Inbound Marketing For Ad Agency New Business

Michael and Terri Gass

Michael and Terri Gass

In recent studies, agencies have expressed that new business is more difficult than ever before, but it doesn’t have to be. 

Don’t get me wrong, new business has historically been a problem for agencies.

  • Most small to midsize agencies have no positioning and no point of differentiation. They look and sound the same.
  • They are often treated as vendors because they lack a positioning of expertise.
  • Most don’t have a target audience thus, no focus for business development efforts.
  • Agencies are their own worst clients, the cobbler’s children with no shoes.
  • No appeal beyond their local market.
  • Forced to use interruption tactics to build awareness.

But, with all of these problems, new business is NOW much more difficult. It’s made worse by the paradigm shift in business development due to The Great Recession and the empowerment of prospects through social media. Interruptive type tactics such as cold calls, email blasts and direct mail have become ineffective and inefficient.

Rainmakers who were good at new business in the past are struggling today.

There are not a lot of people who have done this job in the past that know how to do it well now, Avi Dan, the founder of the agency search consulting firm, AVIDAN STRATEGIES.

Since 2007, I’ve been privileged to helped pioneer the use of social media, inbound and content marketing strategies specifically for agency new business. I’ve originated a system that makes targeting, positioning and differentiation easier and helps agencies to find, attract and engage their best prospects online. I’ve trained over 200 agency CEOs and their senior management teams in all 50 states here in the U.S. and agencies in over 21 foreign countries.

In the fall of 2015, I hosted the Fuel Lines New Business Conference, held at the new Music City Conference Center in Nashville, Tennessee. The conference was specifically designed for small to midsize agencies to address new approaches for new business. There were 20 top-notch sessions, with inspiring insights from the best and brightest new business thought leaders who provided their expertise on the NEW DRIVERS of business development.

Here is the podcast of my keynote address: How to Create An Inbound Marketing Program For New Business

Your “takeaway” from this podcast includes:

  • The multiple benefits of social media and how it makes new business easier
  • How to become a thought leader and develop a positioning of expertise
  • How to develop a community of online prospects quickly
  • A simple system for creating appealing content
  • Tactics for jump starting online traffic and your content’s ranking in Google Search
  • Channel specific tactics for Facebook, LinkedIn, Google + and Pinterest
  • Metrics for success
  • Listening and learning from your audience
  • Time-management tools and tips
  • Examples of an integrated social media plan for new business

This is a copy of the presentation deck.

Fuel Lines New Business Conference Keynote Addresses:

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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