business development

Nobody Reads Ad Agency Blogs

Why most agencies may be ready to ditch their blog and why they shouldn’t.

Jack Marshall, a staff writer for Digiday wrote an article that is creating lots of buzz entitled, “Agencies Ditch Blogs.” He points to a study conducted by the University of Massachusetts Dartmouth, that reveals that only 37% of Fortune 500 companies now maintain a blog. That is down from 50% that was reported in 2010.

Jack makes an assumption that this is that this is probably true of advertising agencies:

“It seems there’s a similar trend among agencies.

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Green Marketing and Social Media Creates New Business for Phoenix Ad Agency

It’s always helpful to hear how agencies have used social media to create new business opportunities, a point of differentiation and a positioning of expertise.

Park&Co is a full-service advertising agency in Phoenix, Arizona. They were your typical small to mid-size agency and no real difference from most of their competitors. There was no perception among their prospective client audience of having any expertise. But, their use of social media, over the past three years has rapidly changed their business and has impacted new business.… Continue reading

Blair Enns: 12 Revolutionary Proclamations for Ad Agency New Business

How to win new business without pitching, reclaim control of client engagements and stop giving away your thinking for free.

My friend, John Sharpe, has spent nearly forty years in the ad agency business and the last twenty in business development exclusively. He is a personal friend and mentor with an impressive resume. So when John tells me that he has just read one of the most influential business development books in his lifetime, he had my attention.… Continue reading

Infographic: Social Media Demographics for Ad Agency New Business

You must choose and know your audience if you are to have success using social media for new business.

Most small to midsize agencies refuse to name who their target is because of the fear of missing a new business opportunity that won’t be reflective of their target audience. They lack the will power to publicly state it.

“By appealing to everyone, brands (agencies) end up appealing to no one. Standing for everything is the same as standing for nothing.” Tim Williams, author of, Positioning for Professionals

Knowing your target is a prerequisite to any new business program.… Continue reading

Fast Company: 20 Top Insights For Creating Appealing Content

Creating content for new business can offer 24/7 awareness for your agency.

Creating good content requires agencies to think first and foremost from the point of view of their prospective client audience. They need to create and curate content that their audience finds helpful and appealing to their point of need. This is a major shift in perspective for many agencies and one that some finding difficult to make. It mandates talking about a category or the subject that your prospects are interested in and rather than the characteristics, capabilities and credentials of the agency.… Continue reading

16 Systems to Simplify Ad Agency New Business

Every agency needs detailed methods, procedures and routines for consistency and success in new business.

Small to mid-size agencies have common problems when it comes to new business:

They often excuse their inconsistency by being the cobbler’s children who have no shoes. It’s time to visit the shoe store! Acknowledge the importance of new business and put forth the necessary effort for real success.
Reactionary instead of a progressive approach for new business. They tend to bounce from one new business activity to the next with no cohesive structure.

How Well Do You Really Know Your Advertising Agency?

It is essential to know your agency inside and out if you want to be successful at new business.

Any good salesman has to be knowledgeable about the product or service being sold. The more you know about your agency the more confidence you will have. This is a first step for those in business development and is a prerequisite to developing a plan for new business.

Fully acquaint yourself with your agency’s two most important assets: chemistry and creative.… Continue reading

Ad Agencies Need More Content for New Business

All ad agencies need more content as part of their promotional strategy to create and keep a relevant and positive engagement with their best prospects 24/7.

Coca Cola has always been at the forefront of innovation. The company recently announced they were committing to a different marketing strategy that no longer relied on traditional advertising to build their business. Coke will be the first major brand to place a major emphasis on content marketing.

In the videos below, Jonathan Mildenhall, Vice-President, Global Advertising Strategy and Creative Excellence at The Coca-Cola Company is the person leading the global strategy for the Company’s portfolio of global brands.… Continue reading

How to Qualify Leads for Ad Agency New Business

To begin a successful agency new business program one of the first steps is to identify and qualify your best prospects.

A business development person without leads is like a fish out of water. Neither can survive very long. Yet …

Only 30% of B2B marketers know the names of decision makers in the companies they are targeting. The RAIN Group

It is imperative that you know who your prospects are or you are wasting time, energy and valuable agency resources. Here are a few things you should know:

Your agency’s best target market (industry, geography, size, etc.).

19 Tips for Building an SEO Strategy for Ad Agency New Business

Having a search engine optimization strategy, or SEO, is important to support lead generation for ad agency new business.

Most agency business development directors have a marketing strategy and are becoming competent with an inbound lead generation strategy that has as its centerpiece – content marketing. Understanding search engines is an important part to content marketing and blogging. Therefore, it is important for business development directors to become familiar with how search engines work and keep up with what is going on.

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