Content Marketing: Ad agencies should resist the urge to be self-promotional

content marketing for ad agency new business

Content marketing is the fuel for an inbound marketing strategy for new business, if done the right way. It is now one of the most effective tactics to attract prospective clients, build their trust and gain a positioning of expertise. According to a research report by DemandGen, from a B2B buyer survey, 82% of surveyed senior […]

10 WordPress Plugins for Ad Agency New Business

WordPress Plugins for Ad Agencies

 Using WordPress plugins enhances your reader’s experience, allows for easy customization and maintenance of your blog.  I began writing Fuel Lines back in 2007 on the blogging platform Blogger. It wasn’t long before I graduated from Blogger to WordPress. Wordpress is by far the most popular blogging platform on more than 60 million websites. It has […]

Infographic: Things to Think About When Advertising Internationally

things to think about advertising internationally

U.S. companies have a lot of potential in international markets for their products and services. A number of these markets are huge in terms of population, in countries such as China and India. American firms also want to advertise in other countries because the purchasing power of consumers and businesses in these markets is significant. […]

Email Marketing Compliance for Ad Agency New Business

email newsletters can spam act

Can I buy email addresses and email those people that haven’t opted-in? – The List of do’s and don’ts on CAN-SPAM Guest article by: Dave Currie, CMO, The List and CEO, Catapult New Business This is probably the most commonly pondered and asked question by new business teams contemplating the implementation of a proactive new business […]

Ad Agency Evolution: Opportunities for Traditional Agencies

Jeff Adelson-Yan, Levelwing, digital media

Guest posts written by, Jeff Adelson-Yan, co-founder + managing partner of Levelwing, a South Carolina-based firm servicing both agencies and marketers with digital marketing, analytics and intelligence solutions. Businesses today report that the number one challenge they face is increased competition within the marketplace.  This is especially true among advertising agencies in which the commoditization of […]

Ad Agencies that don’t have content practices will be scrambling for new business

Agencies talk about the value of content marketing but few are doing it and even fewer do it well. Roper Public Affairs, 80% of business decision-makers said they prefer to get information via articles, not ads. 70% said content makes them feel closer to a company and 60% said content provided by companies helps them make […]

Creating A Website That Works for Ad Agency New Business

How to simplifying the web design process and provide creative focus specifically for new business.  Your agency’s website is an important tool for new business. It is the primary platform for your agency’s credentials, capabilities and case studies. It is the primary platform to showcase your creative work. But, from my experience, most agencies are […]

The Key Ingredients of the Best Digital Campaigns of 2012

viral video for ad agency new business

How to make your videos as shareable as possible for ad agency new business. I had the opportunity to meet the video team for McDougall Interactive Marketing in Boston. They excel in creating viral videos. Their work has been seen on MTV, G4, and Comedy Central. One of their recent creations, a comedy video, “Cat-Friend […]

What is your agency doing to meet the escalating demands for digital?

digital marketing ad agencies

  Digital is not an idea that you merely ‘check off’ your list. Traditional agencies should know by now that digital training is critical to their new business success.  “The market is now ready to take a big step to join, and in some cases even replace, traditional agencies in leading marketing strategy for top […]

Video Editing is Becoming an Important Skill Set for Ad Agency New Business

Tom Martin video production agency new business

The skill set for doing agency new business is changing so be prepared to adapt. “There are not a whole lot of people who have done this job in the past who know how to do it well now,” Avi Dan, a former new business executive at Euro RSCG, Berlin Cameron United and Saatchi who’s now president […]

Social Media Isn’t Working for Ad Agency New Business

social media and ad agency new business

 

If your agency’s social media participation isn’t developing new business leads, it’s important to know WHY. 

From my experience, most agencies finally got on board with social media in 2010. They created their agency’s blog, Twitter, LinkedIn, Facebook and Instagram accounts and jumped in.

70% of marketers report that social media marketing delivers poor or average return on investment.

Many agencies thought that by merely having a social media presence, it would give them social media credibility.… Continue reading

Ad Agencies Need Systems to Consistently Produce Leads

Systems for Ad Agency New Business

Believe it or not, most small to midsize agencies are not organized to consistently generate leads.

Agency life is chaotic. Too much to do; to little time. The answer to this problem is to work smarter not harder by creating SYSTEMS for new business.

A system is a set of detailed methods, procedures and routines created to carry out a specific activity, perform a duty, or solve a repeated business issue.

Business development doesn’t have to be so difficult.… Continue reading

7 Benefits from the Right Positioning for Ad Agency New Business

seven benefits of ad agency positioning

The FOUNDATION of an ad agency’s new business program is its positioning.

When you have the right positioning it’s like fishing for a specific fish with  a particular bait. You know where the fish are, what bait is appealing to them, the right equipment to use and you have developed the expertise to catch the real trophies.

“By appealing to everyone, brands end up appealing to no one.  Standing for everything is the same as standing for nothing.” 

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How to Create Your Personal Brand Story for Ad Agency New Business

Michael Gass Ad Agency New Business

I’ve learned the importance of creating my personal brand story when I launched my own consultancy a decade ago. I had led new business for a number of advertising agencies before deciding to start my own consulting firm. This could have easily been one of the worst decisions of my life.

My advertising career had been spent working in only two markets, outside of Birmingham, Alabama and Nashville, Tennessee, I had zero awareness. Little did I know that I was about to start my new business at the beginning of one of the longest economic downturns since the Great Depression.… Continue reading

An Idea Platform for Ad Agency New Business

A New Business Idea Platform for Ad Agencies

Ideasicleˣ: The First Advertising SaaS Platform For Virtual Creativity.

If timing is everything, then Ideasicleˣ is the poster child. Just when the world closes down due to Covid-19, a platform arrives that helps accelerate creativity through remote work. I was intrigued enough with the concept, particularly as a new business idea machine, to reach out to its founder, Will Burns, to learn more about it.

“What the world needs now are ideas. Lots and lots of ideas.”

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Panic is Not a Strategy for Ad Agency New Business

Panic is not strategy for ad agency new business

How to implement sales intelligence for agency growth.

No one opens an advertising agency because they have a passion for sales. That’s why many agencies only have one dedicated new business specialist or include it in the laundry list of owner responsibilities. By not prioritizing additional revenue opportunities, it only gets done when work is slow or the worst happens.

Maybe your biggest client leaves and now a significant chunk of your annual revenue is gone.… Continue reading

Tips for Working from Home for Agency New Business

Home Office Ad Agency New Business

Your number one objective should be to maintain, if not increase, your engagement with prospects.

I’ve been working from home for almost thirteen years, but many of you are working from home for the first time. You’re having to adjust to a new work environment that includes kids, spouses, and pets. You’re probably having to develop new skills to successfully work remotely. The last thing you’re probably thinking about is new business.

But just because your environment has changed, doesn’t mean your commitment to growing your agency should change.… Continue reading

Great Onboarding: The Secret to 88% Employee Retention

employee retention ad agencies

How to cut employee turnover in half.

This is a guest article written by John Paul Strong, the owner of the Birmingham-based advertising agency, Strong Automotive Merchandising.  John Paul has developed a very robust onboarding process that I wanted him to share with you.

Their original roster of 10 employees and eight clients has exploded today, growing to more than 115 full-time employees and 250 automotive dealers. And it hasn’t gone without notice. Strong Automotive Merchandising has been recognized as a perennial winner in Birmingham’s Best Places to Work contest and as a Top 20 Agency among Google’s National Ad Partners.… Continue reading

Change the Rules of Competition for Ad Agency New Business

Michael Gass Ad Agency new business

“You cannot discover new oceans unless you have the courage to step away from the shore” – Nobel Prize-winning author André Gide.

I read an insightful article on why the focus of a company’s (agency’s) business strategy should not be upon its competitors. The article was written by Gabor George Burt, internationally recognized expert on innovation, creativity and strategy development, and the author of the book, Slingshot.

Burt states,

“In today’s marketplace, I would argue that doing something unprecedented is not just adventurous but imperative … eliminating competition by trying to beat it is dangerously shortsighted.

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Positioning is the Foundation for Ad Agency New Business

positioning for ad agency new business

Without a differentiated position, new business is much harder than it needs to be. 

Many small to midsize agencies have not addressed positioning because of either procrastination or, more likely, their unwillingness to make the difficult business decisions.

“Contrary to common belief, all agencies have pretty much the same basic capabilities, and processes. They all claim to have proprietary tools, and they may have different labels for what they do, but the approach is essentially the same at big or small agencies.”

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