Fueling Ad Agency New Business
In recent studies, agencies have expressed that new business is more difficult than ever before, but it doesn’t have to be. Don’t get me wrong, new business has historically been a problem for agencies. Most small to midsize agencies have no positioning and no point of differentiation. They look and sound the same. They are […]
If you are charged with developing a new business program for a small to midsize advertising, digital, media or PR agency, then this article is for you. I’ve often found that new business development people often lack experience. They also usually have responsibilities other than developing new business. If this is your situation, I’ve pulled […]
Small-to midsize ad agencies tend to constantly promote how they are alike rather than how they are different from other agencies. They tend to look and sound just the same. It’s time to unlevel the playing field. To have success with social media, agencies need to fly a differentiated social media flag.
Ad Age recently conducted its first-ever Small Agency Conference in New Orleans. They brought together a great group of group of speakers that shared their expertise delivering rich nuggets of information from the importance of having a unique agency culture; how to attract the best talent in the marketplace; using creativity to boost the bottom line; to the nuts and bolts of new business and getting the win.
With almost 500 post on this blog, I thought it would be good to publish this top 50 post list. I’ve assembled the “best of” FUEL LINES agency new business articles based upon analytics of site visitors and their comments.
A lot of people who led new business programs in the past who don’t know how to do it now. The job of ad agency new business directors is becoming very difficult and complex. A significant paradigm shift is taking place that impacts how ad agencies acquire new business and the knowledge and skills agency new business rainmakers need to make it happen:
Small-to mid-size ad agencies should do for themselves what they do for their clients: develop a clear positioning that builds on the agency’s distinctive strengths, differentiates the agency from its competitors, and makes the agency powerfully appealing to prospective clients.
“More and more advertisers are leading their agencies into new media, not the other way around,” and that “clients are the ones who are personally and professionally experimenting with new media forms and directing their agencies to look into them.”
“When I started out in this business in the mid 80’s as an assistant product manager at The Frito-Lay Company, we expected our advertising agencies to be innovative and inform us about what was hip and cool – now it appears to be the other way around,” she wrote in the ANA blog.
One of the most effective forms of communications for ad agencies is a public relations strategy. The right PR strategy can properly position your agency in the minds of your prospective audience. Don Beehler, founder of ABC & D Communications recently wrote an article regarding the need for a consistent PR effort for ad agency new business.
A recessionary period is a great time to promote your agency an increase your market share and profits.
Michael Gass, Business Development Consultant | Speaker | Author of Fuel Lines
Fuel Lines provides new business resources for Advertising, Digital, Media and PR Agencies.
It has been rated among the top 100 marketing blogs in the world, according to Ad Age’s Power 150.
Since 2007, Michael has helped pioneer the use of social media, inbound and content marketing strategies specifically for agency new business.
Read more about Michael
An essential component to your agency's new business program is a prospective client data base.
In my opinion one of the most accurate online database of marketing and advertising decision makers is Winmo. I highly recommend them.
I'm Michael Gass, I'm an author, speaker and a new business consultant to advertising, digital, media and PR agencies.
Since 2007, I have helped pioneer the use of social media, inbound and content marketing strategies specifically for agency new business.
Fuel Lines is my social media 'home-base. It has been ranked among the top 100 marketing blogs in the world, according to Advertising Age’s, The Power 150.
Learn more about me