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

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

Ad Agency Blog of the Month: Murdoch Marketing

July 13, 2010

Out of a a group of 53 ad agencies, Murdoch Marketing’s blog, We Think. We Can. Blog., was selected as Fuel Lines’s Blog of the Month for June capturing 40% of the votes casts. They are a 27 year old full service agency located in Holland, MI.

Why We Get Social

We Think. We Can. Social Media – Our clients know first hand how seriously We Do social media. Whether it’s managing multiple Twitter, Facebook or LinkedIn accounts, blogging for our clients or creating viral videos, we know that at the end of the day only one thing matters – tangible results. That’s why we measure. Our social media metrics track interactions, site visits, analytics and rankings. And the fun doesn’t stop there. We drill down into the social media-sphere to ensure our clients are forming valuable relationships with their audience. – Murdoch Marketing

How is your agency using a blog for your new business? Submit it for July’s blog of the month.

Ad agencies all need an integrated social media strategy if they are ever going to see the payoff from their participation in social media. An agency blog should be the central component. The place you can drive targeted online traffic through SEO, Twitter, email newsletters, Facebook and LinkedIn.

The blog becomes the “gateway” to your agency and the“face” of your agency. As important as it was to have an agency website, it is now equally important to have an agency blog.

But … having a blog isn’t something you check off your list of social media “to do list.” Nor is it a place to lead with agency capabilities and credentials. It must be of benefit to your audience.

Here is a collection of agency blogging resources:

2 Comments | Agency Blogs | Tagged: ad agency blog of the month, Blogs I Recommend, FUEL LINES, Michael Gass, Murdoch Marketing, Social Media | Permalink
Posted by Michael Gass

Of these 53 ad agency blogs, which best understands social media?

July 6, 2010

Examples of ad agency blogs. Review and decide which of them really “gets it” when it comes to social media. Pick-up ideas for your own blog.

The following 53 advertising agency blogs have been submitted to Fuel Lines. Review and vote for the best agency blog for the month of June. The winner will be featured on Fuel Lines throughout the month and included in the voting for ad agency blog of the year.

Cast your VOTE by Clicking Here

These are the ad agency blogs submitted for the month of June:

30 Dana, Dana Communications, Hopewell, NJ
5 to 9 Branding, Cameron Christopher Thomas Advertising, Denver, CO
Aloft Group Insights, Aloft Group, Inc., Newburyport, MA
Blog-a-Rhythm, Rhythm Interactive, Irvine, CA
brainwoo, Thompson & Company, Memphis, TN
brandSTOKE, CONRAD | PHILLIPS | VUTECH, Columbus, OH
Content to Commerce, Big Fuel, Manhattan, NY
creativity_unbound, Mullen, Boston, MA
Energy Efficiency Marketing, Kelliher Samets Volk, New York, NY
Engaging Trends, Pixel Farm Interactive, Minneapolis, MN
Fifth Gear Analytics, Sigma Marketing Group, Rochester, NY
Going Social Now, Razorfish, New York, NY
Healthy Conversations, Trajectory, Morristown, NJ
Hill Holiday Blog, Hill Holiday, Boston, MA
ideas @ work, Ideas Collide Marketing Communications, Scottsdale, AZ
JWT blog, Atlanta, GA
Marketing Thoughts by Domus, Inc., Domus, Inc., Philadelphia, PA
Marketing Your Hospital, TotalCom Communications, Tuscaloosa, AL
My Name is Not Ralph, Toth Brand Imaging, Cambridge, MA
Never Be Forgotten, Palio, Saratoga Springs, NY
New FoundNation, The Communications Group, Little Rock, AR
Off Madison Ave, Phoenix, AZ
Off the Shelf, BARKLEY US, Kansas City, MO
Ogilvy Earth, Ogilvy & Mather Worldwide, New York, NY
onmessage Blog, OnMessage, Dallas, TX
Park Howell, Sustainable Storyteller, Park&Co, Phoenix, AZ
Peak Seven blog, Peak Seven Advertising, Deerfield Beach, FL
Relate with Us, GS&F, Nashville, TN
RIESTER BLOG, RIESTER Advertising, Phoenix, AZ, Salt Lake City, UT, El Segundo, CA
Root & Madison Blog, Root & Madison, LLC, Dallas, TX and Denver, CO
Scatter/Gather, Razorfish, New York, NY
See What’s Working, Anderson Partners Advertising, Omaha, NE
Share, bcad group, Toronto, Canada
She-conomy, Holland + Holland, Birmingham, AL
Spyder Trap Blog, Spyder Trap Online Marketing, Minneapolis, MN
Superhype, Razorfish, Chicago, IL
Tangent, Sharpe Partners, NY
The Ad Contrarian, Hoffman/Lewis, San Francisco
The Assurance Blog, Assurance Advertising, Orange County, CA and Las Vegas, NV
The Experience Effect, Lippe Taylor Brand Communications, New York, NY
The Idea Drawer, ABC Creative Group, Syracuse, NY
The Main Artery, Kuhn & Wittenborn, Kansas City, MO
The Nebo Blog, NeboWeb, Atlanta, GA
The Point, Spear Marketing Group, Walnut Creek, CA
Through the Ears of an Entrepreneur, Small Army, Boston, MA
TV is Not Dead, Ad Partners, Tampa, FL
Under the Iconic Influence, Preston Kelly, Minneapolis, MN
Up Your Ups, Wheeler Advertising, Arlington, TX
W+K NYC Blog, Widen + Kelly, New York, NY
We Think. We Can. Blog, Murdoch Marketing, Holland, MI
Why Moms Rule, BOHAN, Nashville, TN
Wired to the Real World, Smiley Hanchulak, Akron, OH
Wright -to -Know, Dimension X, Jeannette, PA

Fuel Lines Agency Blog of the Month for May: Marketing Home Products, Kleber & Associates, Atlanta, GA

If you would like to submitted your agency’s blog for next month’s vote, send me an email and include:

In your email’s subject line – Blog of the Month
Blog title:
URL:
Agency Name:
City/State:

3 Comments | Agency Blogs | Tagged: Ad Agency Blogs, Barkley, business development, FUEL LINES, Hill-Holiday, Kleber & Associates, Michael Gass, Ogilvy, Preston Kelly, Razorfish, Social Media, Widen + Kelly | Permalink
Posted by Michael Gass

How Can I Make FUEL LINES More Useful for You?

May 27, 2010

FUEL LINES was started to help small-to midsize ad agencies, interactive agencies and PR firms with their new business practices. New Business tips, tools, tactics and trends that help give them a differentiating strategy, a competitive advantage, a higher-profile reputation, and an improved ability to attract and win the kind of clients they really want.

Following the writing of my 500th post and closing in on my third anniversary for FUEL LINES, I ask for your input on how I can make this blog more useful to you?

Here are some areas you might like to comment on that I might improve upon:

Topics – are there topics (specific or general) you’d like covered in the coming months? What are the main new business issues that your agency is facing this year?
Types of Posts - reader questions, tutorials, case studies, short tips, guest posts, tool reviews…. have your say about what you’d like most/least
Posting Frequency – too many posts, not enough, just right?
Design – before initiating a redesign – your comments and ideas would be helpful at this point
Blog Features – what would make your reader experience better?
Community – do you feel you connect well with other readers? Are there features that you’d like added to help connect more?
Services and Tools – what could I offer you to help you improve your agency’s new business?
What Frustrates You about FUEL LINES? What is Best about it?
Other Ideas and Feedback – anything goes, big or little.

The ‘Rules’ – Any feedback, suggestions or ideas that you have are welcome. I make a commitment to you to read anything you have to say.

All that I ask in return is that you be honest, courteous and constructive with your feedback.

FUEL LINES is a project that I pour a lot of time and effort into – as a result sometimes criticism can be a little difficult to hear – however I think it’s vital to take it all on board if this is to continue to be a valuable resource for agencies wanting to improve acquiring new business.

So it’s over to you. Feel free to either leave your feedback in comments below or to share them privately with me via my Contact Page. Your input is very much appreciated.

Leave a Comment » | Agency Blogs, Agency Leadership, Fuel for Thought | Tagged: Advertising, Blogs I Recommend, FUEL LINES, interactive agencies, pr firms, readership survey, Social Media | Permalink
Posted by Michael Gass

Creating an iPhone App for Your Ad Agency’s Blog

January 11, 2010

Ad Agency New Business, there’s an App for that!

Having your own iPhone app for your website or blog will become a common way to promote and extend your agency’s brand. I found that actually creating that application and getting it into the App Store can be a lengthy and expensive process.

I’ve discovered a very inexpensive tool that will allow you to create an iPhone app for your agency’s blog easily.

I recently tried out a new product called AppMakr, which is designed to make creating your own iPhone app simple and inexpensive. In literally 20 minutes I was able to create an iPhone app for Fuel Lines from my existing RSS feeds and then submit it to the iTunes App Store for approval at a cost of $49.

Click here to get the FUEL LINES’ iPhone App

AppMakr has two pricing options:

$199 for AppMakr to publish your app — which means you don’t have to have your own Apple Developer Account (AppMakr gets credit in the app’s opening splash screen)
or $499 if you want to use your own Apple Developer Account, but still have AppMakr take care of the provisioning and management features.

I was so impressed that I sent a note to AppMakr and asked if I could extend their special introductory offer to readers of Fuel Lines ($49) and soon received this reply back from Scott Suhy,

“Michael, we talked about it and agreed to provide you with a $100 discount promo code for your readers. The coupon code is “MICHAELGASS” and it’s good through 1/31. We’d love to see the article when you write it!”

Please note that I do not receive any benefits from this offer whatsoever. Just glad the company was willing to provide an introductory for Fuel Lines’s readers. If you do create an agency iPhone app, please send the link to me and I’ll share it.

As Apps continue to rise in popularity having one for your agency is an important demonstration to prospective clients that you are walking the walk.

2010 will be the year that smartphones go mainstream and iPhone is leading the way.

While the economy is still in a state of recession, the smarthpone market continues to go up, with a total of 39.9 million smartphones shipped during the third calendar quarter of the year. A 28% increase over last year.

These are some iPhone App stats that will of interest:

all the iPods and iPhones sold as of December you reach a total number of 214 million and change
1 Billion iPhone Apps downloaded
100 million apps are downloaded from the Apple app store each month
the average apps downloaded per device is 50
iPhone’s App Store hits 1.5 billion downloads in first year
top apps can make $400 to $5,000 per day on ads
average number of apps sold per device is nearly twice as high as songs at 53
Domino’s claims to have sold over $1 million worth of pizza through their app

Agency iPhone Apps:

Ad Agency Resources iPhone Apps:

Agency Client iPhone Apps:

Social Media Resources iPhone Apps:

27 Comments | Agency Blogs, Agency Branding, Promotion, Social Media | Tagged: Advertising, AppMakr, Blogs I Recommend, FUEL LINES, iphone app, iPhone apps, Michael Gass, Scott Suhy, smartphones, stats | Permalink
Posted by Michael Gass

Which of these 45 ad agency blogs best understands social media?

October 27, 2009

Examples of ad agency blogs. Review and decide which of them really “gets it” when it comes to social media. Pick up ideas for your own blog.

45 ad agency blogs have been submitted to Fuel Lines. Vote for the best agency blog for the month of October. The winner will be featured on Fuel Lines throughout the month of November and included in the voting for ad agency blog of the year.

Cast your VOTE by Clicking Here

These are the ad agency blogs submitted for the month of October:

AB&C blog, Aloysius Butler & Clark,Wilmington, DE
Acquity Group blog, Chicago, IL
ACS Creative, ACS Creative agency, Fairfax, VA
Ad Mavericks, Lessing-Flynn Advertising, Des Moines, IA
Adverspew blog, Perich Advertising + Design, Ann Arbor, MI
Avenue 25 advertising & design, Phoenix, AZ
Bergman Group, Bergman Group agency, Glen Allen, VA
don’t drink the kool-aid blog, bg creative, San Diego, CA
Brainstorm, Brainstorm agency, Indianapolis, IN
clickTRUE blog, Singapore
Confluent Forms Blog, North Hampton, MA
Cowie and Fox Blog, Vancouver, BC
CUKER agency blog, Solana Beach, CA
DDB agency’s Strategy blog, NY, NY
Enviral Marketing blog, BGT Partners, Miami, FL
Fusionizer, Fusion Advertising, Dallas, TX
Healthy Conversations, Trajectory agency, Morristown, NJ
Ideas for a Smarter, Faster World, Brunner agency, Pittsburgh, PA
Level Blog, Level, San Luis Obispo, CA
Market Smarter blog, M is For Marketing, Decatur, GA
Marketing Home Products, Kleber & Associates, Atlanta, GA
Marketing Your Hospital, TotalCom Communications, Tuscaloosa/Huntsville, AL
Media Two Point {OH}!, Media Two Interactive, Raleigh, NC
Moveo Integrated Blog, Moveo Integrated Branding, Oakbrook Terrace, IL
My Creative Team, Charlotte, NC
One Eleven Interactive blog, Brooklyn, NY
Outside In Banking, Michael Flora & Associates, Troy, MI
Point of View, Point to Point agency, Cleveland, OH
PUSH-n-PULL, The Cyphers Agency, Annapolis, MD
Red Door Buzz, Red Door Interactive, San Diego, CA
Shared iDiz, iDiz Incorporated, Indianapolis, IN
TechMarketingBlog, Jacobs Agency, Chicago, IL
The Adams Group blog, Columbia, SC
The Blue Fire Notebook, Pilot Light Agency, Dallas, TX
The Boomerang Table, 160over90 agency, Philadelphia, PA
The Furnace, Firehouse, Dallas, TX
The Lint Screen, Ames Scullin O’Haire, Atlanta, GA
The Martino Flynn Blog, Pittsford, NY
The Side Note, Weise Communications, Denver, CO
Villing & Company, South Bend, IN
We Play in Traffic, ESW Partners, Chicago, IL
WeBlog2 – Notes from the Edge, Kuno Creative, Avon, OH
Why Moms Rule, BOHAN Advertising | Marketing, Nashville, TN
Winstanley Partners, Winstanley Partners agency, Lenox, MA
TV Is Not Dead, Ad Partners, Inc, Tampa, FL

4 Comments | Agency Blogs | Tagged: Ad Agency Blogs, Blogs I Recommend, FUEL LINES, Michael Gass, Social Media | Permalink
Posted by Michael Gass

70 Ad Agency Blogs, Vote for Your Favorite for July

July 27, 2009

It’s time for you to vote for your favorite agency blog for the month of July. A record 70 ad agency blogs have been submitted to FUEL LINES. The winner will be featured on FUEL LINES throughout the month of August.

Cast your Vote by Clicking Here

These are the ad agency blogs submitted for the month of July:

160 Over 90 blog, Philadelphia, PA
Ad Contrarian, Hoffman/Lewis advertising, San Francisco, CA
A Ride Uptown, Mascola/Group, New Haven, CT
A Slack Barshinger Blog, Slack Barshinger, Chicago, IL
AIR Marketing blog, AIR Marketing, Phoenix, AZ
Austin Williams Unplugged, Austin & Williams, Hauppauge, NY
B&A blog, Columbus, OH
Binary Pulse Social Media blog, Costa Mesa, CA
BINGenuity, Bing Design, Yellow Springs, OH
Blackhouse Creative blog, Greensboro/Winston Salem, NC
Blip, Martino Flynn agency, Rochester, NY
Blue Collar Branding, Locomotion Creative, Nashville, TN
Bolin Digital Blog, Bolin Marketing, Minneapolis, MN
Boxing Clever blog, Boxing Clever advertising agency, St. Louis, MO
Brains on Fire Blog, Greenville, SC
Brunner Digital Blog, Brunner Digital, Pittsburg, PA
Celtic Marketing Agency Blog, Nile, IL
Collective Thinking, Element 79, Chicago, IL
Contact Media Blog, Contact Media, Tampa, FL
Creating A Brighter Shade of Green Marketing, Park&Co Phoenix, AZ
Creativity Unbound, Mullen Agency, Boston, MA
Cure for Common Marketing, Jackson-Dawson Marketing Solutions, Greenville, SC
Cut to the Paste, JB Chicago, Chicago, IL
Del Padre Digital Blog, East Longmeadow, MA
Demi & Cooper Advertising blog, Elgin, IL
Design Buzz, Design Matters Creative Group, Lake Forest, CA
designkitchen’s Blog, Chicago, IL
Direct Dispatch, Haggin Marketing, Mill Valley, CA
Doe Anderson’s blog, Louisville, KY
Enviral Marketing, BGT Partners, Miami, FL
Fluid Studio’s Big Idea Blog, Bountiful, UT
Free Advertising Candy, EVOK Advertising, Lake Mary, FL
Healthy Conversations, Trajectory, Morristown, NJ
Hill Holiday blog, Hill | Holiday advertising agencyBoston, MA
JB Chicago’s Blog, Chicago, IL
Karasma Media blog, Harlem, NY
Koroberi agency blog, Chapel Hill, NC
ID-ology blog, ID Branding, Portland, OR
Making Great Places, LWT Communications, Montgomery, AL
Marketing Newbie, JB Chicago, Chicago, IL
Mind Finds, KJA Communications Group, Alexandria, LA
MLT Creative blog, Atlanta, GA
New Ideas, The New Group, Portland, OR
NYCA Insight, NYCA Advertising Agency, San Diego, CA
Off Madison Ave agency blog, Tempe, AZ
Open House blog, phinneybischoff/designhouseSeattle, WA
Orange Element Insights, Orange Element, Baltimore, MD
Park Howell, Park&Co, Phoenix, AZ
Park&Co blog, Park&Co advertising agencyPhoenix, AZ
Paramore | Redd blog, Nashville, TN
Playing in Traffic, ESW Partners, Chicago, IL
R and M, Robinson & Maites agency, Chicago, IL
Razor Branding, The Russo Group, Lafayette, LA
Redpepper blog, Nashville, TN
Renderings.com blog, G&G AdvertisingOrlando, FL
She-conomy, Holland + Holland, Birmingham, AL
SIGMA Group’s Blog, Oradell, NJ
Silver Square blog, Silver Square agency, Fishers, IN
six-degrees blog, Scottsdale, AZ
SPURspectives, Spur Communications, Overland Park, KS
Stream of Consciousness, True Creek agency, Alexandria, VA
The Awesome Blog, Upshot, Inc. Chicago, IL
The B2B Brand Debate, Rieches Baird, Irvine CA
Tidbits Blog, The Yaffe Group, Southfield, MI
Tradesmen Insights, SONNHALTER, Cleveland, OH
Underground Blog, The Creative Underground, Boca Raton, FL
VBP Out Sourcing, Glen Burnie, MD
Weidert Group’s Blog, Appleton, WI
WOMENK!ND , Womenkind agency, New York, NY
Written by All of Us, The Slack Barshinger agency’s blog, Chicago, IL

Submit your favorite ad agency blog to be considered for Blog of the Month for August.

Check out these “Blog of the Month” winners which will be included in the voting for FUEL LINES b”Blog of the Year”:

June: 919 Marketing

May: SONNHALTER

April: The Creative Department

March: Sapient Interactive

February: Razorfish

January: Zapwater

2 Comments | Agency Blogs, Social Media | Tagged: Ad Agency Blogs, blog of the month, Blogs I Recommend, FUEL LINES, Michael Gass | Permalink
Posted by Michael Gass

Ad Agencies: Being Better at New Business Through Social Media

March 9, 2009

Social media “teaches” ad agencies to do new business the right way. It is one of the best tools for agency branding, positioning and new business that I have ever used. One of the reasons for this is that you can get instant feedback from your audience as to what is appealing and what is not. Often what you may think resonates doesn’t. Your audience is the judge.

Therefore, your help is needed to help make FUEL LINES a better tool for new business.

FUEL LINES was started to help small-to midsize ad agencies with their new business practices. New Business tips, tools, tactics and trends that help give them a differentiating strategy, a competitive advantage, a higher-profile reputation, and an improved ability to attract and win the kind of clients they really want.

I’ve learned so much from readers of FUEL LINES. The interaction has been personally enriching for me and I hope has helped provide the kind of content that is a help to you. If you haven’t done so already, I ask for your input - how I can make this blog more useful to you?

Here are some areas you might like to comment on that I might improve upon:

Topics - are there topics (specific or general) you’d like covered in the coming months? What are the main new business issues that your agency is facing as we approach a new year?
Types of Posts - reader questions, tutorials, case studies, short tips, guest posts, tool reviews…. have your say about what you’d like most/least
Posting Frequency - too many posts, not enough, just right?
Design - before initiating a redesign – your comments and ideas would be helpful at this point
Blog Features - what would make your reader experience better?
Community - do you feel you connect well with other readers? Are there features that you’d like added to help connect more?
Services and Tools - what could I offer you to help you improve your agency’s new business?
What Frustrates You about FUEL LINES? What is Best about it?
Other Ideas and Feedback - anything goes, big or little.

The ‘Rules’ - Any feedback, suggestions or ideas that you have are welcome. I make a commitment to you to read anything you have to say.

All that I ask in return is that you be honest, courteous and constructive with your feedback.

So it’s over to you. Feel free to either leave your feedback in comments below or to share them privately with me via my Contact Page. Your input is very much appreciated.

4 Comments | New Business Trends, Social Media | Tagged: Blog, Blogs I Recommend, FUEL LINES, Michael Gass, midsize ad agencies, small ad agencies, Social Media, trends | Permalink
Posted by Michael Gass

Socially Benefitting from My Twitter Habits

February 4, 2009

I’m sitting in front of the flat screen with my laptop halfway watching the new television program “Lie to Me” when I noticed that I’ve formed some habits, Twitter habits. No matter if I’m working or at leisure I’m drawn to Twitter.

Is time spent on Twitter worth it?

I’ve a lot of work to do for my own business and for my clients and I can’t afford to spend lots of time on Twitter, particularly if it has no benefit.

First let me address a small portion of Twitter’s benefits:

Networking tool. I’ve met a good number of professionals who I can now call friends. We’ve been able to share and discuss tips, trends, tactics, etc and be of help to each other.

Timely helps and resources. In need of immediate info, I’ve been able to make a request through Twitter and receive assistance immediately. Just yesterday I was conducting research for a client and someone on Twitter had a book that was loaded with the info that I needed. They volunteered to make copies of the info I needed or would mail me the book. I can give you dozens of other examples of generosity from people on Twitter.

Breaking news and new information. It has gotten to the point that most of the breaking news from either local, state and national news I’ve received through Twitter. I also am notified of just released industry articles and research.

Research. Not only have peopled shared research and resources but I’ve been able to conduct my own research such as these two current polls, Is Cold Calling an Effective Ad Agency New Business Tactic? How is business for your ad agency after the first couple of weeks of 2009?

Appreciation. Everyone likes to feel appreciated. When you help others through Twitter folks are quick to share their appreciation.

Personal brand evangelists. Word of mouth and a friends recommendation is huge. When you give people on Twitter will reciprocate by telling others in their network, often with zeal. They can be as passionate about your brand as you are. I’ve said this often that tools like Twitter is like networking on steroids.

The Twitter habits that I have developed save me time, allow me to be consistent and stay connected with my online community. I thought identifying a few of these Twitter habits may be of help to tto FUEL LINE readers.

When I sign onto Twitter, the first thing I do is check my direct messages and replies. I also use www.search.twitter.com and type in my Twitter name: Click here for a sampling of results.

I use a tool called Social Too to auto follow those who follow me and unfollow those who unfollow me. This tool does the best job of that over any that I’ve used. My ration of those I follow to those following me is within 100 persons and kept in balance due to this tool. An added benefit is the daily report that is automatically emailed to me daily letting me know of new followers and unfollowers. If there are lots of unfollowers I need to check to see if I’m using Twitter to the best benefit of my followers.

A program called Twitter Karma, helps me to automate the management of my Twitter follows and unfollows and provides daily report.

Angela Maiers, educator, author, blogger who now leads Maier Educational Services, developed a simple Twitter Engagement Formula that has provided provides purpose and direction for my participation. Using her 70-20-10 Formula.

70 % of my Twittertime is spent sharing the resources of others as well as my own.

I have over 260 blog post containing helpful new business tips, tactics, tools, talents and trends. I use a tool called Tweetlater to post links to that content on Twitter. Tweetlater allows me preschedule the release date and time of each posts days or even weeks in advance.

I am subscribed to another Twitter tool called Tweetbeeps. These are similar to Google Alerts. I can easily keep track of conversations that mention me, industry information, blog URL, etc.

In addition to my blog analytics I use Retweetrank to gauge what microposts are becoming viral and how I rank based upon people retweeting my posts. Today my Retweet rank:

@michaelgass is ranked 169 on retweetrank http://www.retweetrank.com/michaelgass/ Where do you rank?

Another metric tool that I use often is Hubspot’s Twitter Grader, which measures the reach and authority of a Twitter user. I’ve been able to attain a Twitter ranking of 100 and am now ranked number two among the Twitter Elite in Birmingham. You can also use Twitter Grader to make your own button to include in your post and encourage others to Tweet it:

One of the biggest benefits from my Twitter habits is the traffic it generates to my blog. I started seriously using Twitter back in September. Within five months I now have over 2,200 followers on Twitter and it has become the single best traffic generator to FUEL LINES. In the month of January, with a very specific niche audience of small-to midsize ad agencies, I had over 14,037 page views.

The better I become at using Twitter, Twitter tools and forming Twitter habits traffic to my blog accelerates. The more traffic more new leads that are generated.

Additional articles of interest:

18 Comments | New Business Tools, Social Media, Twitter | Tagged: Blogs I Recommend, FUEL LINES, Hubspot, Michael Gass, Social Media, Tweetbeeps, Tweetlater, Twitter, Twitter Grader | Permalink
Posted by Michael Gass

The Number #1 Ad Agency New Business Article of 2008

December 30, 2008

By far FUEL LINE readers chose the following article as their favorite for 2oo8:

Four Ways Social Media is Changing Advertising Agencies New Business

To paraphrase Little Orphan Annie, “Tomorrow is only a day away.”

Traditional advertising agencies face significant technical challenges. Consumers have turned away from media channels that built the agency industry and have moved toward emerging internet media. Ad agencies must build new interactive competencies quickly in order to survive.

I receive inquires almost daily from ad agencies who are trying to discern how social media marketing will impact their current new business business model.

I’ve highlighted four ways that social media is changing ad 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. Instead of finding your prospects, the “new” new business paradigm for Marketing 2.0 is to help your prospective clients find your agency.
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. That means that SEO is a very important component to your agency new business program.
An agency blog is a necessary component for marketing your agency. It wasn’t that long ago that it became understood, every business needed a Web site. Today it’s, every business needs a blog. This is especially true for ad agencies. We’re suppose to be leading not following our clients.
The growth of social 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. I can’t imagine ever advising a client to deal with an advertising, PR, or interactive team that doesn’t get social media. One of the best ways to demonstrate your agency’s participation is to incorporate new media into your new business program.

Combining social media and ad agency new business, provides a powerful, inexpensive and highly effective combination for your agency’s self promotional efforts.

Out of the 200+ FUEL LINES articles for 2008 below are the readers Top 10 list:

Download: 2008 Ad Agency New Business Survey Report

1 Comment | New Business Trends, Social Media | Tagged: ad agency new business survey, Blogs I Recommend, FUEL LINES, Michael Gass, midsize ad agencies, small ad agencies, Social Media | Permalink
Posted by Michael Gass

How Can I Make FUEL LINES More Useful for You?

December 13, 2008

My very first blog post: New Business Resolutions for Agency CEOs

FUEL LINES was started to help small-to midsize ad agencies and PR firms with their new business practices. New Business tips, tools, tactics and trends that help give them a differentiating strategy, a competitive advantage, a higher-profile reputation, and an improved ability to attract and win the kind of clients they really want.

December marks the first year anniversary for FUEL LINES. I ask for your input on how I can make my blog more useful to you?

Here are some areas you might like to comment on that I might improve upon:

Topics - are there topics (specific or general) you’d like covered in the coming months? What are the main new business issues that your agency is facing as we approach a new year?
Types of Posts - reader questions, tutorials, case studies, short tips, guest posts, tool reviews…. have your say about what you’d like most/least
Posting Frequency - too many posts, not enough, just right?
Design - before initiating a redesign – your comments and ideas would be helpful at this point
Blog Features - what would make your reader experience better?
Community - do you feel you connect well with other readers? Are there features that you’d like added to help connect more?
Services and Tools - what could I offer you to help you improve your agency’s new business?
What Frustrates You about FUEL LINES? What is Best about it?
Other Ideas and Feedback - anything goes, big or little.

The ‘Rules’ - Any feedback, suggestions or ideas that you have are welcome. I make a commitment to you to read anything you have to say.

All that I ask in return is that you be honest, courteous and constructive with your feedback.

So it’s over to you. Feel free to either leave your feedback in comments below or to share them privately with me via my Contact Page. Your input is very much appreciated.

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Michael Gass, agency new business consultant, primarily to small and mid-size advertising agencies, utilizing both traditional and new media tools.

2 Comments | Fuel for Thought, New Business Trends | Tagged: ad agency blog, Blogs I Recommend, FUEL LINES, Michael Gass, midsize ad agencies, small ad agencies | Permalink
Posted by Michael Gass

The Next Big Wave? Podcasting for Agency New Business

September 24, 2008

eMarketer estimates that the U.S. podcast audience will increase 251% to 65 million by 2012.

Instat.com says that 182 million Mp3 players were shipped in 2006, up 42% from 2005. Projection for 2011 is that 275 million players sold.

Why would an agency even consider podcasting?

Several reasons:

You’ll reach new people, many of whom you’d have never connected with otherwise.
A lot of people download MP3s to play while they drive or work out.
When they hear your voice, podcasting helps you build “know, like, & trust” a lot quicker than through copy on a webpage.
Podcasts are opt-in, so you are reaching only your targeted market.
Your presentation marks you as a leader in your field.
Your “prospects” have the option to listen when at a time convenient for them.

Podcast are easy, all you need is a good microphone and audio editing software, often available for free online. So the cost of entry is almost zero. And you can post your audio files on your website/blogsite, or give them away as a lead-generator on your site.

If you are interested in podcasting, two important things to remember:

Don’t record a commercial. Make it a session of valuable instruction or hard-to-find information that is relevant to your target audience. When your podcast gives real value, people will bond with you.
Plan on regular podcasts. Whether it’s only once a month or once a week. Don’t do “one and done.” When you do a regular podcast, you have the opportunity to build a base of fans.

Long-term, podcasting is a big plus. It will expand your agency’s “online foot-print” through this rapidly growing format. There is a huge potential for your agency if approached from the right perspective. It must be led by “benefits” to your target audience, not the capabilities of your agency.

To get started:

Purchase an Mp3 player if you don’t already own one
Explore the vast podcasts available on marketing, podcasting, social marketing, etc.
Subscribe to your favorites through iTunes
Download to your Mp3 player and start listening, you’ll learn quickly what works and what doesn’t

Some podcasting ideas for your agency:

Produce a weekly podcast radio show that covers important changes in your industry.
Make an instructional podcast regarding agency/client relationships as a download for your clients.
Interview someone in your field who is prominent and has a name recognition.
Discuss the latest marketing trends, tactics, tips and tools of interest to your target audience.

Look for more podcasting ideas through FUEL LINES. We’re also preparing to launch our own podcasts beginning in the month of October. I hope you’ll be a listener!

2 Comments | New Business Trends, Social Media | Tagged: ad agency podcast, Blogs I Recommend, FUEL LINES, Michael Gass, podcasting | Permalink
Posted by Michael Gass

Using RSS Feeds = Saves Time

September 12, 2008

As an agency principal or new business director, if you haven’t discovered RSS, it’s time to learn. It may be a bit awkward at first but persevere and you will discover that it is great for organizing your online reading of blogs, news sites and even sports sites.

Using a RSS Feed Reader will save you lots of time. You’ll have all of your important online reading material in one central location. This tool automates your reading and allows you to quickly scan through your favorite site feeds for the articles that are of interest. You wont have to go from blog to blog, website to website and waste lots of time clicking through to irrelevant material.