is that most marketing agencies don't know what makes them different and struggle to see success in marketing their own business.

Instead, they claim they are "better," force buyers to compare them to the alternatives, and hope for referrals. Unknowingly positioning themselves, in the eyes of the buyer, as an Interchangeable Agency.

What this playbook is

This playbook is your guide to creating a clear distinction between you and every other interchangeable marketing agency.

What this playbook covers

The 3-phases of Agency Niche Design:

[Phase 1] Discover the one, different, massively valuable problem you solve

Solutions don't inspire action. Problems do. Yet most agencies still lead with their solutions, believing that "the best service wins." When you lead with a clear, articulate, massively valuable problem your buyers face, they can't help but see it. And once they see it, they will demand the solution from you. The bigger, more urgent the problem, the more time and money they will throw at it.

[Phase 2] Stack the building blocks of your point-of-view (POV)

Your POV is what creates your niche and organizes the narrative. Create a frame for the problem that stops people in their tracks, starts the conversation, and evangelizes a different future that shows buyers how your solution is the bridge they need to cross to get there. Without a POV, you make the same promises as a thousand other agencies, forcing a comparison between you and everyone else who claims they do the same things.

[Phase 3] Deploy your POV, market the problem, become the solution

Move your POV out of Notion and into the market in a way that creates excitement and urgency by making the problem you solve highly visible to everyone who experiences it. You must be intentional about how you educate the market if you want them to see the problem through your eyes. Because once people see it, they need a solution — urgently.