digital marketing

Some Sweet Free Consumer Research Tools

Peter · August 24, 2015 · Leave a Comment

I Love Free Consumer Research Tools

I wrote about the new world of free (or virtually free) consumer research on LinkedIn. I discussed how I used Google Consumer Surveys to answer the question, “Have you ever considered retiring in Mexico?” The survey took about 10 minutes to set up and less than 24 hours for me to get 500 responses from my target group of 45 to 65-year olds. Surprisingly, 13% of this target group said yes.

OK, OK, it did cost me $50. But, really 50 bucks for a real survey is virtually free. (Yes, I know that serious researchers will have lots of questions about how Google runs these but, go with the flow.)

Another Google tool I use often (it is especially valuable to prove points in new business pitches) is Google Trends. Google Trends displays search history across the Google world view. Need to convince your client that she should hire Khloe Kardashian for its next social media program? Let Google Trends show you our wonderful world’s interest in this highly talented young woman.

There’s MoreFree Research Just For You

I am sure you know about Survey Monkey. Here are a couple of newbies.

Typeform is an online survey and form builder. From Typeform:

Online forms are an integral, if often unflattering, part of any modern business. By matching your style, both verbally and visually, typeforms transform the way you collect data, so you can put your stamp on what you ask.

What if there was a medium that can be both your promo flyer and your application form? A single tool that builds all sorts of competitions, with the perfect looks for social media. That’s what a typeform is.

Time and resources for developing landing pages, microsites and product presentations are scarce. Your project deserves to make a great first impression, and be ready to interact with visitors from the off.

Free Survey Creator. Surveys… fast.

Tally creates instant polls. Here is an example.

Need Some Help?

I’ve written about the power of research in new business pitches and how-to maximize effectiveness in my book, The Levitan Pitch. Buy This Book. Win More Pitches. By the way… Buy the book and win more new business.

Who Would Invest In Your Advertising Agency?

Peter · August 18, 2015 · 1 Comment

Who Would Invest In Your Advertising Agency?

Sorry. Probably No One.

You are not alone. The vast majority of agencies are not worthy of investment. Would you invest in your competitors? Probably not.

OK, that’s them. What about you? Let’s solve this because a low-value agency to a prospective investor or buyer is a low-value agency to a prospective client. You are not alone if you are a me-too low-value agency. Unfortunately, it comes with the territory of the 2015 ad agency business model. The way out is to be different. Think you can’t do that?

G5 Did.

Way back in 2013, I wrote about Bend, Oregon’s specialist ‘advertising agency’ G5. I wanted to show you, Ms. Agency CEO, that there are advertising agency business models that actually…:

Attract high-margin clients. These are clients that do not need to be mega pitched and really want to love your expertise.

Are more efficient than your project-based approach

Are trully category specific. This is G5’s laser-sharp pitch: “G5 simplifies digital marketing by delivering best-in-class sites, search, and social for Apartments, Self Storage, and Senior Living properties.”

Are unique in a world of me-too agencies.

Leverage the power of digital marketing tech to help client’s grow the agency’s bottom line.

And… increase agency valuations. You do want to sell someday, right?

Way back in 2013 you had to take my word for it. Not anymore. I was right. This kind of agency attracts clients and investment.

G5 Raises $76 Million Investment Led by Peak Equity Partners

Just Read This: Web Design – The First 100 Years

Peter · July 27, 2015 · 1 Comment

Just Read This – Why?

More is not necessarily a good thing. New is not necessarily a good thing. Internet-scale is not necessarily a good thing. That’s my paraphrase of this extremely insightful perspective on our digital world.

Need a bit more to get you reading? From Web Design – The First 100 Years. (I find this paragraph on youth vs. age particularly interesting because I was a member of the team that did the first consumer advertising program for email in 1983 — Easylink from Western Union – yes, Western Union.)

This contempt for the past also ignores the reality of our industry, which is that we work almost exclusively with legacy technologies.

The operating system that runs the Internet is 45 years old.

The protocols for how devices talk to each other are 40 years old.

Even what we think of as the web is nearing its 25th birthday.

Some of what we use is downright ancient—flat panel displays were invented in 1964, the keyboard is 150 years old.

The processor that’s the model for modern CPUs dates from 1976.

Even email, which everyone keeps trying to reinvent, is nearing retirement age.

I cheated by calling this talk ‘Web Design: The First 100 years’ because we’re already nearly halfway there. However dismissive we are of this stuff, however much we insist that it will get swept away by a new generation of better technology, it stubbornly refuses to go. Our industry has deep roots in the past that we should celebrate and acknowledge.

And this… for a good laugh…

So because powerful people in our industry read bad scifi as children, we now confront a stupid vision of the web as gateway to robot paradise.

Here’s Ray Kurzweil, a man who honestly and sincerely believes he is never going to die. He works at Google. Presumably he stays at Google because he feels it advances his agenda.

Google works on some loopy stuff in between plastering the Internet with ads.

Read, think, slow down, enjoy… That’s one of my mantras.

UK Advertising New Business Is Down

Peter · July 23, 2015 · Leave a Comment

News To You? Digital is Up But… “New business on the slide in 2015”

Interested in seeing where the advertising action is these days?

Here are some bellwether numbers from the UK market for January through June 2015.

Digital continues to be the only area (vs. advertising, direct marketing, carrier pigeon) that is moving on up.

I think that a part of this is that ‘everything’ is now digital. And, we don’t really know what the definitions mean anymore. What do I mean? Video and TV have mashed up. Direct marketing has mashed into digital. Media is what… digital +. Integrated means what? Like, don’t digital agencies integrate?

This from Campaign Magazine: