Are you learning your vertical market the 'slow' way?

Like a 5-year-old on Christmas Eve, most agency founders aren't going to accept the required 18-24 months to build a deep understanding of a new vertical. 

Instead, hire two external roles to save up to 15 months.

Vertical Subject Matter Expert

They'll tell which conferences to go to, associations to join, influencers to know, editors to work with, and podcasts to guest on. Good ones will even make intros for you.

Vertical Content Developer

They'll write your vertical thought leadership. They'll also know where to publish it. 

Finding a good one of each requires effort, but you'll get results faster.

Question to ponder:

👉 Have you found SMEs to help you speed up your vertical knowledge?

Have a great day!

CQ

Frequently Asked Questions

Why does building deep understanding of a new vertical typically take 18-24 months?

Because real expertise, knowing the industry's dynamics, language, and key players, takes time to develop organically. Most founders aren't willing to wait that long, even though it's the realistic timeline without outside help.

What does a Vertical Subject Matter Expert actually help with?

Identifying which conferences to attend, which associations to join, which influencers to know, which editors to work with, and which podcasts to guest on, sometimes even making direct introductions to speed things up.

What role does a Vertical Content Developer play in this process?

Writing thought leadership content specific to the vertical and knowing exactly where to publish it, filling a content gap that would otherwise take significant time to build expertise around independently.

How much time can hiring these two roles actually save?

Up to 15 months, compared to the typical 18-24 month timeline it would take to build the same level of vertical understanding without outside help.

Why is finding good candidates for these two roles worth the extra effort?

Because the payoff is significantly faster results. The effort spent finding the right SME and content developer is traded for months of accelerated vertical knowledge that would otherwise take much longer to build organically.