Agency Websites

13 Steps To Building A Well-Read Ad Agency Blog

Peter · December 4, 2018 · Leave a Comment

What Is The Purpose Of My Ad Agency Blog?

If you run an ad agency blog – or any other word-centric social media platform – you will often ask yourself the difficult question, “What should I write about today? What pearls of wisdom will get us more attention?” Despite blogging for 15 years, I ask this all the time. It is like having an editorial meeting in my head.

The blog you are currently reading has, with this, 651 individual posts. The vast majority are spot on dedicated to one primary subject… ad agency business development. This dedication has yielded me page one positions for my keywords on Google. Good news, Google is the main driver of my consultancy’s awareness and business.

What To Write About? Where To Start?

The first success-oriented objective of a blog is getting traffic. To get there, business blogs need to be focused. With a billion blogs and opinions out in the world, being a generalist will not cut it. This is especially true in the advertising space where agencies often regurgitate the same, as in, similar, subject matter.

To really kick it, you need a solid plan. I suggest using the same type of creative or media brief you use for your clients. Clarify and agree on the following:

Nail your blog’s objectives. Is it general awareness (if so, you better act-up a bit more like Gary Vaynerchuck)? Do you want to own a category i.e. pet products? A technology like mobile advertising? Your city?
Nail your target market. Is it current or future clients? Your staff? Future employees?
Have systems for finding new subjects. I read the trade press. I read my competition. I get off topic sometimes. But, I always have my eyes and ears open to even accidentally hear about a smart blog subject. A smart, traffic-generating, subject like this: What Should I Write About On My Ad Agency Blog?
Have a point of view. Have some attitude. Please. That means having some personality. A voice. People tell me that I write the way I talk. It works for me. I write good stuff but I do not sound too serious.
If you have multiple authors, agree on some parameters.
Create a scheduled content plan. Schedule out three or so months of subject matter on your content calendar. However, pay attention to today’s hot topics. Example, Facebook and privacy is really heating up as I write. L2’s Scott Galloway has a strong opinion… do you?
Understand your frequency. When I started blogging a few years ago, I wrote two or more times a week. Today, once a week sustains Google’s attention and gooses its algorithm.
Vary your content. You will need to must have a bunch of 1,000-word posts (to look like an authority) as well and shorter punchier posts. Add photographs and videos.
Do expert interviews. A 15-minute interview recorded and then transcribed by companies like Rev.com yields the fastest easiest way to build content. The interviews from my book on pitching are also up on this blog.
Repurpose your content as in amplifying it. Why just have your thoughts on the blog – re-post it as a long white paper (and vice versa). Take a blog post and turn it into a LinkedIn article. Amplify! Have this in your plan.
Promote what you write. The idea that, “If I build it, they will come” is a recipe for disaster. Promote the blog on your website 9make it easy to find), in your emails, on your social sites, etc.
Marketing 101! Make the blog a sales tool. This is a key reason you have it, right? Make an offer to your readers can’t resist that will get them to subscribe.
Be very patient. Let’s face it, the world is not looking for another ad agency blog. However, the world is looking for relevant information that will make them smarter via insights and answers to their marketing questions — and even resolves their insecurities.

The blogger’s bottom line(s)… Nobody automatically loves you can and you can count the ones that do

Just realize that the world is not waking up every morning to read your blog. Give the people something they want to read. Serve it up in ways they will find it. A great ad agency blog will attract website views, will help sell you POV and will act as a powerful marketing tool.

One more bottom line… pay close attention to your blog’s analytics. I use both Google Analytics and my WordPress stats. Not surprising, my very targeted ad agency blog post, Cures For Poor Advertising Agency Profits is a hot seller this month.

Your Ad Agency Name And Getting Found

Peter · October 30, 2018 · Leave a Comment

Your Ad Agency Name

I am about to make two points. One is about the value of an ad agency name. The second is how to get future clients to find, notice and love you.

How is your ad agency name doing for ya? Is it memorable? Does it create some brand power? Does it describe what you do? Does it just sound ‘cool’? Does it help grow your agency?

Frankly, I do not think that a name matters that much. Sure, it probably shouldn’t be too complex, or too cute (though many are very cute) and it should be memorable in some way (there are, after all, 4,000 plus “agenceis” to choose from.)

By the way, head over to my two-part post on how to name your agency (or even help a client with their name). This post has been read over 31,000 times. Crazy!

An ‘Ad Agency Name Generator’ = Borrowed Interest To Get Found

I don’t know about you, but I get a few emails a month from people asking me if I take guest posts on this blog. This week I got a request from an ad agency name generator. I said no – but I like the website.

The ad agency name generator. Actually, it is called Business Name Generator. Like most automated web-based generator tools it is kinda fun to play with. That said, it could actually offer you some (LOL) branding ideas.

I played with the tool and came up with a few names just for you should you want to rename your agency or need a fresh one for your new gig. Here are a few for inspiration or just laughs.

I got to these random names by searching on: “ad agency”…

Poke
Woop
Velocity
Surge
Gorilla
Rogue
Tiger
Kick
Quicksilver
Ricochet

OK, I’ll stop (and, yes, some of these are already in use). Hey, go play.

Drive Traffic

The Business Name Generator tool is interesting since it is really a website designed to sell domains – not ad business names. The Name Generator is just a smart traffic generating hook. The website also has these other name generators: Blog Name Generator; Podcast Name; Startup Name; Product Name, etc. to target people looking for these other names. Of course, hopefully, once they find the name they’ll go buy the URL.

I love the idea of using a list, or relevant resources or some other form of bait to get people to pay attention to what you are selling.

A ‘Leadership’ Idea

No question: a clear way to own a marketing or brand category is to look and sound like the leader. The right name could do this (maybe not.) Blogs do this, kinda. Well, if you can actually break out of blog-subject-clutter and are willing to commit to single expert subjects. However, this takes a lot of time to get traction.

A suggestion… Build the go-to data-driven category directory – possibly a stand-alone website/microsite. Become positioned as a leader that is the category information resource. This acts as a nice magnet.

Consider doing what tiny Growth Supply does. This simple information website delivers “All Free Tools For Entrepreneurs and Startups”. This directory get views — as a result, it has a very high USA Alexa ranking at 152,734 vs., for example, the New York agency Barton F. Graf at 348,470. By the way, what is your ad agency rank?

Think about your agency and a resource tool. An ad agancy brand that actually owns a category via an information resource a can rule.

What could it look like? Build a database marketing / brand category / industry directory & resource that lists:

The ultimate resource for news on database marketing
Industry news websites.
Industry events. Global and regional.
Industry awards.
Related ‘ marketing idea’ websites.
Review websites.
Industry research – primary and secondary.
Category advertising history websites.
And, on…

Keep it up to date with new listings. There is something new every week that a brand might find interesting.

Pay an intern to do this ‘fill in the blanks’ work.

Become THE resource… a resource that gets shared.

A brand that actually owns a category like database-marketing can be the ultimate resource.

Just food for thought.

By the way, I have a resource list – and it gets viewed and shared: The Big Advertising Agency Resource List.

Does Your Advertising Agency Do Content Marketing Right?

Peter · July 2, 2018 · 1 Comment

Is Your Advertising Agency A Savvy Content Marketer?

I’ve read acres of advertising agency content (blogs, white papers, videos, on LinkedIn, etc.). Some rock and some suck. Many agencies, once they have stellar content, do not put in the effort to spread the wealth. As in, they do not amplify their brilliant thinking across a range of social media and traditional marketing platforms. This is a missed efficiency driver. Here’s a how to maximize your hard content building work.

To be clear, ‘content’ means the stuff that agency’s use to deliver their insightful thought leadership programs which are designed to sell the agency’s brains, expertise and to drive inbound visits and interest. Just for the hell of it, here is the definition of content from Google…

A type of marketing that involves the creation and sharing of online material (such as videos, blogs, and social media posts) that does not explicitly promote a brand but is intended to stimulate interest in its products or services.

Here is another well-crafted definition from the Content Marketing Institute…

Content marketing is a strategic marketing approach focused on creating and distributing valuable, relevant, and consistent content to attract and retain a clearly defined audience — and, ultimately, to drive profitable customer action.

Great Content: Part One

One of the best content marketing companies I’ve visited/read is TrinityP3 an Australian-based global marketing management consultancy with offices on four continents. TrinityP3 is a primary thought leader in the advertising client and agency space.

Darren Woolley, founder and Global CEO, along with Mike Morgan, are the driving force behind TrinityP3. To date, they have hundreds of blog posts covering a wide range of subjects including agency management, agency search, compensation, media buying, procurement, and scope of work and, even infographics. I’m talking lots of content. [Read more…] about Does Your Advertising Agency Do Content Marketing Right?

Amsterdam Is Fun

Peter · May 27, 2018 · Leave a Comment

KesselsKramer Makes Amsterdam Fun

Yeah, you know Amsterdam is fun. I’ve just had that confirmed: spring weather; the gorgeous canals; tall blondes; really fine design; marijuana is legal (but, I am from Portland so who cares.) And the two best photography museums I’ve been to. Foam and Huis Marseilles. I’ll put links to them at the bottom.

Getting to the real point… there is an Amsterdam agency that has never been boring. Never been unignorable. From their website history to their publications, they act different.

Different in a world of zillions of agencies. This is a good thing.

KesselsKramer

On my first day in Amsterdam, I took a random walk and found an excellent photography bookstore that had books by Erik Kessels, one of KesselsKramer’s founders. I already own a couple from his series In Almost Every Picture. My books include a flat-headed rabbit and a woman that never gets out of her car. Erik’s books are mostly sold out but you can find some on the KesselsKramer website and on Amazon.

Back To Fun

I’ve written about KesselsKramer’s approach to acting and looking and sounding different (rare in the agency world). This was way apparent when they had an ever-changing website plus an absurdist angle. You can see my take on their approach here.

The agency’s current website is tamer. However, take a hard look and you’ll see that these guys understand the power of the different thing. This makes it way easier for a future client or employee to want to make contact. Yo, good vibes and contact are what an agency website is all about.

Why is fun excluded from the way most agencies represent themselves? This has always baffled me. Sure agencies need to be serious as they help marketers market and have to be prudent with client budgets. But, unlike accountants, agencies can offer a bit of humor, fun and even sound a bit over the top creative. Afterall, creativity and fun are what the client organization does not have.

Things I like:

Clean, simple graphic approach.

To the point agency description: “Established in 1996, KesselsKramer is an independent communications agency in Amsterdam, London and now in Los Angeles with about 50 people of 10 different nationalities. We bring brands and communities together by creating meaningful experiences in every media imagined.”

Need more? Here is what the L.A. office says (Hmm, I’d like to meet and eat with these guys.): “KK Los Angeles is a communications agency, original content studio and art gallery all under one roof. We set up shop in the heart of gallery row in Chinatown and promise to blur the lines between culture, commerce, content and collaboration.”

KK leads with the work. (Though, I am not a huge fan of carousels.)

Their work + cases make me want to work with them. Here is one sweet client case + work. It’s for ONZV, a healthcare insurer. Not the usual.

The Exhibitions and Publishing sections deliver proof that this is not your ordinary agency. Please dig in. When many agencies think that brewing their own beer is the cool thing to do, KK has been a serious member of the Amsterdam art scene for years.

Read their 100 FAQ’s.

The Photography Bookshop & Museums

Foam and Huis Marseilles.

PhotoQbookshop.

Yup, Amsterdam is fun. Especially the art.

3D Ad Agency New Business Marketing

Peter · May 7, 2018 · Leave a Comment

Ad Agency Marketing Is Holistic, Interconnected and 3D.

Brilliant ad agency marketing leads to searches that lead to your agency. Today these searches are much more 3D and, often, chaotic than you think.

Let’s imagine that you are the Marketing Director of Estee Lauder and you’ve just decided you need an ad agency to revitalize your women’s magazine program. Yes, magazines like Vogue still live. Before you go out and find an agency search consultant, you pull out your laptop and do a bit of research. You will use one or more of a combination of search tactics like getting referrals from like-minded marketing experts, you’ll review agencies that are current award winners, you’ll read ADWEEK and AdAge lists and on. You might even Google, “best women’s advertising agencies.” Believe me, having once been the CEO of two ad agency client companies, finding the right marketing partner isn’t easy.

Whatever the Marketing Director has done to get to a short list, her next stop is the agency’s website. I’ve written lots about how to build sales-oriented agency websites. However, I want to get a step beyond the website. It is a step I use whenever an ad agency client prospect contacts me. I take a look at their “about” / people page and then go to LinkedIn to get a bit more up close and personal about the agency’s key players. If I am interested, I’ll also check out the leader or employee’s Facebook page and Twitter feed. Here’s a duh… personal branding is critical these days. And, since an ad agency is made of its moving parts, in this case, its people, why wouldn’t Ms. Lauder check out the people’s brands and stories too. By the way, people chemistry is a key element in agency selection.

Best Practices: LinkedIn, Facebook, Twitter, and Personal Brands.

I often see a total lack of consistency between the way an ad agency projects its image and the images that its people project.

Look, I get it. We are all individuals. But, there is a team benefit to being consistent – in key areas.

I think that agencies should have a set of best practices and agency-related branding guidelines for their key player’s personal branding with respect to their company’s branding. While we have all read about how to set up a killer social media profile, for example, chances are very good that some key players have simply not optimized their profile. This means, they simply do not look good to the outside world, including you, hopefully, next new client.

While an employee owns their own brand (and, of course, might actually be using their LinkedIn page to find their next job), each employee should at least sound and look like they work at your agency. Here are some examples of what I mean.

All related LinkedIn, etc. sites should have the latest agency branding (graphics and other branding devices.)
There needs to be some consistency in how the employee describes the agency.
It would be nice if the employee had one or more client Recommendations.
The profiles should be complete. I am not going to get into the art of personal branding. But, someone at the agency needs to do a review of the key people.
Last point, no you should not be the personal branding police. But, you do need to control your agency brand. Review your group’s personal brands and make sure that each person is aware of how you want your company represented.

Holistic Marketing.

In today’s marketing world, everything matters. Everything you do brands the agency. How you answer your phone, your agency email signatures, your position on Google, your relationship with the search community, your blog posts, all of your magnet sites including The Creative Ham. You know what I’m talkin about.

And…. how you look in your employee’s world. It all adds up.

If you want, give me a shout and I’ll use our Corleone moment to help you do a quick review.