Insights

The Ultimate Test Of A Great Marketing Agency

Peter · November 27, 2017 · Leave a Comment

The Ultimate (Litmus) Test Of A Great Marketing Agency

Smart marketing agencies reevaluate their brand, sales prop and business objectives every year. This evaluation is the ultimate way to answer How are we doing? Is the industry passing us by? Are we set up for 2018 or 2019? Are we happy? Should we change?

Sorry to be so simplistic. But, as you head towards 2018, ask yourself how you will make $$$ (more $$$) in 2018. It’s a great challenge and now is the time for evaluation and planning.

Here are some questions to get your engine rocking.

Do you re-evaluate your goals? Do you have the right staff? Client compensation system? I’d do this on an annual basis. Here is some smart thinking on compensation from down under.
Has your business (what you do) and client base (who you do it for) shifted in the past couple of years (digital would be a change driver)? If so, what planning can you do to take advantages of new market opportunities?
Do you ask your clients for feedback? As in “How are we doing / what can we do to make you happier?” I used the net promoter score when I owned my agency.
Have you evaluated your brand position and sales proposition lately? Maybe its time to morph. Is your market morphing?
Ask what is and is not working with your business development program? I hope you test your specific efforts and platforms? Do more of what works, less of what doesn’t.

You should be entering a time when you can take some time off to clear your head. Read up on best practices, read a book on marketing (I am reading Scott Adam’s Win Bigly;. It’s about Trump and the art of persuasion – love him or not, he persuaded a lot of people to buy into him) OR! just let go for a few hours. Being an advertising agency, design agency, digital agency, experiential agency, marketing agency is always a mix of serious fun and, well, some angst.

Talk

I talk to lots of agencies. Many just want one or two insights – I learn from them as well. Some become my clients, some don’t. I still like the conversation. Take me up on my Corleone Offer. Go ahead, just do it.

Updated Big Advertising Resources List

Peter · November 8, 2017 · Leave a Comment

Here’s An Updated Big Advertising Resources List

Hi, just wanted you to see that I added a few new links to my Big Advertising Resources List. You’ve used the list before, correcto?

The Updates

13 Creative Ways To Find Blog Post Ideas. Super smart list from Authority Hacker. This will help you find new and exciting blog ideas. Frankly, it isn’t that easy to keep being super fresh, interesting and high value when you have zillions of earlier blog posts. Authority Hacker will help make that job a lot easier.
Canva. A free tool that makes it easy to create custom graphics to go with your social media posts. I love this.
Engagio. Want to grow your advertising agency? Engagio’s Account Based marketing will tell you how to do that. OK, here’s the drill. if you know what clients you want for your advertising agency then go get them. Engagio will tell you how to do that. I call it Super Smart Sales Pressure or SSSP.
An in-depth Entrepreneurship and Small Business Resource Guide from Job Hero. A BIG list.

Hope you enjoy the big list and get smarter, better, more good looking.

A Marketing Email Program With Personality

Peter · November 7, 2017 · 4 Comments

Yup, Your Marketing Email Program Can Have Personality

Me-Too is bad. Different is good. Boring is bad. Personality is good. Here are some ideas about building a marketing email program that works harder by delivering some cool personality. For your readers and for your advertising agency.

How many marketing or information emails do you get? I get a lot. To be clear, I am talking about both direct marketing emails (the unsolicited kind) and email newsletters that I have subscribed to. In both cases, I am a hell of a lot more interested if the email has some personality. Most don’t. This brings me to The Hustle.

Hustle On Brothers and Sisters

Below is the copy of a “Thank You For Subscribing” email that I got from the HUSTLE. As the Hustlers say:

Your smart, good looking friend that sends you an email each morning with all the tech and business news you need to know for the day.

I urge you to go through the entire sign-up process to see how these guys use personality to stand out and make love to you (don’t worry, it is easy.)

The full email.

Want More Of Not Boring? AKA A Marketing Email Program With Personality…

The HUSTLE doesn’t stop at just sending you your daily email. They want you to refer friends. Below, again, is what their website page looks like after you’ve subscribed. The copy is below the image.

A question, do you add a refer your friends’ message to your agency emails? You should. Note how the Hustle even promotes/incites/entices you to tell your friends… That’s what we call asking for referrals.

OK, before I leave you, my point is that even a simple email system can have personality.

Be not bland my friends. Be active.

The above website referral page copy:

I used to read the news, but let’s be honest: that crap is dry and you only read it because you feel kinda like you should if you want to be a “good” adult. If you want a quick, blah-blah-blah sounding scoop on big world news today, your robot pal Alexa or the New York Times app can do that for you in a jiffy. But for a daily news email that’s funnier, punnier, less political, more relevant, and 200% guaranteed to make you sound more interesting at dinner parties and/or during Tinder dates, you HAVE to get on board with The Hustle. Like, now. Sign up today and tell me I’m right tomorrow.

Hey, want to hear more about advertising agency email marketing? From someone who started an email program in 1996 – yes, 1996. And, used it to get clients like Nike, Nabisco, and Radiohead.

Don’t be shy…

San Miguel de Allende Favors Are Good

Peter · October 13, 2017 · 1 Comment

Favors Are Good – Favores Están Bien

I live in San Miguel de Allende Mexico. It’s a very famous town these days thanks to articles like this #1 city in the world kinda crazy thing from Travel & Leisure. I guess that this is a good thing, a favor to us, but hey, the Centro traffic can get a bit out of control on weekends.

OK, here is my favor request. Come on down and take a photography class from my friends at Seek Workshops. You’ll get two benefits – you will wind up taking better photographs and they’ll give you an insider’s look at San Miguel. From Seek:

Our one-week intensive photo workshops in beautiful San Miguel de Allende, Mexico will challenge you, inspire you, and lead you to new creative directions in your work. Explore our offerings for 2017-2018—ranging from Documentary and Street Photography to the Zen of Seeing— and prepare to evolve. In addition to our workshops listed here, we offer individual mentoring and one-on-one instruction.

As one of the primary benefits of being based here in San Miguel full-time, we can also create a wide range of customized workshop experiences to accommodate your group’s travel schedule.

Head over to Seek’s website and get one more bene… You’ll see a sweet video about Anado Mclaughlin and The Chapel of Jimmy Rae by the National Geo photographer & filmmaker Bob Krist. Yes, the chapel is otherworldly. But, that’s what living at 6,000 feet and drinking lots of mezcal will get you. If you do come down, I’ll do you a favor and I’ll show you a sweet mosaic that Anado did in my house’s courtyard. You also do yourself a favor by actually visiting the Chapel of Jimmy Rae… you will never forget this psychedelic art experience.

If for any reason the video is taken down, go here.