Choosing your marketing business model
Compare agency, lead generation, pay-per-call publishing, call center and consulting models — revenue, risk and skills needed.
Models
- Service agency — retainers for managing ads, SEO or content. Predictable revenue; client-dependent.
- Lead generation / publisher — buy media, sell leads or calls. High upside; media and cash risk.
- Call center / BPO — appointment setting, sales or customer service for clients. Labour-intensive; scalable with management.
- Consulting and training — high margin, limited by your time.
- Hybrid — many successful companies combine models.
Choose by
Your skills, capital, risk tolerance, network and the lifestyle you want.
Niche down
Specialised businesses (“Google Ads for law firms”, “Medicare calls”) win faster and charge more than generalists.
💡 Real-world example
A media buyer started as a general agency and struggled to stand out. Niching into lead generation for solar installers let her reuse proven campaigns across clients and raise prices.
✅ Checklist
🛠 Your assignment
Score three models against your skills, capital and goals, and choose a niche.
📝 Check your understanding
Answer 2 of 3 correctly to complete this lesson.
🧪 Practise this skill
Try it in a free Practice Lab and get instant feedback.
💬 Questions about this lesson?
Ask a questionAsk the community — practitioners and the BFOUNT team answer.
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