The All Business “No Bull Crap” Guide to Social Media Marketing

October 11, 2011

Turning social media into social media marketing for ad agency new business.

No Bullshit Social Media is a new book that I highly recommend for ad agencies. It is hype-free advice on how to use social media marketing for business and contains a wealth of statistics, illustrations and case studies. The books insights will be of practical help to your agency and clients.

The reason your agency needs social media is that it can drive real new business opportunities and will provide a serious step up on your competitors. 

The book is co-written by Jason Falls and Erik Deckers.

I’ve known Jason since starting my own consultancy back in 2007. He understands ad agencies having previously worked for Doe Anderson, a regional agency in Louisville, KY. Jason has built a successful and highly regarded digital and social media consulting service, the Social Media Explorer. He also authors one of the most widely read and well-respected blogs in the industry where he shares his insight at ExploringSocialMedia.com.

Erik was an early adopter of social media and has been blogging since 1997.  He is the co-owner and VP of Creative Services for Professional Blog Service in Indianapolis. He has been a newspaper humor columnist for 17 years, and is published in 10 newspapers around Indiana. Erik co-authored Branding Yourself: How to Use Social Media to Invent or Reinvent Yourself (Pearson, 2010). He also helped write Twitter Marketing For Dummies.

I love the following quote taken from the first chapter of the book. It sets the tone for the practical no-nonsense advice you are going to find in this book.

“Social Media Is for Hippies. Social Media Marketing Is for Business.”

That is exactly the mindset needed if you are going to generate new business through the use of social media. Jason and Erik, unapologetically, break from the way early adopters of social were using it. Their philosophy is more pragmatic by taking social media from the playground to the office suite to market your business.

“… the social media marketing world now knows that companies need business outcomes from their social media efforts, namely increased sales, profits, and market share.

A lot of preparation went into writing this book. Erik shared with me that he and Jason spent over 5 months on just the research for the statistics and illustrations on how businesses are finding success with social media marketing. These case studies makes a persuasive argument for social media’s potential as it continues to evolve and mature.

“If social media can help overthrow a government, what will it do for your company.”

Most agencies are accustomed to gaining new business through networks and referrals. Social media has the potential to take your personal networks to a whole new level. Jason and Erik provide you with rich insights on why and how you should do it.

The book addresses 7 major benefits social media marketing has for businesses and agencies.

Social media marketing can:

  1. Aid in branding and awareness
  2. Protect your reputation
  3. Extend public relations
  4. Build community
  5. Drive customer service
  6. Funnel research and development
  7. Drive sales and leads

A reminder that you can’t measure your progress until you first define success. This book gives you a strategic blueprint to get your agency focused for new business success with social media marketing and some great ideas to help your agency become more of a social business.

PEOPLE want to work with other PEOPLE that they KNOW, TRUST and LIKE.

Order the book now at NoBullshitSocialMedia.com. I purchased the Kindle version from Amazon but you can also order it from B&N, Borders, Books-A-Million and Que.

2 Comments | New Business Trends, Social Media | Tagged: , , , , , , | 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:

  1. Professionals are accredited
  2. Professions require continuing education
  3. Professions are based on the study and application of science
  4. 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: , , , , , , , | Permalink
Posted by Michael Gass

5 reasons ad agencies continue to have problems understanding social media

June 10, 2010

I’m not the only one that one that thinks most agencies still don’t get the social media.

“My personal experience is that most agencies are social media posers. They do not embrace social media for their own agencies yet recommend it for clients.” agency search consultant, Hank Blank, Blank and Associates

Forrester’s recently projected social media marketing spend to increase at an average of 34% a year through 2014. But Marketers are still finding it difficult to locate the ad agencies that are credible and capable within the social media arena. According to Forrester’s research, marketers don’t trust traditional agencies to run their social media campaigns, but neither do they trust  interactive agencies their entire marketing program to smaller interactive agencies. Marketers find it difficult to find credible and capable ad agencies experienced in the social media arena.

In 2009 more agencies had surrendered and started participating in social media. But they left their marketing minds on the bank when they jumped into the water. A lot of agencies don’t have a clear objective for using social media and it almost seems like they have a check list to check off to show they are social media credible. We have a agency blog, Twitter account, Facebook Fan page and LinkedIn. They fail to connect the dots to make social an effective tool for new business.

Here are 5 reasons why ad agencies continue to have problems with understanding social media:

1.  Thinking you MUST use social media the way the early adopters intended

Social media was not invented for marketing purposes. The purists are quick to reprimand efforts to use social media to generate  business. But as social media consultant Jason Falls, in his post, “Why Social Media Purists Wont Last” said, “a conversation never paid the damn electric bill!” For agencies and clients to benefit, we must be able to monetize social media or it is a tremendous waste of our valuable time.

Social media can be a great tool for ad agency new business. It is more efficient use of time, allowing you to network with more people than you ever could in person, without geographical limitations (just as I’m doing now from my office above my garage in a small suburban town outside of Birmingham) and affordably.

Your niche plus social media can propel your agency to the head of the line, generate a strong appeal to a particular target audience but only if you willing to participate and press the envelope for how it can be used for your agency’s new business.

2. A mindset of income first (and your prospective clients aren’t dumb, they can sense it)

This may sound like a contradiction to the first reason. Many agency principals are too anxious to sell. We must be able to monetize social media, but many agencies still are talking capabilities and credentials and aren’t leading conversations with benefits. You have to create a genuine value for prospective clients if you are going to have appeal.

My very first position as new business director for an ad agency, the agency’s co-owner and I were having lunch. I’ll never forget him telling me this, ”When I’m sitting across from a prospective client, I’m constantly thinking, MY money is in YOUR pocket. How do I get MY money out of YOUR pocket into MINE.”

No matter how veiled his motive was, prospective clients could always sensed it and that made new business harder.

Here’s my philosophy, “the key to successfully building an online community is to genuinely care about the people you want to reach.”

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.

3. No social media strategy

Agencies create a blog to “check it off their social media to do list.” But these blogs have no guiding strategy, no focus, few comments and NO TRAFFIC. The content you find on many agency blogs is a lot of self-promotional posts of little interest or value to a prospective client.

“Agencies are going about their social media strategy bass-ackward. They are selecting the most popular to-date, social communications technologies instead of focusing on what they want to accomplish.”

The first step in creating a social media strategy for your agency, you MUST have an objective (I suggest new business) and secondly identify who you are trying to reach.

A helpful resource to get you started is the POST Method. POST is one of the most effective acronyms since the four P’s of marketing. It’s a four-step approach that helps marketers define a social media marketing plan for their business and/or clients. It is highlighted in Josh Bernoff’s Groundswell blog post, The POST Method: A systematic approach to social strategy. The POST Method serves as a guide to help you determine the right strategy for the right audience.

4. Waiting  passively for prospects to find them

I have a consistent SEO strategy but still generate most traffic to my blog repurposing my blog posts through Twitter and a bi-weekly eNewsletter. I don’t passively wait for traffic. I’ve been proactive in reaching out into a number of online communities where my target audience resides.

“Syndicate your blog content to strategic, high-traffic social sites like your Facebook page, Twitter, LinkedIn, YouTube and iTunes so you can attract new prospects and bring them back to your home base with opportunities for conversion.  Most people miss this easy opportunity to boost visibility and get a lot more traffic.”    Denise Wakeman, online marketing advisor, co-founder of The Blog Squad

Some additional “proactive” traffic building tips:

  • Comment on other blogs.
  • Consistently write valued content and post frequently.
  • Submit your blog to directories
  • Include your blog’s URL in your email signature, link from your Website and all your off-line literature such as business. cards, letterheads and brochures.
  • Build a targeted Twitter following.
  • Automatically publish new posts to your Facebook and LinkedIn accounts.
  • Encourage comments and interaction.
  • Don’t forget SEO. Identify the key words that you want to dominate in search. Be consistent in using key words in your posts titles.
  • Develop relationships with other bloggers but don’t be selfish.
  • Check your blog’s analytics often to make adjustments to your writing.
  • Make your blog mobile friendly.

5. Lack of appreciation for those that are helping promote you

There are scores of people that are willing to be of help to you online but they’ll be quickly turned off if you don’t show appreciation. Your agency’s credibility rests upon what others are saying about you. Be sure to show your love to those who go out of their way to promote your services. Also be willing to reciprocate.

“You can have everything in life that you want if you just give enough other people what they want.” — Zig Ziglar

Additional articles that may be of interest:

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5 Comments | Agency Leadership, New Business Trends, Social Media | Tagged: , , , , , , , | Permalink
Posted by Michael Gass

Overcoming Social Media Writer’s Block

November 30, 2009

If your agency is going to effectively use social media for inbound lead generation then you must have content. You have to develop a system to write even during the of busiest times and also when you have bouts with writers block.

Overcoming social media writer’s block: If you put your focus on what your audience wants to read (rather than what you want to write), the whole game changes — and the shift is in your favor. Dave Navarro, Copyblogger

I’m now going on my third year of writing articles and post for small-to midsize ad agency new business through social media. At last count I’ve written 417 posts. My wife has asked me on numerous occasions what do I have left to write about.

I can honestly say, during all this time, I haven’t struggled with “writers block” until recently. My guess is that I’ve spent so much time online that I needed more offline time to recharge my batteries, gain a fresh perspective and regain my fire and passion for doing this.

I recommend a blog to be the central component for your agency’s social media strategy for inbound lead generation. Let it become the “gateway to your agency.” Content is vital. No doubt you will have periods of “writers block.” I thought I would share my personal insights in overcoming it. I hope these will be a help to you:

There was no getting around the fact that I had to pay my dues in social. The past couple of years I’ve put forth the effort to “catch up” and devised a plan to get a head of the curve just as if I were back in grad school. Which meant nights, weekends, very little time off, with very little time offline, just whatever it took. I know that I can’t continue to do that and I feel that I have developed some good habits that are maintainable but now I need a better diet, exercise, down-time with the family, etc. to recharge my batteries and stay fresh. So time off is important.

With the bouts of writers block and burn out, one of the ways to clear my head was to read. I turn to my Google Reader and my RSS subscriptions. I also rely on some good email newsletters such as The eMarketer Daily, Ragan’s PR Daily, SmartBrief on Social Media and Harvard Business Publishing. I have a great respect for some people within our own industry who are among the first to understand social from an advertising industry perspective. People like: Edward Bosches, Jay Baer,  Jason Falls, Avi Savar. I follow their blogs and connect with them through Twitter and Facebook. My reading keeps me up to date and generates new ideas and keeps my mental juices flowing.

You don’t know what you know until you write it down. That old cliche inspired me when I first started writing and stays in the back of my mind. When I get into a mental fog and have difficulty with writing, I simply write. It helps me to see the forest from the trees, think my way clear. I have over 230 blog post drafts. Some will eventually be published and a good number will never see the light of day, but they were a good mental exercise that helped me to clear my head.

Lack of focus. I’ve been privileged to work with over 50 advertising agencies to assist in developing their positioning, new business pipeline and social media strategy. The ones that have the most difficulty are the ones that lack focus. Reflecting on my recent struggle with content, I think that it was purely a lack of focus. I’ve been working on a plan for next year that I had not completed and felt like I was in a bit of a flux, in a state of limbo and I think that had a direct impact upon my writing. Focus makes the writing so much easier. Especially when you can clearly identify your target audience and you know your objectives.

A shortage of confidence. As I reflect back, this bout with writer’s block started about the time of my Social Media | New Business Round Table retreat with Jaci Russo, Razzor Branding, Stephanie Holland, She-conomy, Park Howell, A Brighter Shade of Green Marketing, S.A. Habib, Blue Collar Branding and John Sonnhalter, Tradesmen Insights.

These are all very talented creative people.To be very candid with you there are times when I have doubts about my own abilities and lose my self confidence. I’ve worked with enough great copy writers to know that I’m not one of them but here I am writing a blog. My readers are very forgiving and kind. For whatever reason, they seem to like what I write and want more. I simply try and provide help and be a resource to them. If I retain that simple formula it seems to work very well.

Most importantly – It is not I want to write about. I have to write about what my audience wants to read. I fully agree with Dave Navarro’s advice, particularly for social media, you have to zone in on what your audience is interested in reading. It’s not what I’m passionate about it’s what their needs are. To know what my audience wants from me, I  have to listen and engage with them.

Quick tips for overcoming “writers block”:

  • Identify a need
  • Create a writing schedule
  • Turn off distractions (TV, iPhone, etc)
  • Set deadlines
  • Research it
  • Nike’s “Just Do It” approach
  • Write. Stop thinking and start writing
  • Keep a list of blog post ideas
  • Connect ideas to your specific audience
  • Find your best time to write
  • When you don’t know what to write, conduct an interview
  • Free write without editing
  • Determine your topic

Additional Writer’s Block Articles:

 

15 Comments | Agency Blogs, Social Media, Time Management | Tagged: , , , , , , , | Permalink
Posted by Michael Gass

Google Sidewiki: Post Comments to Even A Competitor’s Website

September 26, 2009
Google Sidewiki

Google Sidewiki

Another new tool that needs to be on your ad agency’s radar.

Google Sidewiki, which allows you to contribute helpful information next to any webpage or even critical information to a competitors Website. Google Sidewiki appears as a browser sidebar, where you can read and write entries along the side of the page.

Sidewiki, a just-released Google Toolbar feature, is a program that allows you to contribute to any website. User-added info appears as a sidebar beside the page, as Google uses an algorithm to display the most relevant and helpful posts up top.

The key benefits:

  • You can publish helpful information about any webpage from any browser
  • Read insights in context from Sidewiki entries added by others
  • Share Sidewiki entries through Blogger, Facebook, Twitter and Google profiles

See the Sidewiki I created for Jay Baer’s blog, Convince and Convert

Google could eventually put ads in the sidewiki space –monetizing another company’s content

As Jeremiah Owyang points out in a recent post Google’s SideWiki Shifts Power To Consumers –Away From Corporate Websites …

“There’s nothing stopping them from allowing advertisers to put ads on SideWiki as “sponsored” information. For example, Coke could run their latest ads on the Pepsi.com SikeWiki area. HP could run ads on the Dell.com site. This *already* happens in the search engine result pages on Google.com why not in sidewiki?”

I agree with Jason Falls‘ assessment of Sidewiki, It will force every company in the world with a website to get hip to social media and do it now.

If you’re ready to start exploring the web with Google Sidewiki, visit google.com/sidewiki to download Google Toolbar with Sidewiki and contribute your own entries alongside pages on the web.

Additional articles that may be of interest:

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4 Comments | Agency Leadership, New Business Trends, Social Media | Tagged: , , , , , , , , | Permalink
Posted by Michael Gass

“Mindsalt – Magic ’09 Ball” Used to Promote Ad Agency

January 8, 2009

One of my daily reads through my RSS feed reader is Jason Fall’s, Social Media Explorer.  Jason is the director of social media for the agency Doe-Anderson. This morning Jason put me onto a another cleaver ad agency promotion created by  Mindsalt, a branding and PR firm located in Louisville, KY.  

Hopefully ideas such as this will spur you to challenge your agency to create some unique promotional efforts that can become inexpensive viral promotions for your agency.

mindsalt2

mindsalt-2

Click to access the “Mindsalt – Magic ’09 Ball”

 

The full list of predictions can be found on their blog, Pinch of Salt.

If you have a creative agency promotion you would like to share please add it through the comments section of this post.

If You Read This, Tweet This to your Followers

“Mindsalt – Magic ’09 Ball” Used to Promote Ad Agency http://tinyurl.com/8344k9 

 

For the latest agency new business updates subscribe to FUEL LINES by Email

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

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13 Comments | New Business Tips, New Business Tools, New Business Trends, Promotion, Social Media | Tagged: , , , , , , , , | Permalink
Posted by Michael Gass

Comprehensive Resource List for Ad Agency Promotion Online

January 5, 2009

 

Jason Falls, director of social media for Doe Anderson, alerted me to a comprehensive list of internet marketing resources. This is a great resource list as you enlarge your agencies online footprint through online marketing and social media tools. 

Tamar Weinberg, a social media enthusiast with a passion for all things tech, has put painstakingly put together a collection of posts that started in January 2008 and been collected for the past 12 months. This collection deserves to be bookmarked. The list will provide a great resource for your agency’s online promotional efforts.

Best Internet Marketing Posts of 2008

The list categories include:

  • Search Engine Optimization (SEO)
  • Social Media Strategy
  • Twitter
  • Sphinn
  • LinkedIn
  • Digg
  • Wikipedia
  • StumbleUpon
  • Fark
  • Facebook
  • delicious
  • Flickr
  • FriendFeed
  • Blogging
  • Viral Marketing
  • Link Building
  • Reputation Management
  • Analytics
  • Branding
  • Local Search
  • Content Development
  • Web Development
  • Affiliate Marketing
  • Domains and Domaining
  • AdWords/PPC
  • Internet Marketing
  • General Marketing

Two of Tamar’s most popular post for 2008:

 

For the latest agency new business updates subscribe to FUEL LINES by Email

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

twitter / michaelgass

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Fueling Ad Agency New Business

7 Comments | New Business Tools, New Business Trends, Promotion, Social Media | Tagged: , , , , , , , , | Permalink
Posted by Michael Gass

Promoting Your Ad Agency Using Twitter?

October 13, 2008

You can actually promote your ad agency using social media. Agencies such as Off Madison Ave are generating inbound new business leads on a daily basis. Social media is affordable and allows you to test your messages and positioning with your key target audiences. You need to learn how to use these tools and allow your marketing mind to “kick-in” so that you can use them for your clients but also to understand how they can be used to market and promote your agency.

Twitter is a social media tool that I wouldn’t have thought had much application for marketing but I’m now a believer. It is a great marketing tool. I’ve put together a few resources that I thought would be helpful as you explore this tool and learn how it can be used to promote your agency.

This is a great list of Twitter Tools that can enhance your Twitter experience:
140+ Twitter Tools

One of my favorite tools is Tweeter Later. You can keep your Twitter supplied with new tweets even when your not in front of your computer. You have the potential to connect with over 2,000 persons instantly making your blog post, survey, industry or agency news viral. Just keep providing rich content and you will build your following and a great network.

Another tool that has been helpful is Tweet Scan. This tool also provides nice features such as Auto Follow and Auto Reply. Use Twitter Search to find others to connect with. Try typing in “CEO” to see how you can use this tool to build a network of potential clients.

Get others telling your story and recommending your agency.

These are actual Twitters:



Follow me on Twitter at http://twitter.com/michaelgass

Additional ways to promote your ad agency:

18 Comments | New Business Tools, New Business Trends, Social Media, Twitter | Tagged: , , , , , , , , | Permalink
Posted by Michael Gass