Maverick president Julie Rusciolelli.
Maverick has launched Maverick Content, a content marketing service aimed at small- and medium-sized businesses that would not normally be able to afford to hire public relations or advertising agencies.
“We’re not going after Bay Street; this is about servicing Main Street,” says Maverick president Julie Rusciolelli, noting that about 90% of Canadian companies are small- and medium-sized businesses.
Rusciolelli calls the initiative a form of “missionary work” aimed at helping small business. “If you go to small business websites, they’re really cringe worthy. They look like ransom notes. It’s one ugly scene out there and they need a lot of help.”
Agency models do not currently work for such businesses, she says. “If they have less than $10,000, I don’t think there’s one agency that will service them.”
Bigger agencies don’t want to touch smaller clients and boutique agencies can only do a few types of content marketing well, she adds.
At networking events, “we kept hearing ‘Can you write a case study?’ or ‘Can you help us with a website?’ We turned down so much of that small business in the last two years because it didn’t fit our PR agency model. So we’ve stripped that all away and created a new website.”
Businesses can request quotes upfront on MaverickContent.com.
Maverick is using à la carte pricing for its content marketing services that include case studies, white papers, advertorials, photography, speech writing, social media content planning, graphic design, infographic creation and video production.
Small legal firms, construction companies, accountants, financial planners, dental offices, galleries and restaurants, are among the types of small businesses that Maverick Content aims to help, Rusciolelli says.
The business model will be based on volume, not margin and Rusciolelli is confident it will be profitable immediately. “I’m an entrepreneur and I don’t go into something to lose money,” says Rusciolelli, who launched Toronto-based Maverick 17 years ago.
Maverick Content will act as a broker, outsourcing much of the business to freelancers, copywriters, search engine optimization experts and so on. “We will manage the process as a professional agency.”
If Maverick Content works out well, Rusciolelli may hire a general manager and other employees by the end of the year.
Prior to launch, Maverick conducted a survey of 100 small businesses and 82% said they would use the type of services it now has on offer. It also did price checks “and that really helped us understand what their spend level is.”
In Toronto, Maverick Content will have a visible presence at Business Improvement Area meetings and Board of Trade events to promote its services.
It will also use email-based marketing tactics and contact small business associations and people in professional and financial services.
Rusciolelli would like to see the service take off in the U.S., where small businesses can take advantage of the low Canadian dollar.
Maverick has 17 employees and its client list includes American Standard, Miele, Little Caesars Pizza and NEI Investments.
