ad agency

5 Things Ad Agency CEO’S Need To Do

Peter · May 13, 2013 · Leave a Comment

Just 5 Things (To Start)

A few years ago, long after Google’s AdWords started to eat ad dollars, I asked a few ad agency CEO’s if they had ever placed an online Google ad. The unanimous answer was… no.

Two nights ago, I asked a similar group if they had ever used a CMS tool like WordPress. The answer… (OK, getting better) was about 30%. (Um, that might be a bit optimistic).

30% is good but not great. I think that this lack of CEO curiosity and hands-on experience is a significant problem. How can CEO’s talk social media, digital media and advertising disruption if they haven’t used the disrupting technology themselves?

So, what should these CEO’s do? Pick a rainy weekend day and play with the Internet.

Go Forth And Tweet

Open a Twitter account, create a simple profile (look at mine for example @peterlevitan) and seriously post for a couple of weeks. Find out what is involved in creating this real-time marketing tool. It isn’t that difficult and you can even use a publishing system like Buffer or a RSS reader like Feedly.com to automatically Tweet about websites that you find. It couldn’t be easier. Use key words and hash tags to drive views (these are those #’s that can look like #advertising for example if you want to actually target Twitter users that follow advertising.) If after a couple of weeks you love it, sense that you might want to participate in your agency’s Twitter feed then work on your Twitter plan. If you just wanted to see what Twitter felt like, then close your account and now your can truthfully tell people that you really get Twitter.

Blog On

Ask your blog meister to show you how to create blog posts using your CMS system. CMS stands for content management system, but you already knew that. You’d be surprised how easy posting is. The hard part is doing it with consistency and having an actual agency blog strategy that results in a blog that drives agency business. This process should help you gain insight into the strategic opportunities that an agency blog offers. Ask yourself if your agency blog is targeting prospective clients, your industry, your staff or…. well, given how much time blogging takes, figure just who is the target audience after all?

Place A Google Ad

Ask virtually anyone in the agency to take you through the process of creating and targeting a Google AdWords text ad. Google AdWords was the major source of Google’s $42.5 billion in 2012 ad revenues. You really should understand all about this advertising channel. The only way to really get a handle on it is to place an ad. A suggestion. Pick a prospective client and target them. See what happens.

Try Facebook Or LinkedIn

Both Facebook and LinkedIn have very easy to use self-serve advertising tools. Within minutes you could create and place a targeted an ad for your agency that links back to your Facebook, LinkedIn or agency website. You’ll see what works by using their analytical tools. The dry cleaner down the block does this. You can too – believe me.

Go Geek

Speaking of analytics, I’ll assume that your agency website uses an analytical tool like Google Analytics. There is a lot of learning residing in your traffic data. Take a look who is visiting your website, where they are coming from, if they are using a computer or mobile device (this can be surprising), what keywords they used to find you, how much time they are spending on the website and so much more. Its strangely addictive and very revealing and you’ll be on your way to becoming an SEO genius.

There are more things that you, and I mean you, could be doing. But, just start here and you’ll sound brilliant at lunch with your colleagues or next agency network meeting.

By the way, I can help you figure out your social media strategy. Well, what I mean is help you create a plan that uses social media to actually drive agency new business. Talk to me.

OK, OK… Here Is Oner More

Guest blog on high traffic websites to get your agency and yourself out there much fur=ther than you could on your advertising agency blog.

I did and it got me: more new agency clients; speaking gigs; fame and cash. Here is a post on why guest blogging is for you (even if you use a ghost writer).

The Advertising Resource List…

Hey, go here to see lots of online resources you can use to grow your business and personal brand right here…

2 Reasons Ad Agencies Fail At New Business

Peter · May 7, 2013 · 1 Comment

You would think that most advertising agencies want to grow and understand that marketing is the way to get what they want. My discussions with ad agencies indicate that less than 50% (and I am being kind) have comprehensive business development plans to create new business programs. This is a major FAIL that is easily rectified with some brain + elbow grease

But, wait… there’s more: the super smart folks at RSW/US report that …

From our report, “79%+ of Marketers say it is “very important” to come to an initial meeting with thoughts about their business and/or smart questions to show they have interest. ”

And, get this:

And yet: “Only a little over 12% of Marketers say that Agencies “always” come to the table prepared in a way that isn’t about the Agency.”

How could this be possible? I’m flummoxed. Arriving prepared and looking interested and hungry to early client prospect meetings is critical. Image all the work that is required to get your in the client’s room in the first place and then to show up empty headed??? Here are the RSW/US charts:

If your agency is stalled go here, read about my programs and call me up. I can help you grow by planning a smart active agency new business program. I bet I’ve been doing it longer than your agency.

Is Likeable Media The Best Social Media Agency?

Peter · May 6, 2013 · Leave a Comment

Likeable is a Good Thing.

I just wrote a blog post for Agency Post on the social media agency Likeable Media. I like Likeable media because they make themselves so likeable. Most agencies don’t try that hard at being liked. Personally, I think that you can project a professional image and be liked at the same time. It’s so social.

Likeable has a very strategic approach to how they present the agency and its messaging across what seems to be every social media channel. As I write in the post…

I’ve liked watching Likeable for the past seven years because it aggressively walks the social media walk. I view them as an instructive benchmark for how an agency should be using integrated social media as a high-energy business development platform.

If you need some proof of their success, Likeable’s Alexa website ranking (lower is better) is 89,889, while BBDO’s is 256,867 and Saatchi & Saatchi’s is 185,871. Both agencies are decades older than Likeable.

In addition to having a very well-developed agency story (its, yes, Likeable, cute and memorable in a very sweet human way that’s rare for agencies), Likeable is everywhere:

SlideShare (67 SlideShares)

Facebook (32,000 Likes)

YouTube (137,000 views)

Pinterest (2 Pinterest sites)

Tumblr.

Google+ (a rather Google friendly social tool that most agencies ignore)

Twitter (29,000 Followers)

Vine

iTunes

On their website with their active Blog and White Papers

Even Amazon where they sell their two social media best sellers

You can find out about even more things that I like by talking with me. Just click here for my Vito Corleone offer.