Agency Websites

The Advertising Agency Website Article Of Your Dreams

Peter · March 22, 2015 · Leave a Comment

Getting To The Advertising Agency Website Of Your Dreams

Virtually every advertising agency thinks that they need to redesign their website. This even happens the day after they launch their latest version. This is understandable. The agency built the new site to meet month’s old objectives, they are now bored with the great ideas they had weeks ago and their competitors might have beaten them to some form of design or technology punch. Plus, yous guys are ‘creative’ and lose sleep over every creative decision anyway. It comes with the territory.

9 Free Tools To Build The Website of Your Dreams

To help alleviate anxiety (Or, support it for that matter), here are some tools to help you get started on your next design.

How Is Your Website Performing?

Alexa: Where do you rank? See how WPP’s website kicks Omnicom’s ass.

Woorank: Review your website and its SEO health.

Nibbler: Check out your website… get results on code quality, social interest, marketing, etc.

Need Some Fresh Content Ideas?

Ad Agency New Business & Speed

Peter · March 11, 2015 · 1 Comment

Ad Agency New Business Needs Speed

I am writing up an agency positioning recommendation for an agency client. To get there, I am looking at a lot of agency websites and agency descriptions. I have to admit that I just got sidetracked by yet another ad agency Contact page that goes off the rails (see past thinking on Contact pages.)

I just visited the website of San Francisco’s Forty Forty agency. Nice website (as in it delivers a bold, “we are creative” message.) However, their Contact page makes two key mistakes; it looks like virtually every other agency out there (most Contact pages look alike) and… Forty Forty’s page has a big gaff I have to highlight. They seem to not want to get back to a new business client quickly. Here is what they say.

New Business Inquiries

Fill out the form below and we’ll get back to you as quick as we can.

Huh? “As quick as we can”? Shouldn’t they sound active and hungry and interested in new clients? This might just be a poor choice of words. But, they have that damn form (why a form?) and then don’t go down the road of being speedy. If I were an interested client, I’d rather see an active message like: “Looking for a new agency, call our CEO Bob Johnson at 415-555-1234 today.”

The Speed Drill

Act like you want the call – now. Sound very interested and like you really want to hear from new clients. Tell the prospective client that you will get back to them TODAY.

Make your Contact page friendly. Friendly is a good thing. This is especially critical in a situation where your website may be the determining factor in whether or not a client will contact you. Contact — is not a given. You need to earn it.

While you are at it, sound and look different from other agencies.

Mitch Joel On The Art Of Ad Agency Social Media

Peter · January 16, 2015 · 1 Comment

Twist Image’s Mitch Joel On The Art of Ad Agency Social Media As A Business Development Tool

And… Writing Like Crazy Since 2003

Quick note. It is 1 January 2018 and Mitch just served up his 599th podcast. He started blogging in 2003. That is what I call some serious focus and consistency. This is how to run social media.

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Here is an interview with Mitch Joel as a counterpoint to his interviewing me for his “6 Pixels of Separation” podcast.

Mitch is President of the WPP Montreal-based agency Twist Image – one of the largest independent digital marketing agencies in North America. Mitch is the most prolific user of social media in the agency world. In addition to his podcast, he authors the agency’s blog, has written two books (with a third on the way), writes for the “Harvard Business Review” and “Huffington Post”, has over 64,000 @mitchjoel Twitter Followers and speaks at major conferences.

Peter: When did you start blogging?

Mitch: I started blogging in 2003. The spirit of it came from my pedigree and background in publishing, media and writing. When I saw the blogging platform come out, it was Blogger at the time, I thought that blogging would be a different and unique way for our agency to do some form of thought leadership. Although, I didn’t call it ‘thought leadership’ at the time.

We were there at the early days of digital becoming something in marketing. It just seemed like the right, comfortable fit for me. Then I got very addicted. I publish eight hundred to a thousand words every day. I couldn’t tell you logically why I do this. I don’t check my stats. I do it because I like to write and there happens to be a publish button.

You’re up to four hundred and forty-four podcasts. Why did you move into podcasting in addition to such prolific blogging?

Blogging + Interpersonal Chemistry Drives Ad Agency New Business

Peter · January 13, 2015 · 1 Comment

This is my 400^th blog post. Why 400? I Am Driving Interpersonal Chemistry.

First of all, I enjoy writing. I started this blog when I published my first book, “Boomercide: From Woodstock To Suicide”. The blog also supports the marketing of my agency consultation business and my second book, “The Levitan Pitch. Buy This book. Win More Pitches”.

Beyond the fun of writing and expressing my views on the advertising industry, the blog’s primary purpose is to act as my main marketing vehicle for my ad agency new business consultancy (and marketing ‘guinea pig’ to learn more to help my clients).

Last year, 32,111 people visited the blog and viewed 70,202 pages. My blog posts were marketed across LinkedIn, Twitter, Facebook and in guest blog posts on websites like AdPulp, Agency Post (now HubSpot) and Advertising Week.

The blog, guest posts and my book on pitching have also made me new friends that have helped expand the reach of my marketing program. Guest blogging got me a speaking gigs at conferences like HubSpot’s Inbound conference and the publication of my book made friends like Mitch Joel who invited me to be a guest on his 9-year-old “6 Pixels of Separation” podcast. Mitch has over 64,000 Twitter followers.

Michael Gass of Fuel Lines advertising agency new business fame gave me this great review (which he promoted onto his 71,000 followers)

I possibly have read every book about agency pitches and none come close to the rich, detailed information and guidance that you will find in this book, The Levitan Pitch. Buy This Book. Win More Pitches, written by Peter Levitan. The book lives up to its title. I highly recommend that every advertising, digital, media and PR agency principal read it. (Yes, go ahead, you can Tweet this.)

All of this activity resulted in my working with advertising agency clients on three continents. As you can see, the blog has been read in virtually every country. I even had 5 views in Syria. [Read more…] about Blogging + Interpersonal Chemistry Drives Ad Agency New Business