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

B-2-B Agency Gains New Business from a Narrow Niche and Social Media

January 16, 2012

Social media can end the anxiety of creating a niche and differentiation for ad agency new business.

John Sonnhalter, CEO of Sonnhalter, a B2B ad agency located just outside of Cleveland, OH, shares an example of an agency that found a way to finally “draw a line in the sand” and openly declare his agency’s area of expertise for a particular market.

John was able to first ‘test the waters before jumping in’ by creating a ‘niche blog’ clearly targeted to a very specific audience.

Sonnhalter’s primary ability was knowing how to reach the professional tradesmen better than most. John was able to show that knowledge by creating a blog, Tradesmen Insights.

This was blog is different from most agency blogs. It had its own unique URL and stood alone, apart from the agency’s website. It didn’t include any of the agency’s branding. It was John’s personal blog instead of a team blog approach and allowed him to become the face of the agency.

Here are John’s first steps:

Selected a title and subtitle that clearly reflected his intended audience.
He wrote a bank of 50 post articles within a few weeks before adopting a more realistic writing schedule of one to two posts per week.
He also rapidly grew his Twitter, Facebook and LinkedIn followers from among his target group.
He leveraged a database of previously collected email addresses from his target group to share content through an eNewsletter that he sent every other week.
By paying attention to his blog’s analytics, John polished the appeal for his blog. He simply wrote more content in the areas his readership liked the best, the post articles that produced the most traffic.
Following a number of new business successes, driven by his social media effort, John was then willing to merge this narrower focus into the branding and positioning of his agency.

John Sonnhalter:

“We call our specialty B2T marketing. Business-To-Tradesman. We know the manufacturers that sell to tradesmen. We know their businesses. Their distribution channels. And the media they use to deliver their messages.”

We are in the B-to-B space, and typically, our clients are slower adopters of new technologies and trends. If you think back to 2008, there weren’t many agencies, big or small, that was participating in social media.

Our agency went through a re-branding process three years ago. Social media became an important part of this effort by allowing us to become focused on a specific audience, manufacturers who were trying to reach professional tradesmen. It also helped us sharpen our point of differentiation and appeal.

I can’t tell you how hard it was over the past few years to turn down opportunities because they were outside of our specialty. But it’s beginning to pay off!

Social media became a great way to generate new business opportunities.

It’s been almost three years later and here’s where we stand:

2011 was our biggest year for new business wins in several years thanks primarily to our social presence.
Our Blog, Tradesmen Insights, is the center of our promotions. We’re almost to 500 posts and we generate more page views on it than we do on our website.
We’re now recognized as an “Industry Expert” in the field of marketing within our space.
We get requests to do interviews, guest posts and take part in industry-related workshops and seminars.
Most our agency’s new business leads now come from social media.
When someone inquires, now it’s because they have followed our blog and like what they are hearing.
We don’t participate in any RFQs from these leads because they have already qualified us as experts.

Social media not only has been a good way to generate new business through thought leadership, it also helps us with current client relationships. It’s difficult to aid a client in the use of social media if you haven’t used it effectively for yourself.

Bottom line is that if your agency isn’t on board with a social program you will be missing many opportunities. We’re all trying to set ourselves apart. Social media, especially a blog, will help you do that.

John Sonnhalter

Check out our agency blog, Tradesmen Insights: Marketing to the professional tradesmen in Construction, Industrial and MRO markets

Have questions? Click here to send me an Email. I also invite you to connect with me on Twitter and Facebook.

Leave a Comment » | Agency Leadership, Positioning, Promotion, Social Media | Tagged: Ad Agencies, B2B, John Sonnhalter, manufacturers, new business, professional tradesmen, Social Media | Permalink
Posted by Michael Gass

Is Advertising a Respected Profession?

August 31, 2011

A lack of respect is bad for ad agency new business. You might not be able to change the perception of our industry but you can control the perception of your agency.

Over the last decade, the advertising industry has become one of the least liked by Americans. In a recent Gallup Poll Advertising and Public Relations ranked 10th on a list of the least respected industries in the nation.

Author Tim Williams is an author and consultant, closely associated with the advertising industry. In a recent article, that is generating some buzz, he raises the question: “Is Advertising a Profession?

Tim writes, “By referring to advertising people as “professionals” and advertising agencies as “professional knowledge firms,” I’m stating my belief that advertising and marketing is – or at least should be – a “profession” in the same league with law, accounting, or architectural firms.”

He goes on to state that the true definition of a profession presents a much more rigorous standard than just being good at your job. Standards such as:

Professionals are accredited
Professions require continuing education
Professions are based on the study and application of science
Professions adhere to “higher aims” than self-interest or economic benefit

Given the above standards, is advertising a profession?

Tim’s opinion is that the advertising industry isn’t there yet but it should be.

“To be respected as a profession, the advertising and marketing business must take a much more evidence-based approach.”

” … after over a hundred years’ experience with modern marketing, advertising agencies should be a lot more conversant and knowledgeable about what works, what doesn’t work, and why. we should be a lot less focused on deliverables and a lot more focused on outcomes.”

Jason Falls, educator, speaker and author of the book “No Bullshit Social Media”, in the world of digital marketing and social media, was blunt in his response to Tim’s article that I posted on my Facebook page:

“ Uh … Thousands have made a living for their whole lives doing nothing but. That guy’s full of it and just looking piss people off.”

Douglas Burdett, president of Artillery, a full service advertising agency in Norfolk, VA, had just the opposite reaction:

“Great post – have shared it w/my local AAF chapter!”

Do you agree or disagree?

Click on the following link to read Tim’s complete article, “Is Advertising a Profession?” and share your opinion by taking this twt Poll: Is advertising a profession? or weigh in with your opinion in the comment section below.

11 Comments | Agency Leadership, Agency Networks, Fuel for Thought, Positioning | Tagged: Advertising, advertising agencies, Gallup Poll, Jason Falls, Michael Gass, profession, standards, Tim Williams | 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

3 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

10 Advantages When Ad Agencies Focus New Business Efforts on Their “Sweet Spot”

May 5, 2011

New business targeting is about finding an agency’s sweet spot. Deciding on the most fruitful audience that match your agency’s core competencies and wastes the least amount of your agency’s energy and resources to win.

The sweet spot is that part of the club, bat, tennis racket, etc. that wastes the least amount of energy when it collides with the ball.

Too many agencies fall into the trap of pursuing any prospective client with a budget. Most are not a good fit for the agency. I think that is the primary reason why 53% of advertisers are dissatisfied with their agencies and the average agency-client relationship is now two years.

If your agency will go after anything and everything you are playing a numbers game. You might get lucky and win a few but you wont be building your brand. Also, when it’s not a good match, you, your staff and most likely your new client are going to end up miserable.

Think about these 10 advantages for focusing new business on your agency’s sweet spot:

Properly brand/position your agency for success with surprisingly little effort. Most agencies are in a perpetual state of re-branding their agency and redesigning their agency’s website. They can’t ever turn the corner to get them done. Focusing on your sweet spot simplifies the process.
You are able to clearly articulate how your agency is different from the rest. I recently asked agencies to share how they are different from the rest, from the 243 responses, I would say that this is a major problem for most agencies.
More easily build awareness among the best prospects for your agency. Your agency is just a tiny dot in the ocean when you have no target audience. You wont be on anyone’s radar.
With a narrower focus you have the ability to become a respected expert and thought leader in your field. There is no credibility when your agency claims expertise in dozens of industry verticals or disciplines.
Acquire new business with the least amount of wasted agency energy and resources.You know where your agency needs to have a presence. What trade shows, conferences to attend, sponsor or speak at. Your new business budget becomes more strategic and you can better harness the creative prowess of your agency when it is needed.
A much better defined set of criteria for identifying the right prospective clients. Creating a top 25 list of prospects is an easy thing to do and makes building relationships with those prospects easier.
Less strike-outs and a stronger win ratio for new business, because your agency is matched up with its core strengths.
A much broader geographical market area. Most small to midsize agencies have gained new business through referrals and personal networks. Focus on your agency’s sweet spot helps you to broaden your appeal. With the addition to social media, you can have a global reach. As an example, I am headed to London this week to meet with a new client that came about by way of my social media program.
Fewer competitors, because there will be fewer agencies who do what you do. You can also know who your chief competitors are and better maximize hone positioning and appeal against theirs.
As a specialist you can command premium pricing. The cost for seeing my family physician from the expense of my neurological specialist who performed a spinal fusion on my neck was a huge. Lewis Communication’s, here in Birmingham, AL, commands premium pricing for its services to academic medical centers.

Instead of having a lukewarm appeal to a broad group of prospects, focusing on your agency’s sweet spot can generate a feverish appeal among prospects that are the best match for what your agency does best.

Here are a few examples of small to midsize agencies with a focus:

The Dudnyk agency, Philadelphia, PA, biotech brand specialists.They’ve even employed Dr. Chris Tobias, who has a PhD in neuroscience and directs new business development for their agency.
The SONNHALTER agency, Cleveland, OH, is being sought out by manufacturers who want to reach professional tradesmen.
Kleber & Associates, Atlanta, GA, focuses on brands that build a better home.
Levelwing, Charleston, SC, that are experts in data-driven marketing solutions, particularly in auto aftermarket companies.

12 Comments | Agency Leadership, Best Practices, Positioning | Tagged: advertising agencies, Dr. Chris Tobias, Dudnyk, Kleber and Associates, Levelwing, Lewis Communications, Michael Gass, new business development, SONNHALTER | 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.

21 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

2011 Forecast: 100 Global Trends That Will Drive Consumer Behavior

December 27, 2010

Concise and helpful information for prospective clients regarding the trends that will impact consumer behavior in 2011 and positioning as an advertising leader for JWT.

JWT has released its sixth annual year-end forecast of key trends that will drive or significantly impact consumer behaviour in the year ahead. The result of quantitative, qualitative and desk research conducted throughout the year and pulling from the input of more than 50 trend-scouts around the world. JWT is a believer in scoping out trends through its JWT Intelligence unit.

In their sixth annual year-end forecast of trends for the near future, technology is the overriding theme, driving many of our trends and at the center of others. The economy also continues to be a common thread. As a companion to their 88-page report, JWT created a 2-minute teaser video that gives a quick rundown of the top 10 trends for 2011.

Headquartered in New York, JWT is a true global network with more than 200 offices in over 90 countries. They employ some 10,000 marketing professionals.

JWT consistently ranks among the top agency networks in the world and continues its dominant presence in the industry by staying on the leading edge—from producing the first-ever TV commercial in 1939 to developing award-winning branded content for brands such as Freixenet, Ford and HSBC.

Check out JWT”s slideshow of ’100 Things to Watch in 2011,’ or to download the presentation with fully functioning links, click here.

8 Comments | Agency Leadership, New Business Trends, Positioning, Promotion | Tagged: ad agency, Advertising, consumer behavior, JWT, Michael Gass | Permalink
Posted by Michael Gass

243 Ad Agencies Share How They are Different from the Rest for New Business

December 2, 2010

The agencies that win the most new business will have a differentiating position from their competitors.

In a recent blind ad agency new business survey I asked the question, Does your agency have a unique point of differentiation from competitors? Of the 430 agencies that answered the question, 76.8% (326) said that they did, 23.1% (98) said they did not.

I then asked, if you answered “yes”, please briefly describe. “how your agency is different from the rest.” The following are 243 agency responses to how they are different from every other agency.

I thought you might enjoy perusing through these responses. So, here is the good, the bad and the ugly how these 243 agencies said they were different from their competitors:

Performance-based website design. Mix of performance marketing and fixed bid work.
Focuses on manufacturers who sell to the professional tradesmen
Our focus is conversion optimization. Whether it’s a purchase either online or at retail, lead generation, customer acquisition, gaining distribution or any Key Performance Indicator, conversion is defined by whatever drives your business.
Greater emphasis on research and planning, competitive analysis, and strategy.
We specialize in Tribal Gaming where we leverage the excitement on the gaming floor to increase profits across all profit centers.
Rather than being a “Jack of all Trades” as most agencies are (if they have a budget, get it); my agency has picked a vertical market and I market our expertise in that market. We do one industry and we do it better than anyone else.
Our agency has been around over 60 years…experience is our main selling point.
Nimble and consultative
Type of client experience/expertise
Focused niche in high-end resorts/developments
We are a full service promotional agency that has a dedicated research/planning group to capture consumer insights – many traditional agencies have this function – but its rare for a promo shop – also rare for promo shop to have media/buying and planning, full digital suite (web dev, social media, SEO), creative, research, public relations, and shopper marketing int house, but we do. Naturally many promo agencies will claim they have all the above internally, but few do…
We’re in a same too business…very little differentation. Ultimately we hold our self up against the work and the results
As articulated by our clients, we are: Smart and strategic; We know business; We are creative with lots of energy; We like each other.
We do not seek “retainers”. We offer ala carte services with no questions. The client determines how they select to work with us. We do not dictate how they structure the relationship – we give them options.
As an integrated marketing communications firm, we are uniquely structured to provide multiple services including advertising, PR, direct, interactive, SEO/SEM, media placement, etc.
We’re very good, and keep our promises.
We approach integration differently than others.
Our focus is on the concept of the consumers desire for “escape”. We’ve positioned the agency as experts/specialists in this area.
New media has opened many doors for us — we are demonstrating a strategic and creative driven approach to WOM — this has proven to be a key differentiator — at least for now!
Specialization in key industry area
Focuses on “Challenger” brands in commodity marketplaces
We only work on food accounts: foodservice, deli and CPG food
While others typically concentrate on social media and their core competency, we’re repositioning ourselves as quick, smart and affordable.
We focus on helping b-to-b change agent CMOs develop new brands or reposition old brands to overturn the buying conventions of their industries.
Our staff is as efficient as staffs two to three times larger. That equals faster turn around and lower fees. No wasted layers.
We help mid size businesses own the leadership position by working with the C level.
Our agency strategy is to target hospitals/healthcare systems only….we have found a niche that has been extremely profitable over the past four years….whether it is creative awards such as Clios, one show etc; and/or strategy, we have become one of the top hospital marketing agencies in the country
We balance measurable outbound communications with innovative inbound marketing tactics to ensure clients get found, get heard, and get customers to buy.
Substantial experience in non-traditional agency services such as government outreach and education initiatives.
We are not all things to all people. We are message focused. We “Discover the Remarkable” in our clients and we use that as a way to tell their story.
Our culture is not the traditional silo approach to the way our company operates. We are not that traditional old school agency. We are effective in our communications and use an unique approach to our clients marketing needs
“Brand People Who Get What’s Next” is our positioning which defines our agency as brand marketing experts with the ability to seek out ideas and activation based on the ever evolving marketing mix
We focus on understanding how consumers/ businesses make decisions within each client category and build programs to impact that process.
Virtual agency with direct access to the most senior strategic leaders. Reputation lies in public affairs and public policy.
Specialists in positioning. Experience in prospect’s category.
Brand Alignment, beginning with internal alignment to get the team aligned with company goals and objectives, allowing them to deliver on the brand promise the client expects.
Vertical focus. Focus on sales & marketing integration and integration with digital channels.
Strength in channel communications.
Genuine integration across disciplines(walking the talk).
True account planning @ a “media agency”
We’ve become more more marketing agnostic. We move fast. We take risks. We focus on getting it right, not being right.
Resultants
We ventured into Social Media very early in the game and built a reputation as “Louisville’s Leading Interactive Marketing Company” with our robust blog, Twitter account and website. We have enjoyed a sizable increase in social media budgets for our clients and because we have this service in-house, we enjoy a larger profit margin on the work provided. We also have an IT staff of four in our 30-person shop so we build a lot of custom applications, websites and customer relationship programs. Plus we have an in-house editor for training videos as well as TV and Radio commercials. www.currentmarketing.com
Can’t give away our secrets!
Our philosophy/approach
Commissions used to offset fees, and extraordinary track record for results.
We’ve taken on emerging media with more fever than most, even incorporating it into our own sales efforts. Additionally, we are a full-service, who is also a certified apple developer, launching our own iPhone application providing marketing insights, strategies and concepts for small, medium and stage-2 economic development companies.
Specialization in merchandising.
Advertising for good – we create campaigns for clients and causes that promote positive social change, and advance the human condition.
Service, accessibility, response time, rates.

View the rest of the 193 responses through this link: 243 Ad Agencies Share How They are Different from the Rest for New Business

Click on the following link to download a copy of the 2010 Advertising Agency New Business Survey

8 Comments | Agency Leadership, Positioning | Tagged: Blogs I Recommend, Michael Gass, positioning, survey | Permalink
Posted by Michael Gass

Ad Agencies: 10 Tips That Separates the Best From the Rest

September 23, 2010

The agencies that win the most new business have a differentiating position from their competitors.

“Most managers invest their time and energy in trying to make their firms better, when in fact they should be also be working to make their firms different” – From Positioning for Professionals

I had the privilege to attend a Tim Williams seminar, “What Separates the Best from the Rest,” when I was the new business director for a regional advertising agency. Since that time I have read everything he has written.

Tim understands and can articulate agency positioning for new business better than anyone. He has a new book that was recently released that I personally recommend to you, Positioning for Professionals: How Professional Knowledge Firms Can Differentiate Their Way to Success.

10 quick tips from Positioning for Professionals:

Bigness is no longer a competitive advantage
Its better to be a profit leader than a market share leader
There is no competitive advantage in doing what others do
There is no such thing as full service
Most professional service brands are not overpriced, they are just underexclusive
Most firms are engaged in fighting turf wars, instead of finding new turf
No customer is going to buy a vague brand
For a brand to be in the middle of the road = death
“Boxed in?”, no box means no strategy
The main difference between mediocre firms and great ones is not just vision, but execution

I thought you might also enjoy a perusing through some of the book’s best parts, an expansion on these 10 tips:

Tim Williams leads Ignition (www.ignitiongroup.com), a consultancy devoted to helping marketing communications firms create and capture more value. He is author another book that I highly recommend, “Take a Stand for Your Brand: Building a Great Agency Brand from the Inside Out” ranked by Amazon as one of the top ten books on brand building.

2 Comments | Agency Leadership, Best Practices, New Business Trends, Positioning | Tagged: Blogs I Recommend, differentiation, Ignition Group, Michael Gass, positioning, Tim Williams | Permalink
Posted by Michael Gass

7 Benefits from the Right Positioning for Ad Agency New Business

September 20, 2010

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

When you have the right positioning its 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.” Tim Williams, author of, Positioning for Professionals

So, the starting point for a successful agency’s new business program needs to be positioning. But it is also the place where most agencies fail.

“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

I hope these 7 benefits for having the right positioning, will spur you to more narrowly focus and define the uniqueness of your agency for new business.

The right positioning provides:

A clearer direction for how the agency should spend its time, money and resources. It is amazing how these things fall into place so easily once the agency’s rudder has been set by the right positioning.
A broader market area for your agency. A strong positioning, particularly coupled with social media can greatly expand your market area affordably. The Russo Group, Lafayette, LA, now generates over 90% of their new business outside of their market.
A specific target audience. Through positioning you can have a well-defined criteria for identifying who are your agency’s best prospects that are reflective of its strengths and expertise.
A smaller group of competitors. There will be fewer agencies that do what your agency does. You’ll be able to identify a smaller group of competitors that you can use to greater enhance your agency’s point of differentiation.
A greater winning percentage for new business. Your agency can become the 800 pound gorilla, the agency with the moxie but only by having the right positioning. An agency that specialized in marketing academic medical centers, refuses to do speck creative, wins a greater amount of their pitches and those accounts are profitable from day one!
Improved profitability. First, you can command premium pricing because your agency is viewed as a specialist not a generalist. Secondly, your agency will know its playing field better than most and is not spending excessive time trying to get up to speed with every new account.
Greater appeal. Instead of always chasing business, it’s possible to have business start chasing you. When prospective clients know what your agency stands for, they’ll seek you out.