For Ad Agency New Business Fish with the Right Bait

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Your agency’s blog will allow you to obtain new business by fishing for the right kind of fish using the right kind of bait.

Fishing isn’t a bad analogy when talking about new business. Chris Brogan’s free eBook “Fish Where the Fish Are” being an example. I’m finding that I’m often using fishing as a metaphor for describing my philosophy for agency new business.

If you know anything about fishing you understand the importance of using the right bait. Two people can be fishing from the same boat and one catch lots of fish and the other doesn’t catch any just because of they are using different bait.

For an agency to attract their best suited prospective clients they have to have the right appeal (bait). No point of differentiation = no appeal. If you try to appeal to every prospective client you wont appeal to any of them. 

I know that agency principals get very nervous when you ask them to put a stake in the ground, narrow their focus and create an appeal to a particular prospective client audience. Most are unwilling to do it because they are accustom to generating a diversity of clients through their personal networks and referrals. That also means that most of your agency’s business is going to be centered within a particular market.

If your agency get business beyond your market usually its because of a former client relationship. That isn’t the best and most efficient way to obtain new business. Plus our industry is rapidly changing and forcing agencies to differentiate. The way prospective clients are searching for their agency partner and what they are looking for in an agency is also changing.

So, how can an agency appeal to a particular fish (prospective client)?

An agency blog will allow you to narrow your focus without keeping you from obtaining new business the way you’ve gotten it in the past. You wont even have to change the agency’s website, which serves primarily as your online agency brochure. Pick your best target audience and provide valued content that helps them with their advertising and marketing challenges. Give them a reason to come back often. People have a natural tendency to want to work with other people that they know, like and trust. Your agency blog allows you to create an online following for your best target audience by using the right bait.

Some examples of agency blogs that are specific to a particular target audience:

 

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About Michael Gass

Consultant | Trainer | Author | Speaker

Since 2007, he has been pioneering the use of social media, inbound and content marketing strategies specifically for agency new business.

He is the founder of Fuel Lines Business Development, LLC, a firm which provides business development training and consulting services to advertising, digital, media and PR agencies.

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