Take a look at the most popular articles of the year.
Every year we provide a list of articles receiving the most page views of the year that were published on Fuel Lines.
Which topics were the most popular with our readers in 2016?
Here’s the “Top Ten” list of the most-read articles. Some of them were written this past year. Some in previous years (oldies, but apparently goodies, according to our readers).
1. A Perfect Platform for Ad Agency New Business
How a personal blog can provide small to midsize agency owners with a perfect platform to create positioning of expertise and appeal to a very specific target audience. It’s like a fishing expedition. You fish for a specific fish with a particular bait, you fish away from the boat (the agency’s website) so you don’t scare off the fish. Read more
2. Social Proof: Use Client Testimonials for Ad Agency New Business
Third-party validation is a powerful tool for new business. Testimonials help to eliminate skepticism, provide credibility and trust. if done correctly, it’s one of the easiest and most effective ways of creating appeal with potential clients.
Here are some tips for creating and using testimonials: Read more
3. How to Craft an Agency PR Plan That Drives New Business
A PR plan that compliments your agency’s new business initiatives will serve as a road map to guide you in reaching your destination. Going through the discipline of developing a written plan will pay great dividends in terms of helping you manage your time, resources and activities in the most effective way possible.
Here are three recommended planning steps to help you maximize PR for new business: Read more
4. Personal Brand Development Benefits Ad Agency New Business
Growing your personal brand can greatly boost your agency’s new business opportunities.
It makes sense for the principal to be the face of the agency. Not only are they the least likely to leave, but usually small to midsize agencies are built upon the vision, values and the type of culture that best suites their owners. And, agency owners are critical to new business.
There are many situations where your personal brand is as essential, or even more so, than your agency’s brand.
Take a look at personal branding from a prospective client’s perspective: Read more
5. Why are ad agency new business executives performing so badly?
Rainmaker’s who were good at new business in the past are struggling today.
According to a recent Agency-Marketer Business Report from RSW/US, the tenure of a new business director is 2 years or less. Only 26% of new business directors were viewed as successful.
Why? Read more
6. The Anatomy of Content Marketing for Ad Agency New Business
A SMALL agency won BIG business through a strategic content marketing strategy.
Despite their tradition with print-based content marketing, advertising agencies are struggling to understand and convert their content-marketing efforts into actual new business success. Why? Most are doing it wrong.
The core of your content strategy should be to consistently deliver beneficial information to prospective clients. Read more
7. How to Build a Powerful Presentation Deck for Ad Agency New Business
Give your presentations LIFE rather than SUCKING THE LIFE out of your audience.
Delivering a speech that moves people to action STARTS with the presentation deck.
PowerPoint and Keynote slides have the ability to empower your presentation or kill it. I’ve seen hundreds of agency presentations decks. Could somebody please tell me why great CREATIVE PEOPLE become so BORING when creating a presentation? Read more
8. CEOs who are social will be the next new thing
Within just the next three to five years, social media is anticipated to rise from the least likely method for CEOs to connect with their audiences to the second highest method, just behind face-to-face interactions. Read more
9. Audience Development Comes Before Business Development
Building an engaged online community should now be a core responsibility of business development.
Agencies must understand there should be a significant shift in our thinking and embrace audience building as an important initiative. Audience development is now a function that should come before business development. Read more
10. A New Approach is NOW Needed for Ad Agency New Business
Business development has undergone a major change.
It’s now more important to be found than to chase new business. Interruptive type tactics such as cold calls, email blasts and direct mail have become ineffective and inefficient.
Instead of being the hunter, you need to learn how to become the prey. Read more
photo credit: the past tends to disappear Happy New year 2014 via photopin (license)
