New Business Trends « FUEL LINES Fueling Ad Agency New Business Through Social Media

Ad Agencies: 7 tips that will prep social media success for new business

September 15, 2011

Photo Credit Maxey

“It’s not the will to succeed, but the will to prepare to succeed that makes the difference.” Coach Paul “Bear” Bryant

It wasn’t until 2010 that most small to mid-size ad agencies gave up fighting against the social media tide and decided to dive in.

When most agencies finally jumped into social media, they had a check list that merely showcased how they were a bona-fide member of the social media community. From the get-go they were not prepped for success.

“We have an agency blog – check; Twitter account with the agency’s logo – check; Facebook Fan page – check; LinkedIn account for the agency – check!”

No strategy. No specific audience. No positioning and no appeal. Instead of using this new communication channel as an opportunity to showcase how they were different, they ended up looking just the same.

They are positioned online the same way they were offline – as a generalist instead of a specialist and once again following the “safe-way” instead of the “smart-way.”

Is there any wonder why most agencies are not having much success using social media to create new business opportunities?

As a new business consultant. I understand the need for acquiring new business NOW. But short-term solutions will not provide long-term results.

To be prepped for success using social media for agency new business, here are 7 tips that I hope you find helpful:

Identify and connect with a specific target audience. Face it, most agencies are afraid to put their stake in the ground and even identify their target audience. You would never recommend a marketing campaign for a client without first identifying who they are trying to reach.
Lead with benefits. Social media helps agencies to talk in a new way from the self promotional agency speak of the past. For success with social media, it’s about them not you. Your communication and content should be focused on your prospective client audience and be of benefit too them.
Differentiate from your competitors. You wont win any significant business by showcasing how you match up with the rest of the agencies. You must un-level the playing field. Set yourself apart. What would give a company a reason to fly across a number of states and over hundreds of other agencies, to do business with your agency? Social media provides a great opportunity for your agency to stand out.
Become a specialist instead of a generalist. Our world is becoming more and more specialized and the internet and social media allows you and your agency to become more specialized than you dared offline.
Create chemistry. Remember that social media is about people. You lead with a person, not the agency. People want to work with other people that they know, trust and like. Social media is the greatest networking tool in my lifetime. I’ve built my consultancy utilizing it; building a network with agencies all across the U.S., Canada, Europe and South Africa from my home in Alabaster, Alabama. How incredible is that?
Develop appeal. One of the great benefits for using social media for new business is the instant feedback from your audience. It allows you to easily test your message and hone your appeal. It forces you to give up the “agency speak.” Analytics will provide insight into the needs, challenges and objectives of your prospective client audience. Your community of prospects will let you know whether or not what you communicate is of value to them.
Earn positioning as a “thought leader.” Thought leadership is a critical component in using social media for new business. But you will never attain such status without a platform and focus. Social media provides a great platform. You much choose your area of focus if you are to have success.

Additional articles that may be of interest:

Leave a Comment » | Agency Blogs, New Business Trends, Social Media | Tagged: Ad Agencies, Bear Bryant, Michael Gass, Small to Midsize Ad Agencies, Social Media | Permalink
Posted by Michael Gass

How McKinney achieved one of the best new-business records among advertising agencies

August 23, 2011

Innovation and collaboration, two keys to ad agency new business.

McKinney is an independent advertising agency based in Durham, North Carolina. It was founded in 1969 by Charles “Chick” McKinney, the agency is now independently owned by a management team led by Brad Brinegar, CEO. It has been recognized as one of the nine best agencies in the country by Advertising Age

In 2003, McKinney became one of the first agencies to pioneer connection planning, which determines the most innovative and creative ways of bringing brands and people together in mutually beneficial ways - ADWEEK

In that same year, McKinney hired a group of interactive experts and injected them into the agency’s existing disciplines. (Today, 35% of the agency’s revenue comes from interactive activities, and 88% of frontline staff is actively engaged in interactive work.) Brad Brinegar: Online Advertising

In 2006, McKinney combined its three strategic disciplines (account planning, connection planning and interactive strategy) into one strategic offering and named Andrew Delbridge, previously director of account planning, partner and chief strategy officer - The Cyber One Report 2006

Under Brad Brinegar’s leadership, Mckinney has achieved one of the best new-business records in the advertising agency industry by being collaborative and innovative.

Brad learned the meaning of collaboration as an oarsman on Dartmouth’s crew team: “It’s not intuitive, but a boat actually goes slower when one guy rows better than the rest. And there is no defense in rowing, no way of stopping the other team. So the only way to win is to be smarter, work harder, care more and pull together better than your opponents.” McKinney’s website

How he has brought innovation and collaboration to McKinney:

“We designed our entire space, from the ground up, for collaboration.”
“We invest twice the industry average in strategic resources, to make sure that our innovations are grounded in addressing the right business issues to create the results we want.”
“We work in cross-disciplinary brand-teams, to increase the odds that different perspectives will lead to fresh insight.”
“We bring in lots of outside speakers to teach new perspectives.”

Click on the following link to read Business Management Daily’s recent interview with Brad, “Distruptive Player a Game-Changer”

Leave a Comment » | Agency Branding, Agency Leadership, New Business Talents, New Business Trends | Tagged: Ad Age, advertising agencies, adweek, collaboration, Durham, innovation, McKinney, Michael Gass, NC, new business | Permalink
Posted by Michael Gass

Ad Agency Compensation: The biggest frustration of CMOs

August 22, 2011

For small to mid-size ad agencies, it’s time to address the cost of creating advertising in terms of time and money.

All our clients want to know is this – Can your agency solve my problems quickly and at less cost?

Advertising agencies aren’t changing of their own accord, they are being changed. We’ve seen digital technology bring about fundamental change to the news industry, then the music industry. Now seismic change is being forced upon the advertising industry.

Ad industry downsized. There are nearly 120,822 advertising and marketing services companies in the US. We have an over supplied market and receding demand. This is an industry that has already laid off over 160,000 people because of the bloat, the wrong kinds of people and too much inefficiency. Not to mention that we are in the worst economic periods since the great depression and it is far from over.

The same problems that led to he agricultural revolution and the industrial revolution are now plaguing the ad industry in this digital revolution.

John Winsor is currently the CEO of Victors & Spoils, the world’s first creative (ad) agency built on crowd sourcing principles and former VP/Executive Director of Strategy and Innovation at Crispin, Porter + Bogusky. John addressed the future of advertising agency compensation head on in a recent article written for his blog, John Winsor: Views from the CEO of Victors & Spoils about the future of marketing and product design.

Personally having discussions with dozens of CMOs of Fortune 500 companies John addresses their greatest frustration, the cost of creating advertising – both time and money.

He writes,

“Businesses act based on the way they are compensated. And, the majority of agencies are compensated by selling their people’s time. Compensation is based on the number of FTE’s or full-time employees working on a piece of business. In the age of collaboration the FTE model is broken. The fact is that many agencies make more money when they put more people, or say they do, onto a piece of business. Likewise, it’s more profitable to take more time to do something. If a project should take a month there’s no disincentive for most agencies to drag it out longer.

If advertising industry is to thrive in the age of collaboration we must address the root of the problem, the way we are compensated for our work. If we don’t many companies won’t survive the current economic transformation that’s underway.”

John encourages agencies to come together to fix the problem and proactively transform our industry before it is changed without us.

Click on the following link to read John’s article, “Fees, Lies and Advertising” also follow John on Twitter. John’s books include:

For the latest industry news and resources from all corners of the internet, be sure and check out my new site: Gass On Line: Daily fuel for ad agencies

4 Comments | Agency Blogs, Agency Leadership, Compensation, New Business Trends | Tagged: ad agency compensation, CMO, Crispin, digital revolution, Fortune 500 companies, John Winsor, Michael Gass, Porter + Bogusky, Victors & Spoils | Permalink
Posted by Michael Gass

Social Media: 10 Idea Starters to Keep Fresh Content Churning

August 9, 2011

Content creation is an important part of social media success for ad agency new business, but it is also difficult to maintain without a little help.

I’m going on my 5th year of creating content for my blog. I’ve found that my reading always seems to help fuel my writing and inspire ideas.

So first and foremost, establish a focused reading program that is centered around a specific target audience. When you do, finding resources and developing content becomes mush easier because it is focused.

Here are 10 additional idea starters, along with examples, to help keep you going:

Take non-relevant content and make it relevant to your audience. This is one of the most important tips that I can share with you. There is so much great information online. Most of it won’t be related to your readership but you can easily make it relevant as I did in this post, “When it comes to new business Ad Agencies are ADHD.” I was reading about multitasking and ADHD from a number of online resources, and knew this type of information would be very helpful for agency new business, particularly given the working environment and culture typical of most agencies.
Become a reporter at events you attend by conducting on site interviews, take photos and video. Compile a top 10 highlights’ post of the event. You probably will come away with enough material for several blog posts. I was able to interact with attendees of Ad Age’s first Small Agency Conference. From my social media interactions I wrote this article: 50 of the Best Insights from Ad Age’s First Ever Small Agency Conference. The amazing thing – I wasn’t there!
Create a bulleted list of things to avoid. I’m currently working on a list of “Top 10 Non-productive Office Traps and Solutions for Avoiding Them.”
Use a celebrity to enhance a top 10 list. One post that generates the most traffic to my site, “Steve Jobs 10 Presentation Tactics for Ad Agency New Business.” Be sure and connect the benefits to your particular readership. Make it specific to them and their needs.
Provide resources. Share resources that are specific to your readership’s industry. Here are a couple of examples of resources that I’ve shared: “10 Reading Resources for Ad Agency New Business” and “The Top 14 List of Advertising Agency Networks for New Business.” I wrote a post about agency networks because so many agencies were asking about them and I found very few online sources. I researched and grouped this information conveniently together for my readers. This also helped put me on the radar of many of these agency networks.
If you’ve been writing for a while, revise an older post and beef-it-up with current information, stats, etc. A lot of the information for this article, “3 Quick Tips for Developing a Consistent Program for Ad Agency New Business”, was gleaned from a post that I had written in 2008. I took some of the more important elements to highlight and expand upon in this post. It isn’t copying a pasting, having mirrored content. This takes some work but much easier and quicker than developing a post from scratch while still creating content that is of good value to your readers.
Conduct an industry survey. You can generate some great PR by conducting your own primary research and propagating the results through your social media network, online tools such as PRNewswire and PRWeb. You can generate a number of post as you expand upon pieces of the survey in various posts. Here’s an article that was written on a survey that I conducted, “Ad Agency Survey Finds Traditional New Business Methods Aren’t Working.” The survey became a magnet for a significant amount of web traffic to my site as other bloggers and columnist wrote articles based on my research.
A quick turn around of research and a post can come from conducting a simple online poll. I wrote this post on an ongoing poll being conducted by Mirren Business Development, “The number one reason ad agencies new business plans fail.”
Develop your own online contest. A great jump-starter for my blog’s traffic occurred when I conducted an Ad Agency Blog of the Month contest. Agencies submitted their blogs, readers would review them in a post I created and they would cast their vote of their favorite. A follow-up post announced and highlighted the winner from each month. At the end of the year, a blog synopsis of the 12 Agency Blog of the Month winners was created and vote taken for the Ad Agency Blog of the Year. Here’s a sample article from 2010, “Vote for Fuel Lines’s Ad Agency Blog of the Year.”
Set up an editorial calendar for guest posts. Solicit industry experts who are glad to contribute if you give them enough lead time. Guest posts’ can be a huge help and provide some relief during summer breaks and holidays and keep good, helpful content churning out for your audience. Here’s a guest post, written specifically for my audience, by Jay Baer, “Ad Agencies: Don’t Turn Your Back on Digital”

The content that you create will propel your positioning as an expert so it’s worth the price of your time investment.

Here’s a good example: Kelly Fiddner, Business Development Director for Littlefield Brand Development, Tulsa, OK, writes the agency’s blog, “The One Thing: The casino marketer’s guide to understanding gamers.” Within just a few months, Kelly is being recognized for her thought leadership.

Kelly was recently featured in a gaming industry publication iNTERGAMING in this New Technology Interview, because of her content development that is specific to the advertising/marketing needs of the gaming industry.

Additional content marketing articles that may be of interest:

15 Comments | Content Marketing, New Business Tips, New Business Tools, New Business Trends, Social Media | Tagged: Ad Agencies, ad agency new business, blogs, content curation, content development, Jay Baer, Kelly Fiddner, Littlefield Brand Development, Michael Gass, PRNewswire, PRWeb, twtpoll | Permalink
Posted by Michael Gass

How did YOU get into ad agency business development?

June 27, 2011

John Sharpe and his dad mowing the lawn

Ad agency new business hunters are a unique group who share some common traits even though their personal stories of how they got into this business are usually very different.

John Sharpe a partner and the Chief Marketing Office for the BOHAN advertising agency, Nashville, TN. He heads up the marketing and PR efforts for the agency itself.

John is a long tenured new business executive with a sampling of wins such as Cracker Barrel Old Country Store, the Grand Ole Opry, the Peabody Hotel Group, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Brunswick Outdoor Products, Red Lobster, Wyndham Hotels and Resorts, The Greenbrier, Citicorp Diners Club, Clarks of England and Shoney’s just to name a few.

In his own words, John shares his personal story, how be got his start and ended up spending the majority of his advertising career focused on new business.

“Hey Mister, can I cut your yard?”

Over the years I’ve often wondered how other agency new business people got their starts in this crazy profession. Seems like most everyone finds their way to it by means of a slightly different path. My path just happened to be an 18” swath, cut clean across a hundred neighborhood back yards.

It was the last day of school and I was about to put the fifth grade behind me. The entire summer lay ahead but at my house, the tantalizing combination of summer and no school only meant that real work was about to begin. I was ten years old facing three months of hard labor. Drat.

My dad was what you might call a stern taskmaster, preparing a weekly list of chores as long as my arm. He was old school and just couldn’t stand the thought of me goofing-off all summer, riding bikes and playing basketball with my pals, so he made lists of things to keep me busy. Cut the yard, trim the hedge, paint the doghouse, hoe the garden and then start the next week with a fresh assignment. If and when he ran out of ideas, he would just repeat a previous list.

Remember that classic movie scene in Cool Hand Luke where the sadistic prison guards made recaptured chain-gang escapee Paul Newman dig a hole out under the blistering Florida sun, only to order him fill it up and start all over again? Well, it wasn’t exactly that bad at my house, but after cleaning the garage top to bottom for the third time since school got out, it sure felt that way. Of course there is always the slim chance that the recollections of a fifth grader, some fifty years hence, might possibly be time-enhanced…but nah, I don’t think so.

But then one mid-summer day it came to me like a bolt out of the blue. There was only one possible way to escape my fate of indentured summer servitude. I was a ten-year old who needed a legitimate paying job!

An old man who lived in a duplex down the street always had grass knee-high in his yard, and I am sure the neighbors all grumbled about it. He kept a lawnmower sitting right out by his front porch but I guess he just didn’t have a ten-year old on his staff. Maybe he didn’t even know how to use that old push mower, but I sure did.

I saw him sitting on his porch one day, staring across the sea of Johnson grass before him and without a moment’s thought I hollered from the street: “Hey mister, can I cut your yard?”

He stared at me for what seemed like forever and finally squinted and said, “how much?”

“If I can use your mower, one dollar.”

By the end of that summer I was cutting most of the small yards at the duplexes nearby, and some of the bigger yards too. After that first job I convinced my dad to let me use his old push lawnmower, if I paid for the gas out of my earnings—and I spent the next four summers going from house to house all over the neighborhood, fearlessly knocking on doors and making my pitch.

My pitch? Did I say my pitch? Yes, I now realize that’s where it all began. Mowing lawns was a means to earn some cash and escape my dad’s list of stay at home chores, but it was actually closing the deal with a neighbor–negotiating cash for services that really gave me a buzz.

Soon I expanded my product line to include trimming and weeding with my dad’s hedge clippers and swing blade. I was still working all summer while the other kids were playing but at least…I was an earner. And as I had hoped, my dad stopped making lists of chores for me to do. He knew I was working hard and he saw it was paying off. He never said so but I could tell that he was secretly proud. Summer was suddenly looking good for a change and I was emboldened by my ability to close a deal.

Did I mention that my dad was an ad man? I’m a second-generation new business guy. I guess even third generation, if you count my grandfather who worked at a Buick dealership long before I was even born. We were all closers.

My dad had been an ad agency art director back when I was ten and soon after, he struck out on his own and started a little ad agency design shop where he would pitch an account, play the AE role after he got the business and then run back to his cramped little office to crank out the layouts and mechanical art.

It was only recently, after nearly forty years in the ad agency business myself and the last twenty pretty much in business development exclusively, that I realized I had truly been pitching one thing or another my whole life. It just took a while to realize I was born to be a hunter/gatherer.

I was born to be a hunter/gatherer.

If you’re a new business professional, whether a beginner or a veteran of decades of pitches like myself, I am really curious to know your story. What path did you take and how did you get into the business development end of the ad agency business? Were you born to close, or did you learn by watching someone else, or do you just practice trial and error?

Shoot me an email and let me hear from you. We may soon have the beginnings of a new business online support group!

Have a great summer, and happy hunting.

John Sharpe

Email address: jsharpe@bohanideas.com
Follow John on Facebook and LinkedIn

We’d like to hear your story. How did you get into ad agency new business? Feel free to email John or add it in the comment section below.

Additional articles that may be of interest:

3 Comments | Agency Leadership, New Business Trends | Tagged: ad agency new business, advertising agencies, BOHAN, business development, John Sharpe, Michael Gass, Nashville, TN | Permalink
Posted by Michael Gass

Cause Branding: It is Now B-2-WE for Ad Agency New Business

June 8, 2011

WE -habilitating Capitalism – How valuable your agency will Be to ME no longer depends on b2c or b2b but on b2we

Simon Mainwaring is founder of We First, a social branding consulting firm that helps companies use social media to build communities, profits and positive social impact. A highly recognized creative director, he has worked at many of the world’s top creative advertising agencies in Asia, Europe and the U.S. including Wieden & Kennedy, Portland, on Nike and as Worldwide Creative Director for Motorola at Ogilvy, Los Angeles.

Simon’s first book, entitled We First, presents a new vision for business. An answer to Bill Gate’s “Creative Capitalism” challenge, a practical and actionable plan for how brands and consumers use social media to create a partnership that provides sustained prosperity for business and our world.

Ad agencies could learn much from Simon’s approach where clients are expecting their agency partners … to contribute to the social good, where the future of profit is purpose and agencies that thrive … will be will be those that put the well-being of their brand community and the world at large first.

Enjoy the We First video, how brands and consumers use social media to build communities, profits and positive impact. WE-defining Me written and performed by Sekou Andrews (sekouworld.com). Design and animation by Troika (troika.tv). Original music and sound design by Machine Head (machinehead.com).

Edelman Goodpurpose Survey measures consumer attitudes about corporate responsibility. The survey was conducted in 13 countries among more than 7,000 adults. It is the only global study of its kind. Here are some highlights from that report:

71% believe “brands and consumers could do more to support good causes by working together”
65% say they “have more trust in a brand that is ethically and socially responsible.”
73% agree government and business need to work together more closely to ensure the environment is protected
62% would “help a brand to promote their products or services if there is a good cause behind them. (compared to 53% in 2008 and 59% in 2009)
62% of global consumers “would switch brands if a different brand of similar quality supported a good cause”
64% believe it is no longer enough for corporations to give money; they must integrate good causes into their everyday business

4 Comments | Agency Branding, Agency Leadership, Fuel for Thought, New Business Trends, Positioning, Social Media | Tagged: ad agency, Bill Gates, cause branding, creative capitalism, new business, Simon Mainwaring, Social Media, We First | Permalink
Posted by Michael Gass

All you need to know about Apple’s 2011 new product intros

June 7, 2011

Tools that will make your online personal networking for agency new business even easier.

All of the major highlights regarding Apple’s new product introductions at its 2011 World Wide Developers Conference (WWDC) can be found in the just released 6 minute promotional video.

Scott Forstall, senior VP of iOS software and Greg Joswiak, Apple’s VP of iPod, iPhone and iOS product marketing explain the powerful functionality of iOS 5 introducing some of the 200 new features such as the Notification’s Center, plus new additions to Newsstand, Reminders, iMessage, Photo, Mail, a split keyboard and even the integration of Twitter.

To watch this brief video click on the image above or click here. To view the WWDC 2011 keynote that features the announcement of Apple’s new library in the cloud – iCloud service and OS X Lion click here.

Here are some of Apple’s product highlights that I’m most excited about:

iCloud: The cloud based system allows users to store music, photos, applications, iBooks and contacts, as well as serving as a platform for Apple’s email servers and calendars. iCloud stores your content and wirelessly pushes it to all of your devices.

OS X Lion: Coming to the App Store in July for only $29. It introduces new features that will change the way you use your computer. Features such as Multi-Touch gestures transform the way you interact with your Mac, making all you do more intuitive and direct. full-screen apps that use every inch of your Mac display. Mission Control brings together full-screen apps, Dashboard, Exposé, and Spaces in one new feature that gives you a bird’s-eye view of everything on your system. Launchpad is a new, full-screen home for all the apps on your Mac.

iOS 5: iOS 5 includes more than 200 new features for your iPad, iPhone, or iPod touch.

Notification Center. All your alerts. All in one place. You get all kinds of notifications on your iOS device: new email, texts, friend requests, and more. With Notification Center, you can keep track of them all in one convenient location.
iMessage lets you send text messages, photos, videos, and contacts to anyone else with one too. It also supports group chats and integrates with the new Notification Center
Newsstand. iOS 5 organizes your magazine and newspaper app subscriptions in Newsstand: a folder that lets you access your favorite publications quickly and easily. There’s also a new place on the App Store just for newspaper and magazine subscriptions.
Reminders lets you organize your life in to-do lists — complete with due dates and locations. Say you need to remember to pick up milk during your next grocery trip. Since Reminders can be location based, you’ll get an alert as soon as you pull into the supermarket parking lot. Reminders also works with iCal, Outlook, and iCloud, so changes you make update automatically on all your devices and calendars.
Twitter is now integrated right into iOS 5. iOS 5 makes it even easier to tweet from your iPhone, iPad, or iPod touch. Sign in once in Settings, and suddenly you can tweet directly from Safari, Photos, Camera, YouTube, or Maps.
Camera. You can open the Camera app right from the Lock screen. Use grid lines, pinch-to-zoom gestures, and single-tap focus and exposure locks to compose a picture on the fly. Then press the volume-up button to snap your photo in the nick of time. If you have Photo Stream enabled in iCloud, your photos automatically download to all your other devices.
Safari. iOS 5 brings even more web-browsing features to iPhone, iPad, and iPod touch. Safari Reader displays web articles sans ads or clutter so you can read without distractions. Reading List lets you save interesting articles to peruse later, while iCloud keeps your list updated across all your devices.
Wi Fi Sync. Wirelessly sync your iOS device to your Mac or PC over a shared Wi-Fi connection. Every time you connect your iOS device to a power source (say, overnight for charging), it automatically syncs and backs up any new content to iTunes.

After initially writing this post, I came across some additional information that I thought would be helpful from Chirs Crum, WebProNews.com: “114 Things You Should Know About Apple’s New Offerings”

Leave a Comment » | New Business Trends | Tagged: ad agency new business, Apple, iCloud, iMessage, iOS 5, Michael Gass, Newsstand, OS X Lion, Steve Jobs | Permalink
Posted by Michael Gass

Skype Infographic: From seed to future piece of the Microsoft empire

June 2, 2011

I often use Skype as a way to stay connected for new business, at home and while traveling for video conference calls.

How important is Skype? Bill Gates personally pushed for the Skype deal, the biggest purchase in Microsoft’s history. It seems to have a very bright future and should remain on your list of tools to watch and warrant your participation.

“The idea of video conferencing is going to get so much better than it is today. Skype actually does get a fair bit of revenue. It’ll be fascinating to see how the brilliant ideas out of Microsoft research, coming together with Skype, what they can make of that.” Bill Gates

I thought you might enjoy the following infographic that contains a host of very interesting information on Skype, and its walk from being nothing but an idea, to its acquisition by Microsoft. As a commemorative to Skype and its future, this infographic illustrates the history behind the brand and its integral part of Microsoft’s future.

Information provided by : Online MBA.com. Click on the following links for more of Online MBA’s infographics:

Additional articles that may be of interest:

1 Comment | New Business Tools, New Business Trends | Tagged: advertising agencies, Infographic, Michael Gass, Microsoft, Online MBA, Skype | Permalink
Posted by Michael Gass

Social Media Has Changed My Life and Ad Agency New Business

May 9, 2011

The single greatest impact upon my life professionally has been social media. It has changed the way I conduct my day, it has changed my perspective, it has impacted my intellectual outlook and it has become the best new business tool that I’ve ever had as a business development professional.

I’m writing this post from my hotel room in London, England reflecting on how far I’ve come since I was introduced to social media over four years ago when I started my consultancy. I have worked with new clients all across the United States from Costa Mesa, CA to Port Clyde, Maine and now my first overseas client located in the UK.

From my home office located above my garage in Alabaster, Alabama, I have built a global awareness for my services and established an international network of prospective clients solely through social media.

Almost every new business opportunity has come about the same way. Usually a prospective client is introduced to my blog ‘Fuel Lines’ by searching for “ad agency new business” through Google or they will click on a link to one of over 600 articles that has been repurposed through Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn or through a bi-weekly email newsletter. A growing audience helps to make my content viral. Acting as your brand ambassadors they fan these articles through their personal networks.

After becoming a reader, when a prospective client has a need for my type of service, they initiate the contact. This is a new business person’s dream because you’re not having to constantly chase business. You merely read and write, providing helpful content to your audience. The ones who are drawn to you will initiate the contact when they need help with their new business and social media efforts. I have yet to make a single cold call for any business since starting my consulting services.

A prospect who initiates a call and talks to you as if they know you. That’s because they do! Social media has allowed them to get to know a great deal about you. In their own time frame, they check under the hood, kick the tires and check out the upholstery so to speak. Rather than going through the dating process you’ve moved directly to engagement shortening the purchasing cycle.

You need to look at social media as a savior not a nemesis, an asset rather than a liability and time saver rather than time killer for ad agency new business.

Agencies were reluctant to participate as social media was becoming mainstream because they saw it as a major commitment of their time without much value to show in return. Fortunately a lot of negative perceptions of social media has been changed. But I don’t believe the majority of agencies have yet to appreciate the huge benefit that social media can actually make new business easier.

Most agencies generate new business through networks and referrals. Social media can greatly accelerates this process. It is networking on steroids. Taking its offline networking expertise online, an agency can now affordably create an international reach for its services.

“Kudos to all! Our social program is generating leads and business from around the world. Earlier this year got a client out of Australia and currently talking to a company in Japan that follows me on twitter” – John Sonnhalter, CEO, SONNHALTER

Utilizing social media can help you to be more consistent for new business. You can keep your prospective pipeline full even when your agency is busy with client work or you are away.

At the beginning of the summer, while my wife and I were vacationing in Key West, I wrote a post and published it along with a photo while on the beach. I wrote, “Vacationing with Social Media and Still Generating Ad Agency New Business,” to illustrate how social media can keep your new business pipeline full even when are away.

With very little effort I have created, maintained and am growing touch points through social media networks with my best prospective clients and all I’ve had to do is read and write.

Click here to view some of my London trip photos I’ve shared on Facebook.

7 Comments | Agency Leadership, New Business Trends, Social Media | Tagged: advertising agencies, business development, London, Michael Gass, networking, new business, referrals, Social Media, UK | Permalink
Posted by Michael Gass

A Top 20 List of Ad Agency New Business Articles for 2011

April 29, 2011

Information regarding new business and social media continues to be the top interests of advertising agencies.

There were over 100,000+ page views for FUEL LINES in the first few months of the year. As signs of economic recovery are on the horizon small to midsize ad agencies, digital agencies and PR firms are even more focused on new business. Because many agencies were late to get on board the social media wagon, they are also searching for social media resources that will help them get up to speed quickly.

Agencies are also in a hiring mode and a lot more attention is being given to best practices in hiring, training and retention of their staff. Lots of questions and interaction regarding new skills needed, particularly when it comes to agency new business.

In the order of their rankings, here are the top 20 Fuel Line articles that generated the most traffic in the first few months of 2011:

4 Comments | Best Practices, New Business Talents, New Business Tips, New Business Trends, Social Media | Tagged: advertising agencies, Digital Agencies, FUEL LINES, Michael Gass, new business articles, pr firms, retention, Social Media, training | Permalink
Posted by Michael Gass

New Roper Study: 9 in 10 CMOs See Value in Content Marketing

April 20, 2011

To create new business opportunities for your agency through social media, content is critical.

“… marketers will need to rethink their approach to advertising and marketing and intensify their focus on creating magnetic content that will naturally attract consumers, rather than relying solely on the interruption model of advertising, which consumers are responding to less and less. Think pull vs. push.” Geoff Ramsey, CEO, Co-Founder of eMarketer.

New research from Roper GFK and presented by the Custom Content Council highlights the point that content should be a significant part of a marketer’s mix.

In a survey of more than 100 CMOs, respondents were measurably more accepting of custom-content solutions. Among the survey highlights:

More than 8 in 10 (83%) say they are receptive toward using custom content in their marketing plans, representing a 16 point increase since the last study.
Almost 9 in 10 CMOs say they see value in the service provided by custom content, representing a 15 point increase from 2006.
More than 9 in 10 CMOs believe that custom content has a positive effect on audience attitudes, strengthening the bond with consumers.
9 in 10 say that they believe a majority of consumers find useful information in custom media and 85% believe that consumers who receive custom content will be more likely to buy from the sponsoring company again.
A majority of CMOs believe that custom media will capture a larger proportion of marketing budgets over the next couple of years. 59% percent report having shifted marketing funds away from traditional advertising in the last year toward custom content, representing an 18 point increase from 2006.
Close to half (47%) strongly agree, and 91% strongly/somewhat agree that custom content should be an integral part of the marketing mix for any business. 84% strongly/somewhat agree that custom content represents the future of marketing.

“While print remains the choice du jour for most custom media programs, new media channels are providing more growth opportunities for the custom content industry,” said Lori Rosen, Executive Director, Custom Content Council, “Content has become the mantra for today’s savvy marketers”

Click on the following link for additional resources from the Custom Content Council and the article: What CMOS Think About When They Think About Custom Content

10 Comments | Agency Leadership, Content Marketing, New Business Trends, Social Media | Tagged: ad agency new business, Custom Content Council, Geoff Ramsey, Lori Rosen, Michael Gass | Permalink
Posted by Michael Gass

16 Signs That Social Media Isn’t Working for Ad Agency New Business

April 18, 2011

If your agency’s social media participation isn’t generating traffic and new business leads, it is important to know why.

How can an agency help a client monetize their social media when it doesn’t have a handle on how to use it for itself? As more-and-more agencies jump on the social media band-wagon, clients are beginning to ask them,“what has social media done for you?”

Gone are the days when an agency can get by “talking the talk but not walking the walk.” Clients will be able to discern between the agencies that truly get social media from the ones that don’t with just a few clicks of their mouse.

100% of our clients are online and all they have to do is take a quick look and they can easily tell that most agencies have no plan with regards to social media. Agencies may have a blog, Twitter, Facebook and LinkedIn accounts, but those accounts often hide behind the agency name and tend to be blatantly self promotional with little value to an undefinable audience.

Used correctly, social media makes new business easier not harder. It is an incredible communication’s channel for easily generating new business leads and creating personal networks far beyond your local market.

No traffic + no leads = no new business. Here are 16 signs that most likely indicate your social media isn’t working for your agency:

No social media strategy, no plan. 60% of companies using social media have no plan. I would say from my own experience that is probably true of most agencies.
No clear objective for using social media. The first step in creating a social media strategy for your agency, you MUST have an objective. I suggest it should be for new business.
There is no focus on a particular target audience. The second step in creating in a social media strategy is to identify who you are trying to reach.
A lack of positioning for agencies. The FOUNDATION of an ad agency’s new business program is its positioning.
“The common failing among agencies seeking new business is the inability, or unwillingness, to name what they stand for,”Bob Lundin, Agency search consultancy Jones Lundin Beals. Social media provides a great opportunity to showcase how your agencies are different.
Agencies using social media for blatant self-promotion. Credentials and capabilities belong on an agencies website but shouldn’t be the driving force of their social media program. Social media should be centered around benefits.
No integration between blogging, Twitter, Facebook or LinkedIn. When the majority of agencies finally ‘jumped into’ social media, they just jumped in with a check list of channels. Yes we have a blog, Facebook Fan page, Twitter account and LinkedIn. But there was no convergence, bringing them together into a single social media strategy.
Agencies are waiting passively for prospective clients to them. If you build it, doesn’t guarantee that prospects are going to come.
Many agencies lack appreciation for those that are willing ambassadors for your agency. Zig Ziglar’s statement, “You can have everything in life that you want if you just give enough other people what they want.” His philosophy works well in the arena of social media.
A lot of social media efforts fail because of the lack of value/benefit for the intended audience. Your audience will be your judge and jury as to whether you have an appealing position, post titles that spur interest, content that is beneficial.
A lot of agencies obviously don’t care about anybody but themselves. To successfully build an online community, you must staf focused on the perspective and interests of your prospective clients. You have to genuinely care about their challenges and obstacles.
There’s no SEO strategy for your agency’s social media presence. According to Marketing Sherpa, 80-90% of business to business transactions begin with a search on the web. A CMO survey, 80% of decision makers say they found the vendor, not the other way around. “Content Doesn’t Win. Optimized Content Wins” – Li Evans, search marketing guru
Your agency’s social media ship has no rudder. Getting your staff on the same page and keeping them there is like herding cats. Empower the person charged with your agency’s new business to keep your social media efforts focused and directed.
Followers instead of leaders. Most agencies are still using social media the way the early adopters of social media intended. Instead of pressing the envelope for lead generation and networking for new business. This in no way means that you are SELLING.
A mindset of income first. Just like in our offline networks and referrals, it’s relationships first. People want to work with other people that they know, trust and like.
Attending offline events such as trade shows and conferences without inclusion in your agency’s social media efforts. Social media has transformed offline events and can maximize the personnel connections with prospective clients. Your involvement with blogging, Twitter, Facebook and LinkedIn can change your whole experience.
No social media training for their staffs. According to a recent 4A’s and Arnold Worldwide survey, 90% of agency staff say they have to figure things out on their own due to the lack of training.

Additional social media + ad agency new business articles that may be of interest:

6 Comments | Best Practices, New Business Tips, New Business Trends, Social Media | Tagged: Ad Agencies, Advertising, Jones Lundin Beals, Marketing Sherpa, Michael Gass, new business, Social Media, Zig Ziglar | Permalink
Posted by Michael Gass

101 Insights from the 2011 Mirren New Business Conference

April 13, 2011

The reader’s digest version of the top insights from the largest agency new business conference of the year.

The 2011 Mirren New Business Conference was recently held in NYC. With over 400 advertising agencies represented, this is the premiere event of the year for agency new business. Over 400 agencies were represented for this 3 day event that included 30 sessions.

Wish you could have been there? I thought the next best thing for those who missed it would be sharing some of insights gleaned from the attendees who were Twittering live from the conference using the Twitter hashtag #MIRREN, sharing some of the best-of-the best information.

Enjoy these top 101 nuggets from the conference attendees:

@hugeinc @edwardboches: kids coming out of school today are fearless and don’t label themselves according to job descriptions
@edwardboches: the single most important thing you can do is create the best internship program in the country
@jbraftus: The only proprietary tool agencies have is their people
@dglittlefield Biggest trend in agency selection is category experience. Agencies need to narrow and go deep as opposed to wide and broad.
@HeatherWit Stop selling the agency and start fixing their problems.”
@LaurenOnDemand …great marketing is about being seductive…..about creating content and ideas people want to spend time with.
@kfiddner Congrats on recognition at #mirren for your “brilliant” blog: www.theonethingblog.com Relevant, focused to your target clients.
Brent Hodgins featured theonethingblog.com as best practice example in today’s agency website discussion.@dglittlefield: @kfiddner
@therealadbadger: Clients don’t have time for blogs. But they do have time for focused blogs
@mediatwo 7 basic principles for agency wesite: 1) objectives 2) targeting 3) USP 4) value 5) supported 6) tone/personality 7) user experience
@awbrown 2011 statistic: Agencies lose 95% of pitches when they lack category experience
@greenergirl put your category expertise up front to get the clients u want via your site
@awbrown: There are nearly 70,000 marketing services companies in the US. Over supplied market, receding demand.
@pinkbird_bi Diversify ur pipeline across prospecting, organic growth & pitching; increase ‘qualified’ at bats to improve winrate
@HeatherWit Client anxiety is evolving. Clients are asking “what is my social strategy? Can any of my agency partners do social well?”
@HannahPoferl: “In a meeting, whoever talks most thinks it went really well.” ~ Brent Hodgins
@MikeDuda Start every pitch w/ shot of tequilla, vow to one another the team will win & failure’s not an option. Period.
@pinkbird_biz Laura Maness Is your agency’s positioning client-centric? [hint: the agency monologue is dead]
@tomzazueta: “Fastest path to revenue is influencing your client’s revenue.” – Brent Hodgins
@cullenob Agency biz dev dir’s encouraged to take control of their own job desc’s to be clear on what they’re accountable for.
If you wait to start the brainstorm at the brainstorm, cancel the brainstorm (via @maureendevine)
@omutak Will centralized global capabilities be a profitable revenue source 4 mid-size agencies?
@DMVAND Which of the archetypes Is your presentation style? Motivator, Counselor, Drill Sargent or Professor? Use them all?
@maureendevine: 20% of what you say provides 80% of your persuasion in a pitch. Key is to make sure your client can find your 20%
@cullenob If you want till the brainstorm for ideas, you’re in big, big trouble. @levyinnovation
@maureendevine 20% of what you say provides 80% of your persuasion in a pitch. Key is to make sure your client can find your 20%
@therealadbadger Great ideas are only logical in hindsight.
@pinkbird_biz Search consultants parting advice: believe (u are who u think u are), velocity (be faster), authenticity (be true to ur brand).
@pinkbird_biz communications should drive action: clicking, liking, passing, tweeting, shazaming, sampling fast becoming rule
@jsidess when you focus on what your consumers focus on, you can be much more effective on getting their attention
@therealadbadgerBrainstorming sessions destroy the ability to spontaneously create big ideas. You can’t schedule ideation.
@mediatwo“account planning is the future of the industry” – Brent
@mnburgess Social ROI is still murky. But none of us have the courage to give up on it!
@pinkbird_biz If a client sets clear rules for the pitch, you should probably follow them.
@therealadbadger Pay attention to the CEO. It’s their job on the line. What have they promised to their shareholders?
@therealadbadger: Clients always reveal the secret to winning a pitch if you’re listening closely
@Linkergy:CMO’s say they need Reader’s Digest version of what makes the agency unique.It’s a culling exercise.WOW us in 30 mins
@Linkergy cmo panel says analytics are absolutely table stakes today, no longer just a nice-to-have.
@Melissa_Robison Average lifespan of a #CMO is 2 years: Nick Utton, E*Trade at#mirren
@pinkbird_biz Clients are adding to roster vs. wholesale change. Implication?…get in the door, solve a problem, build a relationship over time.
@omutak: The worst agency cliche: Take your brand to the next level.
@tomzazueta: “Fastest path to revenue is influencing your client’s revenue.” – Brent Hodgins
@Melissa_Robison E*Trade CMO: we are ruled by Wall St. and graded every three months. Need agency big ideas. If they fail, fail cheap and fast.
@ashandy73 “Agencies try to be liked at the cost of being respected.”
@cullenob: “Results” doesn’t mean results in clients’ eyes. Use their lexicon, not yours, if you want to show category expertise.
@therealadbadger: Process is process. There’s nothing proprietary about it.
@cagrana: What’s the most powerful word in New Business?: NO. Have self respect and stick to your limits.
@cagrana Best presentation tools? PPT is out, conversations and Prezi are in.#Mirren.
@edwardboches: if you have to tell a client you’re digital, social, or mobile that’s a crock. If you really are they’ll see it.
@HeidiReys Search consult panel: “U have more control over price than U think. Ex: recent winning agency comp was 40% higher than others”
@tonysignore Don’t try to be all things to all people. Focus. Look at where you do your best work and add to that.
@awbrown: Hiring people with computer science backgrounds is a major trends for agencies.
@mediatwo: #mirren If a client doesn’t fall in love with you, you will NEVER win the business.
@cherwenka Funny brand example: Designer condoms called Proper Attire. If you aren’t wearing one you aren’t getting in
@hugeinc: @edwardboches we try to learn from ourselves too much. We shd get as far away from ad industry as possible to learn.
@HeidiReys Reviews are elimination process all way thru and usually won in pitch vs. client preferences at beginning. Chemisty is huge.
@pinkbird_biz Don’t underestimate the importance of structuring your physical space to support innovation & collaboration
@markschnurman If you can’t present well (or any team member), you are not going to win. I did not pay him to say this:-) Brian Goodal
@dherscott Its not over until its over – never give up throughout the pitch process – indeed!
@rinsights Online surveys are the most cost effective quant research technique. Make sure they are well designed by experienced researchers
@rinsights: Focus groups are great, but many bad decisions can come from them. Use them for “exploring,” not “deciding.”
How did you change your agency to make it more innovative? @tonysignore “make hard choices including personnel changes”
@markschnurman Re: Search consultant- Doing work that gets notices puts you on search consultant radar-Brian Goodall
@cherwenka “74% of the time when a client fired it’s agency, they said they were happy with the work.” -Signore, CEO Taylor
@Malbonnington Love this, from @edwardboches @ #mirren: “Mullen’s new one word mission statement: #velocity“
@jbraftus The only proprietary tool agencies have is their people
@LindsayBL quoting 4A’s study: 617 pitches last year, only 23% of which run by search consultants (down from 38% in prior years)
@rinsights Webcam focus groups trim deadlines, save on time and travel cost, allows geographic diversity
@mediatwo All agencies only have ONE proprietary tool: your people. Showcase them in RFI
@mediatwo Worst mistake in submitting RFI is length. Be innovative and show examples but keep short
@MARKLIMBACH Interesting 4. Clients and agencies agree…67% rely on gut & instinct, 33% on data.
@mjgoldberg Act your way into a new way of thinking instead of thinking your way into a new way of acting.
@cynthiahprice Enthusiasm around what is possible is still one of the best business development tools. Andrew D. From Mother at #mirren
@jbraftus Agencies and clients are more alike than different
@dglittlefield 59% of agencies and clients think an agency’s role is becoming more important in the world of branding and marketing.
@DavidRCampbell: 52% of agency employees like there jobs vs 31% of clients
@pinkbird_biz: @4As Tom Finneran encourages agencies to adopt P&G’s BAL Model: ‘one throat to choke’ for agencies & client
@pinkbird_biz The world is changing. New business today is more global than it’s ever been before.
@cullenob Thought leadership, and standing for something as an agency, formula for new biz, not gimmicks. @scottfrog
@dglittlefield Agencies: Be bold. Be distinctive. Today’s bold doesn’t mean outrageous.
@HeatherWit Today, clients are looking for thought leadership. Gone are the days of the “dog and pony” show
@edwardboches: RT @HeatherWit: Agency cliches: We have: “the best people, award-winning creative, proprietary process…”
@thinairchi: 4As reports average digital agency hourly billing rate is half that of a midsize law firm.
@Cathy_Carl When a client sends you an RFI, you should send them an RFI. An adult, peer-to-peer discussion is a must
@joelparent If we don’t all play by honor system Agencies will lose battle against Brands that seek 2 abuse us. #mirren Hold the line! This. Is. Sparta!
@cherwenka AAAA study across 98 spec work pitches: 67% of winning pitch work was implemented.
@dglittlefield AAAA’s has benchmark for agencies when dealing with… “Your rates are too high!” did u know average hourly rate is less than $150?
@galaxie65 I believe that Tom Finnernan from 4A’s speaks for all agencies and we must increase our rates for our business
@HeatherWit “Vet it quickly and vet it early” (regarding knowing a client’s budget sooner than later) – Stephen Larkin
@mediatwo 4As Tom Finneran says marketing survey shows brands use avg of 13 agencies and 5 are digital
@dglittlefield Creativity is often a feeble weapon… the client problem is strategic, not creative.
@HeatherWit More than having the will to win, you must have the will to *prepare* to win (via @HeatherWit @tomzazueta
@galaxie65 Interesting that agency fees on a standardized basis decreased more than 50% in past 20 years. This needs to change.
@HeatherWit The most substantial thing you can do to regain your power – is to walk away. Take control of how you operate your business.”
@HeatherWit “In all negotiations, you usually have more power than you think you have. They key is to tap into that source of power.” (Gleason)
@maureendevine stop thinking like an agency and start acting like a consultancy = seen as more credible and get make more moolah
@cherwenka: Ouch. “your real competitor is your client, not other agencies.” That seems to be the theme here.
@jonjonbailey Be the orange in a basket of apples.
@MARKLIMBACH The avg agency is doing 20% of its work for free, with the othe 80% being under-paid by client
@HeatherWit “Vet it quickly and vet it early” (regarding knowing a client’s budget sooner than later) – Stephen Larkin,
@DavidRCampbell: Quote of the conference #mirren “Pee in the Shower, it’s fun and 69% of agency people do it”

Which was your favorite? Share it in the comment section. If you were an attendee, please share your best take-aways from this event.

The #MIRREN hashtag generated 429 tweets in a 24 hour period, 648,305 impressions, reaching an audience of 269,600 followers on Twitter. Click on the following link to review the report: HashTracking

Another article that may be of interest: The Future of Ad Agency Promotion at Events Through Social Media

4 Comments | Agency Leadership, New Business Trends, Special Events, Twitter | Tagged: Michael Gass, Twitter, Edward Boches, Mirren New Business Conference, Mirren, David Littlefield, hashtags | Permalink
Posted by Michael Gass

Ad Agencies: Three Things a New Business Director Needs for Success

April 12, 2011

A significant paradigm shift has taken place that impacts how ad agencies acquire new business that effects the knowledge and skills new business directors need to make it happen.

“With over 50% of client relationships lasting less than two years and the average CMO tenure 27 months, the role of new business at our agencies is more important and a bigger focus than ever.”

Heather Witalisz, Training Director for Mirren Business Development, recently asked me, “what are the top three things a New Business Director must do to be successful?” As I reflected back on my answer I thought this would be a helpful topic to flesh out a bit more. So here are three things a new business director must do to be successful:

1. Digital and Social Media Savvy

The role of the agency new business director is becoming more complex. People who have done this job well in the past are finding it difficult to find success in this current climate.

According to a recent 4A’s and Arnold Worldwide survey, 90% of agency staff say they have to figure things out on their own due to the lack of training.

Unfortunately this bodes the same for many agency new business directors. You may have to create your on ‘continuing education program’ when it comes to digital. It’s important that you do, because it’s almost impossible to ‘sell it if you don’t understand it.’

Having a working knowledge of social media isn’t even an option any longer for an agency’s new business director. Social media is having a big impact on how agency’s promote themselves and how they are found online by their prospective client audiences.

Here are the ways social media is impacting agency new business:

A paradigm shift for how new business is acquired. According to a recent CMO survey, 80% of decision makers say they found the vendor, not the other way around.
SEO is now a critical part of new business strategy. According to Marketing Sherpa, 80-90% of business to business transactions begin with a search on the web.
An agency blog is a necessary component for marketing your agency. As necessary as it was for an agency to have a Website, it is now as relevant for them to have a blog. It becomes the gateway to the agency and puts a face to it.
The growth of new media mandates agencies participation. Social media is now mainstream, your agency’s credibility is suspect if it isn’t walking the walk, not just talking the talk.

2. Be Empowered to Lead New Business

There’s an old saying that cobbler’s children have no shoes. It refers to the fact that a busy cobbler will be so busy making shoes for his customers that he has no time to make some for his own children. If I had a dollar for every ad agency that has used that metaphor as their excuse for why they neglect their own new business program I could have retired long ago.

It’s time for agencies to give the cobbler’s children some new shoes!

How?

Empower your new business director. Give them the clout and resources to get what they need from the agency as if they are the primary contact person for your most important client. Their projects are not put on the back burner when the agency gets busy. Allow them the time, resources and realistic expectations to build a consistent new business pipeline.

3. Create a Narrower Niche and Appealing Position for Your Agency

The FOUNDATION of an ad agency’s new business program is its positioning. Creating the right positioning is a lot like fishing. A successful fisherman fishes for a specific fish, with a specific bait, the right equipment and he knows just where to fish. He has developed the expertise to land the real trophies.

“The common failing among agencies seeking new business is the inability, or unwillingness, to name what they stand for,” Bob Lundin, Agency search consultancy Jones Lundin Beals

Combining social media with your agency’s niche can become an appealing and powerful positioning. Here are a few examples:

Holland + Holland advertising, Birmingham, AL, through their blog She-conomy: A guys guide to marketing to women, has been invited to 3 national pitches in the past year as a result of their differentiating positioning. That had not happened before in their 25 year history.
The Littlefield ad agency, Tulsa, OK, is carving out a niche through their The One Thing blog: The casino marketers guide to understanding gamers, written by the agency’s new business director, Kelly Fiddner.
MAX Advertising, Atlanta, GA, has created The Matte Pad, Marketing know how for the legal profession, written by its CEO, Tom Matte.

Agencies desperately need an expert/specialist in the mechanics of new client acquisition, someone who has the sole focus and capabilities to bring “life-giving” new business to the agency.

26 Comments | Agency Leadership, New Business Tips, New Business Trends, Positioning | Tagged: ad agency new business, Littlefield, Michael Gass, new business directors, Social Media, Tom Matte | Permalink
Posted by Michael Gass

Why Ad Agencies Should Stop Obsessing Over Their Competitors

April 11, 2011

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

I recently 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.”

Small to midsize ad agencies, for the most part, have been asleep at the wheel while our industry has been totally reshaped by The Great Recession, the transition from traditional marketing to digital and the rapid emergence of social media.

Burt provides a similar example of what happened to Kodak in 2003, when it was caught sleeping as the world transitioned from film to digital photography.

“The company severely misjudged the speed and impact of this transition and its lifestyle implications. As a result, Kodak’s core business, in which it was clearly dominating its competitors, was on a fast track to obsolescence.”

What were the consequences?

After 74 years, Kodak was delisted from the Dow Jones Industrial 30 Index of leading American companies in 2004. Kodak then embarked on a radical and painful restructuring to reestablish its relevance.
It had to cut 25,000 jobs.
It posted 8 consecutive quarters of losses through the end of 2006, with a single quarterly loss of as much as $1 billion in 2005.
Even though Kodak quickly became a leader in digital photography, it was not a sustainably profitable business.

Burt writes, “In simplified terms, the company’s core business shifted from being a monopoly to being a commodity in the blink of an eye, and it had to scramble to reinvent itself.”

Advice to Ad Agencies:

“…instead of trying to figure out how to beat competitors, smart strategy looks to change the rules of competition altogether.”

Difficult times can be a great time to separate your agency from the rest of the pack. In an economy where there are too many agencies that look, act and talk just the same now is the time to rethink long-held strategic assumptions inside your agency and challenge decades of conventional wisdom in our industry, and push to learn, grow, and innovate.

Here are some tips, to stimulate your thinking, on how to change the rules and break out of the pack:

Change breeds opportunity. Don’t play by the rules, unlevel the playing field and redefine the rules of the competition. Be the first to find new opportunities. “With the unveiling of the iPad,” Burt writes, “the company symbolically stepped away from the familiar confines of the PC era, leaving behind its own initial core business along with the competition.”
Don’t wait for other agencies to lead the way, be innovative. French novelist Marcel Proust said, “The real act of discovery consists not in finding new lands but in seeing with new eyes.”
Break out of your comfort zone. Agencies have been comfortable in the middle of the road. But today, as William C. Taylor says, “the middle of the road is the road to ruin. The only thing in the middle of the road are yellow lines and dead armadillos.”
Remember that training is critical to success. The larger agencies are now rising to meet the escalating demands for digital, most of them are now requiring that almost all of their employees develop digital skills.
Stimulate creativity for ad agency new business. A lot of small to midsize ad agencies have chosen to take shelter during the recession, but that strategy doesn’t provide any creative stimulation for ad agency new business. Perhaps the better strategy would be to dramatically shift your agency’s thinking, spur innovation and enthusiasm by setting some challenging new business goals.

Click on the following link to read Burt’s article, Why You Should Stop Obsessing Over Your Competitors.

Additional articles that may be of interest:

1 Comment | Agency Leadership, Fuel for Thought, New Business Trends, Positioning | Tagged: ad agency new business, competition, Gabor George Burt, innovation, Michael Gass | Permalink
Posted by Michael Gass

The Future of Ad Agency Promotion at Events Through Social Media

April 1, 2011

Social media can enhance your special event experience and make networking for new business easier.

Without a doubt an industry trade show or conference has been a beneficial professional networking event for business opportunities. Social media has transformed these events and taken them to a new level.

“I think social media is changing the nature of interaction surrounding conventions,” said Steven Paganelli, vice president of business development-DMOs/CVBs for the Washington, D.C.-based, TIG Global. “Certainly, the opportunity to connect on a higher, more meaningful level face-to-face has always been at the heart of meetings and conventions, but social media tools and new technologies are making it easier for delegates to move beyond their comfort zone to meet new contacts, share ideas and engage in these events in deeper ways.”

In an American Express OPEN Forum article, Scott Belsky, Founder and CEO of Behance, shares insights from his 4-day experience at this year’s South By Southwest Interactive Conference. I’ve taken Scott’s main take aways regarding the future of advertising and self promotion to highlight the future of ad agency promotion at events through social media for new business:

1. Curation is a great tool for agency self-promotion.

Scott identifies one company that stood out above all others at this year’s SXSW event by serving as a curator of of event information.

“AOL set up a booth where they sorted through the day’s news at the conference and streamed channels of information for particular interests. In effect, AOL was serving as a curator of the overwhelming amount of stuff, and people gravitated toward the booth.”

This is a great social media strategy for ad agency promotion. Become a curator of information by allowing your agency blog and website to be a repository of helpful information for your prospective clients. Scott says, “If people like your taste—or just the way you display information—they will tune into your message.”

I was able to interact with attendees of Ad Age’s first Small Agency Conference. From my social media interactions I was able to create this article: 50 of the Best Insights from Ad Age’s First Ever Small Agency Conference. The amazing thing – I wasn’t there!

I was able to create this list of the 50 Best Insights in an article for my blog and propagate it through my 50,000 + followers on Twitter before the conference was even over.

I also helped spread the word of the conference, create buzz and assisted in generating traffic for the conference sponsors: AdAge andAOL Advertising.

It put me on Ad Age’s radar: @adage And it’s not even over! RT @michaelgass 50 of the Best Insights from Ad Age’s First Small Agency Conf #smallagency http://bit.ly/bTZqhL

2. The Future of Advertising (networking) is Education.

I wasn’t able to attend this years SXSW event, but according to Scott, the future of advertising was one of the main topics of discussion.

“With brands in the hands of the people, a new genre of advertising will arise that is more authentic and borderline educational. Companies will tap their expertise as a way to win people over. For example, GE knows a lot about the future of energy and jet engines, Pepsi knows a lot about marketing and beverages, The New York Times knows a lot about journalism.

While you would likely skip over any commercials from these brands, you might be interested in their perspectives in areas where your interests intersect.”

Social media can play an important role in defining your agency’s brand. To be successful with social media you are compelled to lead prospective client engagement with benefits and value rather than agency capabilities and credentials. Check out these “Top 10 Benefits of Social Media for Ad Agency New Business.”

Education provides a great networking platform to build value for your prospects and positioning of leadership for you and your agency.

3. The value of attending conferences lies with personal connections, not panels.

Some people believe that we are so connected online that offline conferences, seminars and trade shows are losing their importance. Scott’s takeaway is just the opposite:

“In a world of increasing remoteness and virtual relationships, the benefits of physical engagement only increase. I would argue that conferences will become MORE essential as our lives become more digital.”

Social media has transformed offline events and can maximize the personnel connections with prospective clients. Your involvement with blogging, Twitter, Facebook and LinkedIn can change your whole experience. You can “get to know” many of the exhibitors, speakers and event attendees from your online interactions that will propagate and enhance meeting them in person.

I recently received this note from Tom Matter, CEO of MAX Advertising in Atlanta. Tom’s agency specializes in law firm marketing and had this to say after attending the Legal Marketing Association’s Conference in Orlando:

“I wanted to tell you how fast we have been noticed by the national legal marketing community. We are easily the most talked about new marketing strategy and creative shop in the business.

All the blogs we followed last year to get started are all now following me for content ideas! They told me this themselves. I

had women stop me and ask to get my picture taken with them because they love The Matte Pad!! No joke. So many people read it and follow it with their RSS reader.

It was great validation for all the hard work we are putting into it. MAX Advertising is a great social media success story. We will get so much work from the conference it’s not even funny.”

Tips for participating in special events using social media:

Include a banner for the event in your blog’s sidebar.
Information about the event in your email newsletter.
Invite one of the event organizers to write a guest post.
Write your own article prior to and/or after the event.
Find out if the event already has a Twitter #hashtag set up. If they don’t suggest one to the event organizers. Use the hashtag for Twitter posts about the event, before, during and after.
Use the time to network
Conduct interviews. Use your iPhone to video and edit podcasts that you can share on your blog.
Act an a reporter for the event with live updates via Twitter, Facebook and LinkedIn.
Set-up “meet-ups” from your online networks of people

Click on the following link to read Scott’s article, “SXSW Interactive Takeaways: The Future Of Advertising & Self-Promotion.” If you are an event speaker, you might find the “7 Traits Event Organizers Need From Speakers” helpful.

9 Comments | Agency Networks, Best Practices, New Business Tactics, New Business Trends, Social Media, Speaking, Special Events | Tagged: Ad Age, Behance, CEO, curation, events, MAX Advertising, Michael Gass, networking, Scott Belsky, Social Media, Steven Paganelli, Tom Matte, trade shows | Permalink
Posted by Michael Gass

Media Survey: TV Retains its Power and is Enhanced by Social Media

March 25, 2011

TV continues to reign as the most influential advertising platform, and online ads are considered influential by less than half of Americans.

TV continues to be king. Deloitte’s fifth edition “State of the Media Democracy” survey reveals that 71 percent of Americans still rate watching TV on any device among their favorite media activities. In addition, 86 percent of Americans stated that TV advertising still has the most impact on their buying decisions.

Phil Asmundson, Vice Chairman Deloitte LLP states that “Consumers are not only watching television, they are talking about it, and those conversations are frequently taking place in real-time online and via IM/texting. By embracing the Internet as a platform that encourages audiences to participate in discussions about their favorite programs, television is maintaining its hold on the American public. People want to be part of the real-time conversation and they are embracing both platforms in a complementary fashion.”

Asmundson adds, “And, because television has embraced the Internet and social media so effectively, the traditional television advertising model is alive and well”

Here are some of the highlights from Deloitte’s Media Survey:

TV Retains its Power

Despite the continued growth of access to television content through other channels, with more than half of U.S. consumers preferring to watch their favorite shows on their home TV system
Nearly three-quarters of consumers prefer to watch their favorite TV shows live — even given a variety of other options, including recording systems or online video services
TV programming continues to be the most discussed content, ahead of social networking sites, music, Websites and movies
Flat-panel TV ownership has increased dramatically, with 59% of households now owning at least one

Print magazines survive the digital tsunami

Since 2007, a consistent 70+% of U.S. consumers continue to enjoy reading printed magazines — even though they know they can find the same content online
Since 2007, 80+% of consumers who read a magazine in the past six months state that reading the printed copy is their favorite method
55% of households report subscribing to printed magazines
55% of U.S. consumers surveyed report that an important feature of printed magazine is the advertising that helps them learn about new things for themselves and their family

Rise of the smartphones

This year, 17% of consumers who owned smartphones rated the smartphone as their most valued device, up from 6% in 2007 and 2008
Smartphone ownership is strongest in the households of trailing millennials (51%), leading millennials (54%) and generation Xers (42%)
30% of smartphone owners have used their device to make a purchase over the past year, and more than half have used their smartphone or other mobile device as a replacement for their laptop’s functionality while away from home

Cloud computing may lead to universal content access

Most U.S. consumers own a device that allows them to connect to the Web easily: 85% of households own a desktop computer, 68% of households own a laptop/ netbook; 44% of households subscribe to broadband cable Internet access, 39% of households subscribe to broadband DSL, and 41% of all mobile phone users access the Internet on their mobile phone
51% of U.S. consumers have experienced a computer or hard drive failure that caused them to lose digital content, and 32% expressed a desire for an online media storage service
43% of respondents would like to move content to any device and platform easily and effectively — indicating that cloud storage could provide consumers with an attractive option for greater access to content and greater portability

TV is complimented by social media

57% of U.S. consumers currently maintain a social networking site
26% of U.S. consumers are socializing online everyday/almost everyday (via social networking sites, chat rooms or message boards)
55% of U.S. consumers believe strongly/somewhat that online consumer reviews and ratings influence their buying decisions more than any type of online advertising
51% of U.S. consumers have purchased a product based on an online recommendation
65% of U.S. consumers frequently/occasionally visit web sites as a result of someone’s online recommendation
24% of U.S. consumers would find it extremely/very desirable to have an online service that recommends a product based on other consumers’ preferences
65% of U.S. consumers frequently/occasionally visit web sites as a result of someone’s online recommendation
55% of Americans believe strongly/somewhat that online consumer reviews and ratings influence their buying decisions more than any type of online advertising

The online survey polled nearly 2,000 consumers between the ages of 14 and 75 years old in the United States. Click on the following link to download a pdf of Deloitte’s State of Media Democracy Survey

2 Comments | New Business Trends, Social Media | Tagged: Advertising, Deloitte LLP, media, Michael Gass, Phil Asmundson, Social Media, State of Media Democracy Survey, television | Permalink
Posted by Michael Gass

Report: Inbound Marketing Channels More Cost-Effective for Ad Agency New Business

March 10, 2011

When it comes to ad agency new business, blogs and social media can deliver inbound leads for less.

I often say, “people want to work with other people that they KNOW, TRUST and LIKE”. Social media is an efficient and affordable way to build new business relationships quickly.

According to research from inbound marketing solutions provider HubSpot, businesses dominated by inbound marketing have a 62% lower cost per lead than firms that do mostly outbound marketing.

Inbound marketing refers to efforts that provide web users with information or tools of value to them, as opposed to outbound or interruptive marketing that pushes messages in front of them.

Traditional outbound marketing techniques for ad agency new business – including direct mail and cold calling – are becoming less effective. Your prospects have the capability to evaluate agency services on their own.

Inbound marketing offers your audience useful information and tools that attract prospective clients to your site, while interacting and developing relationships. Inbound marketing tools include blogging, content publishing, search engine optimization and social media.

Here are the top 10 key takeaways from the “State of Inbound Marketing Report”:

Inbound consistently delivers a dramatically lower cost per lead than outbound. In 2011, the average cost per lead for outbound-dominated businesses was $373, while inbound businesses reported their leads cost on average $143.

The gap between spending on inbound v. outbound continues to widen: In 2009, inbound marketing had a 9% greater share of the lead generation budget; in 2011 inbound’s share was 17% greater.

Blogs and social media channels are generating real customers: 57% of companies using blogs reported that they acquired customers from leads generated directly from their blog.

More and more business are blogging: Businesses are now in the minority if they do not blog. From 2009 to 2011 the percentage of businesses with a blog grew from 48% to 65%.

Three out of four Inbound Channels cost less than any Outbound Channel: In 2011, the average cost per lead for outbound-dominated businesses was $373, while inbound businesses reported their leads cost on average $143.

Businesses are increasingly aware their blog is highly valuable: 85% of businesses rated their company blogs as “Useful”, “Important” or “Critical”; a whopping 27% rated their company blog as “Critical” to their business.

The majority of businesses are increasing their Inbound Marketing budgets:54% of those surveyed are increasing their inbound marketing budgets. Among the 54% of respondents with increased inbound marketing budgets, the most commonly cited reason was ―past success with inbound marketing.

Social Media and Blogs generate real customers:57% of those using company blogs have acquired a customer from a blog-generated lead; this is an increase of 11 percentage points since 2010. Facebook and Twitter users reported customer acquisition rates of 48% and 42%, respectively.

Company blogs are increasingly valued. The blog is the channel most frequently reported as critical or important, both in 2009 and 2011. Higher Education, Professional Services & Consulting, and Software & Biotech found blogging was highly effective. All of those industries had over 50% of respondents indicating customer acquisition through their blog.

Most company blogs publish at least weekly. 71% of respondents indicated they blog at least weekly. Despite the evidence showing that increased blogging correlates with increased customer acquisition, blogging frequency remained relatively steady between 2009 and 2011.

HubSpot’s latest 2011 “State of Inbound Marketing Report” is now available for download. The report is based on data from a recent survey of 644 professionals familiar with their business’ marketing strategy.

Additional articles that may be of interest:

12 Comments | Agency Blogs, New Business Trends, Social Media | Tagged: ad agency new business, blogs, Hubspot, Michael Gass, Social Media, State of Inbound Marketing Report | Permalink
Posted by Michael Gass

The Future of Display Technology for Ad Agency New Business

February 28, 2011

Imagine the impact upon the ad industry by high-technology, available in the near future, with display glass at the center of it.

“More companies are incorporating technology into their marketing to make their promotions stand out. The changes are upending the ad business and forcing consumers to engage with pitches in new ways. Think virtual test-drives of cars and storefronts that let consumers interact with the screen.” - Suzanne Vrancia, Wall Street Journal

Corning is the world leader in glass technology. Check out A Day Made of Glass, Corning’s stunning video illustrating a vision of the future of communications and other technologies that will further impact the Ad Industry and agency new business. This is an incredible video and well worth your time.

4.2 million views and 2,200 comments within the first 3 weeks after Corning uploaded their video.

A special thanks to my friend Trey Pennington for turning me on to this video. Trey is a marketing pro, speaker and author. Check out his site: connections, content, conversations: commerce

Additional articles that may be of interest:

“It is the people who figure out how to work simply in the present, rather than the people who mastered the complexities of the past, who get to say what happens in the future.”

Leave a Comment » | New Business Trends | Tagged: ad agency new business, Advertising, Corning, display glass technology, Michael Gass | Permalink
Posted by Michael Gass

Chris Brogan: The Future of Media

February 21, 2011

To create new business opportunities for your agency, it is imperative to stay ahead of your clients and be aware of the possibilities of media in the near future.

It is the people who figure out how to work simply in the present, rather than the people who mastered the complexities of the past, who get to say what happens in the future.” Clay Shirky

Chris Brogan was an early adopter of social media. I learned a great deal from him when I launched my consultancy through social media back in 2007. I’ve watched Chris build his personal brand awareness through social media to become one it’s rock starts. He has created an interesting video, discussing the future of media that I thought would be of interest to the ad agency community. Chris shares 7 ideas where he things media is going for the future and invites your participation in the discussion:

Media will be Multi Touch
Media will be Mobile
Media will be Serial
Media will be Two-Way
Media will be Rich Data Mined
Media will be Subscription Based
Media will be Faster with Longer Burn

Chris Brogan consults and speaks professionally with Fortune 100 and 500 companies like PepsiCo, General Motors, Microsoft, and more, on the future of business communications, and social software technologies. He is a New York Times bestselling co-author of Trust Agents, and a featured monthly columnist at Entrepreneur Magazine. Chris’s blog,[chrisbrogan.com], is in the Top 5 of the Advertising Age Power150.

Click on the following link to participate in the conversation by sharing your thought on the Future of Media

Some additional articles as to the future of the ad industry that may be of interest:

4 Comments | New Business Trends | Tagged: Ad Agencies, Chris Brogan, media, Michael Gass, new business, Social Media | Permalink
Posted by Michael Gass

FUEL LINES Fueling Ad Agency New Business Through Social Media

How McKinney achieved one of the best new-business records among advertising agencies

Innovation and collaboration, two keys to ad agency new business.

Ad Agency Compensation: The biggest frustration of CMOs

For small to mid-size ad agencies, it’s time to address the cost of creating advertising in terms of time and money.

All our clients want to know is this – Can your agency solve my problems quickly and at less cost?

Advertising agencies aren’t changing of their own accord, they are being changed. We’ve seen digital technology bring about fundamental change to the news industry, then the music industry. Now seismic change is being forced upon the advertising industry.

How did YOU get into ad agency business development?

Ad agency new business hunters are a unique group who share some common traits even though their personal stories of how they got into this business are usually very different.

“Hey Mister, can I cut your yard?”

I was born to be a hunter/gatherer.

All you need to know about Apple’s 2011 new product intros

Tools that will make your online personal networking for agency new business even easier.

Skype Infographic: From seed to future piece of the Microsoft empire

I often use Skype as a way to stay connected for new business, at home and while traveling for video conference calls.

101 Insights from the 2011 Mirren New Business Conference

The reader’s digest version of the top insights from the largest agency new business conference of the year.

Why Ad Agencies Should Stop Obsessing Over Their Competitors

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

The Future of Display Technology for Ad Agency New Business

Imagine the impact upon the ad industry by high-technology, available in the near future, with display glass at the center of it.

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MICHAEL GASS

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