FUEL LINES Fueling Ad Agency New Business Through Social Media

Ad Mavericks Ad Agency Blog of the Month for October

Michael Gass — Fri, 06 Nov 2009 13:54:38 +0000

Ad Mavericks (514 votes), Lessing-Flynn Advertising, one of the oldest advertising agencies in the country, located in Des Moines, IA, has been selected as Fuel Lines’ Ad Agency Blog of the month for October. Media Two Point {OH}!, Media Two Interactive, Raleigh, NC, was second in the voting with a very impressive 334 votes. Check out the voting results for the 45 agency blogs submitted: Twtpoll results.

In their own words, how they did it:

We direct messaged key people that we had an established Twitter relationship with. For the most part, these people had the following attributes:

1. Large Twitter following

2.Previous engagement with the AdMavericks – We tweeted back and forth or retweeted something the other had said.

3. People we’ve met at conferences, parties or networking events.

4. Are passionate about Des Moines business, Iowa business and the Midwest as a place of innovation and growth.

About 30 direct messages were sent in total asking for support.
At least 50 retweets (that I saw) appeared on Twitter
Over 600 people visited our blog on Monday – our 2nd busiest day all time.

“We can’t thank the Iowa Tweeps enough for the ridiculous support this week.”

Congrats to Ad Mavericks authors: Jess Held, Tom Flynn, Joshua Flemming, Bellana Putz and Spencer Anderson. Your agency’s blog will be featured on Fuel Lines through the month of November and also included in the voting for Fuel Lines’ Ad Agency Blog of the Year.

You will appreciate some of the fun jabs Ad Mavericks and Two Point {HO!} threw at one another during this campaign (be sure and watch the videos):

Follow AdMavericks:

Lessing Flynn’s Facebook Fan Page
Twitter: @AdMavericks

Submit your favorite ad agency blog to be considered for Blog of the Month for September.

Check out these Agency Blog of the Month winners:

September: Brand Cottage

August: AgencyNet

July: The Russo Group

June: 919 Marketing

May: SONNHALTER

April: The Creative Department

March: Sapient Interactive

February: Razorfish

January: Zapwater

Twitter List: 200 Advertising Agencies on Twitter

Michael Gass — Thu, 05 Nov 2009 18:40:38 +0000

If you want prospective clients to find your agency online, provide them with helpful resources.

I’m still researching and experimenting with some list building tools. Recently I shared a post about a list generator tool called TweetpML. This week I’ve been experimenting with Twitter’s new list feature to organize people that you are following on Twitter. But … as always, I’m exploring these list building tools from a new business perspective.

Since I created my TweetpML list of 100 Ad Agencies on Twitter, that list has grown to 153 agencies PLUS 9,636 followers of my list in one week!

This week I’ve been working on my Twitter list and now have 200 Advertising Agencies on Twitter which should also generate significant traffic and interest.

I’m receiving 10 to 15 requests per day from agencies to be added to these lists. These list will continue to grow as well as the number of people who follow them. This takes very little effort but generates a big return through traffic to my blog.

To generate traffic to your agency’s blog, you should be doing the same for your audience. Supply them with the kinds of resources that help them with their marketing challenges. Particularly by providing resources and helps with social media marketing.

My Twitter List:

More Twitter List Resources:

Ad Agency: Social Media | New Business Roundtable

Michael Gass — Wed, 04 Nov 2009 21:28:00 +0000

Social media provides great opportunities for ad agencies to network with prospective clients. It is also provides opportunity to network with other agencies.

Stephanie Holland was kind enough to host a social media/new business roundtable discussion with a small group of us who I have worked with over the past couple of years. Stephanie is president/creative director for Holland + Holland Advertising, here in Birmingham, AL. Our group also included Jaci Russo, principal of The Russo Group, Lafayette, LA, S.A. Habib, president of Locomotion Creative, Nashville, TN, John Sonnhalter, founder and CEO of SONNHALTER, a B to B ad agency in Cleveland, OH, and Park Howell, president of Park&Co, a full service ad agency in Phoenix, AZ.

Though everyone had been introduced to one another online this was the first time that our group had met face-to-face. We decided to get together for a couple of days of personal interaction to measure how far we have come and where do we go from here.

This meeting provided an opportunity for us to learn from one another and create some camaraderie as we go forward. Too be a help and a resource for one another.

These were some of our initial questions and thoughts that were used to facilitate our discussions:

How do you monetize your social media efforts for new business?
What has been the best return on your time investment with social, best time management practices?
What still are your biggest challenges?
Reviewing and providing input for each agency blog’s positioning
Is your staff buying in and participating?
How to implement a call to action through social media?

It was an enjoyable and rewarding two days. We came away with renewed energy and focus.

Here’s a link if you’d like to see additional photos of our roundtable discussion group

You can review these agency principal’s blogs below. I’m sure each of them would welcome your thoughtful insights:

Blue Collar Branding (S.A. Habib)

Park Howell: A brighter shade of green marketing (Park Howell)

Razor Branding Blog (Jaci Russo)

She-conomy: A Guys Guide to Marketing to Women (Stephanie Holland)

Tradesmen Insights (John Sonnhalter)

100 Advertising Agencies on Twitter

Michael Gass — Wed, 28 Oct 2009 16:54:51 +0000

Lists can be an important tool to generate awareness, traffic and appeal for your agency’s blog.

Below is an initial list of 100 advertising agencies and agency principals that are on Twitter. I would welcome additions to the list. Please provide additions through the comment section below or email them to me.

AD AGENCIES ON TWITTER

(click on the link above to select and follow any or all of the agencies listed)

This list was assembled through a list generator tool called TweetpML. These are some other Twitter lists that I’ve created through TweepML:

Twitter has also rolled out its own new Lists feature to a larger portion of its users. The feature allows you to group users you follow together and then lets you share those for others to also follow.

Lists can be a helpful new business tool for your agency’s blog. Your blog should be a resource of helpful information for your target audience. It should be a repository, the “go-to” site to help them with their advertising and marketing challenges.

Which of these 45 ad agency blogs best understands social media?

Michael Gass — Tue, 27 Oct 2009 17:09:52 +0000

Examples of ad agency blogs. Review and decide which of them really “gets it” when it comes to social media. Pick up ideas for your own blog.

45 ad agency blogs have been submitted to Fuel Lines. Vote for the best agency blog for the month of October. The winner will be featured on Fuel Lines throughout the month of November and included in the voting for ad agency blog of the year.

Cast your VOTE by Clicking Here

These are the ad agency blogs submitted for the month of October:

AB&C blog, Aloysius Butler & Clark,Wilmington, DE
Acquity Group blog, Chicago, IL
ACS Creative, ACS Creative agency, Fairfax, VA
Ad Mavericks, Lessing-Flynn Advertising, Des Moines, IA
Adverspew blog, Perich Advertising + Design, Ann Arbor, MI
Avenue 25 advertising & design, Phoenix, AZ
Bergman Group, Bergman Group agency, Glen Allen, VA
don’t drink the kool-aid blog, bg creative, San Diego, CA
Brainstorm, Brainstorm agency, Indianapolis, IN
clickTRUE blog, Singapore
Confluent Forms Blog, North Hampton, MA
Cowie and Fox Blog, Vancouver, BC
CUKER agency blog, Solana Beach, CA
DDB agency’s Strategy blog, NY, NY
Enviral Marketing blog, BGT Partners, Miami, FL
Fusionizer, Fusion Advertising, Dallas, TX
Healthy Conversations, Trajectory agency, Morristown, NJ
Ideas for a Smarter, Faster World, Brunner agency, Pittsburgh, PA
Level Blog, Level, San Luis Obispo, CA
Market Smarter blog, M is For Marketing, Decatur, GA
Marketing Home Products, Kleber & Associates, Atlanta, GA
Marketing Your Hospital, TotalCom Communications, Tuscaloosa/Huntsville, AL
Media Two Point {OH}!, Media Two Interactive, Raleigh, NC
Moveo Integrated Blog, Moveo Integrated Branding, Oakbrook Terrace, IL
My Creative Team, Charlotte, NC
One Eleven Interactive blog, Brooklyn, NY
Outside In Banking, Michael Flora & Associates, Troy, MI
Point of View, Point to Point agency, Cleveland, OH
PUSH-n-PULL, The Cyphers Agency, Annapolis, MD
Red Door Buzz, Red Door Interactive, San Diego, CA
Shared iDiz, iDiz Incorporated, Indianapolis, IN
TechMarketingBlog, Jacobs Agency, Chicago, IL
The Adams Group blog, Columbia, SC
The Blue Fire Notebook, Pilot Light Agency, Dallas, TX
The Boomerang Table, 160over90 agency, Philadelphia, PA
The Furnace, Firehouse, Dallas, TX
The Lint Screen, Ames Scullin O’Haire, Atlanta, GA
The Martino Flynn Blog, Pittsford, NY
The Side Note, Weise Communications, Denver, CO
Villing & Company, South Bend, IN
We Play in Traffic, ESW Partners, Chicago, IL
WeBlog2 – Notes from the Edge, Kuno Creative, Avon, OH
Why Moms Rule, BOHAN Advertising | Marketing, Nashville, TN
Winstanley Partners, Winstanley Partners agency, Lenox, MA
TV Is Not Dead, Ad Partners, Inc, Tampa, FL

New Apple device could change the way we read newspapers, magazines and books

Michael Gass — Mon, 26 Oct 2009 20:59:06 +0000

It is imperative for agencies to stay on top of new communication devices and their impact upon our industry and clients. That said, you can simply follow Apple. They’ve set the standard and everyone else is playing catchup.

Apple has transformed the way we listen to (and purchase) music with the iPod and iTunes. It also changed the way we use our cellphones with the iPhone. Will it also transform how we read newspapers, magazines and books?

I was just reading this article in PCWorld “Apple Tablet: Did The New York Times Spill the Beans?“

The New York Times’ executive editor, Bill Keller, may have inadvertently confirmed the existence of the oft-rumored Apple Tablet in a private speech earlier this month. During the speech, Keller made a reference to the Times’ strategy for mobile devices. “We need to figure out the right journalistic product to deliver to mobile platforms and devices,” Keller said. “I’m hoping we can get the newsroom more actively involved in the challenge of delivering our best journalism in the form of Times Reader, iPhone apps, WAP, or the impending Apple slate, or whatever comes after that.”

Amazon has recently announced that they are working on a Kindle app for Mac that will allow customers without a Kindle device to be able to purchase ebooks, magazine and newspaper subscriptions. The Apple Tablet could be the perfect match for the Kindle experience.

Below are some additional mockups of what the Apple Tablet might look like.

To Get the Most Out of Twitter Be a Maverick

Michael Gass — Wed, 21 Oct 2009 18:42:19 +0000

Don’t just follow the herd. Twitter is evolving. Maximize its potential around your agency’s new business objectives.

Twitter itself created the conditions that has allowed users to innovate. No one in the beginning envisioned that:

People would want to follow strangers
Celebrities would use Twitter to provide updates to fans of their activities
Businesses would use Twitter to to promote discounts, launch new products and services
Twitter would be used in so many different ways by broadcasters, educators, politicians, doctors, lawyers, ministers and so many others you can’t keep up with them all

Guy Kawasaki, an early adopter and leader in social media, recently wrote,

“Three years ago Twitter was a nice little pond that people shared with their close friends … The whole point back then was establishing warm-and-fuzzy relationships with people you cared about by answering the question, “What are you doing?”

Fast forward to today. While there is still kumbaya going on via Twitter, many people are now using Twitter as a twool. They’re not trying to have a one-to-one conversation. At best, they want a one-to-many conversation if not out-and-out broadcasting in the advertising and marketing sense.”

There are not many who use Twitter the way that I do. Other than sending personal Direct Messages, I do not send many personal Tweets to others. My point-of-view is that most of my 10,000+ followers do not care about a specific conversation that I’m having with @jaybaer, @edwardboches, @sheconomy or other Twitter users. What my Twitter followers have come to expect from me is helpful resources for ad agency new business.

For my own Twitter formula … 80 to 90 percent of my Tweets are made up of resourceful articles and posts. My Tweets usually include just the article/post titles and URL links.

Many of these articles/posts come from my online reading, using Google Reader. When I find a good post that I want to share, I click on bit.ly (a tool to shorten, share and track your links) in my browser bar, configure the information about the post and publish it to my Twitter account. If I’m finding lots of good material, I may post them through Social Oomph (Tweetlater) to be able to spread the posts over a period of time.

I also add posts from my blog. I have written over 400+ posts, the vast majority written as a resource for agency new business. Most of these are not time sensitive and continue to be a helpful resource for my readers. I know that because of the traffic each generates to my blog.

I have a number of reasons for repurposing blog content in this way:

Readers do not ready my blog chronologically. People are so busy they don’t have time. I usually write and post at least once a day, Monday through Friday, but the majority of my readers are not reading my content on a daily basis.
Even my most ardent readers will read posts through many different channels such as RSS Feed, email newsletter, SEO, Twitter and from mirroring blog post content through my Facebook and LinkedIn accounts.
Even with a large number of followers, an article that I post at 11 am on a Thursday is going to be missed by 99% of my readers.
I use post titles that are crystal clear regarding the content that will be found. This may be dull and bland for copywriters but it is much appreciated by my readership. They can find relevant material through my post titles through search and as these posts appear through Twitter.
I provide links to similar articles that would possibly be of interest to my readers and try to spare them having to search for them on their own.
There are often posts that I discover, that I know would be of interest to my readers, and I will “bridge-the-gap” specifying how this post/article relates to them. Materials, tools, that isn’t specific to my audience, but I make it specific to them, how it is a resource for ad agency new business.

If you aren’t generating traffic, its a sign of a lack of appeal. Metrics keeps everything on track and focused. I check my blog analytics multiple times a day along with other metrics tools from bit.ly, socialtoo and Twittergrader.

I’d like to recommend an enlightening Wired Magazine article: Mob Rule! How Users Took Over Twitter

Here are 20 additional Twitter articles, specifically for ad agencies that can help you take advantage of Twitter’s growth for new business:

Ad Agency New Business: Know Your Sales Averages

Michael Gass — Tue, 20 Oct 2009 14:29:02 +0000

Adam Whittaker is a well-known and highly-respected expert on business development for marketing service firms. He is the Chief Executive of Business development consultancy Reardon Smith Whittaker (RSW). RSW is a leading provider of outbound business development services for marketing service companies in the UK. 30 percent of the ad agencies in the U.K. outsource their business development. That trend is becoming more popular among American agencies fueled by the current recession.

Guest Post: Adam Whitaker

New business, business development, agency marketing … call it what you will, it’s sales. Get over it. If you run an ad agency new business unit your role is to sell your agencies services.

I liken the sales process to the oil business; There is the upstream stuff and the downstream stuff. With the refinery sitting in the middle. The upstream stuff is the down and dirty business of prospecting. You have leads, suspects and prospects and you use the telephone (principally but not exclusively) to move people along the path. Leads are snippets of gossip you hear that lead (hence the name?) you to suspect (hence the name!) that someone may be in the market for what you sell.

You then get hold of them and, if your suspicions are true, they become a prospect. Your next job is to convert them to a face-to-face meeting so you can discuss their requirement.

This process can be excruciatingly time consuming and all the tools you need to be able to do this job properly will cost tens of thousands of dollars per year if you’re going to do it properly. Which is why many agencies outsource this upstream activity to new business agencies.

But NEVER outsource the downstream bit. That’s from the first meeting onwards and you need to concentrate on these guys, which is why ideally the two roles should be divided. They take very different skill sets.

Here’s how the upstream works. You have your database of 500 suspects and leads. Before calling each one you need to research them to become more up speed with their activities. You then need to access all the trade press and search for their name to make sure they haven’t just appointed someone (that would make you and your agency look very foolish!). You then need to check you have the name of the right person and do a quick Google search on them to try to get some background info to inform your discussion with them. You then need to very quickly check you have all the most relevant case studies to hand and familiarize yourself with the stats to throw into the conversation.

You then make the call. And they’re on holiday. Repeat.

Until you speak to someone. On average you’ll need to make ten such preparations and calls before getting to speak to a marketing director. Depending upon how well you have done your research and how hot the lead, your conversion to a meeting and then a pitch opportunity will vary greatly. That’s all the downstream stuff.

But all that upstream work, as you can see, takes such a lot of time and resource; you really need to determine how best to handle it. You can either get an in-house person, do it yourself or outsource it. But like it or not, unless you’re one of those lucky agencies who have clients queuing up to use them, it does need doing.

You can do whatever else you like, but there is one truth in truth. The more people you meet, the more business you do.

Connect with Adam through Twitter

Additional guest articles that may be of interest:

Todd Knutson: Do you buy or build your ad agency’s new business database?
Jay Baer: Ad Agencies: Don’t Turn Your Back on Digital
Don Beehler: Why Ad Agency Principals Should Consider Writing a Book
Jaci Russo: Should Ad Agency Pitches and RFPs Be a Thing of the Past?

20 Reasons Why Social Media Won’t Replace Email

Michael Gass — Sun, 18 Oct 2009 19:18:48 +0000

Email marketing is still an important tool to your ad agency new business program.

The rise in popularity of social media only enhances email. The two can work powerfully together. Two excellent articles, Chris Crums, writer for WebPro News, “10 Reasons Social Media isn’t Replacing Email“ and VerticalResponse CEO Janine Popick, “10 More Reasons Why Social Media Wont Replace Email. Chris always has great marketing insights. Janine also provides some insightful resources and practices what she preaches for both email marketing and social media. I recommend them both.

Here are their 20 reasons why social media wont replace email:

People still send hand-written letters.
Nearly all sites on the web that require registration require an email address.
Email notifies you of updates from all social networks.
We haven’t seen any evidence yet that Google Wave really will catch on on a large scale.
Email is universal, and social networks are not.
There are plenty who have no interest in joining social networks.
Email is still improving.
Even social networks themselves recognize the importance of email.
More social media use means more email use.
As far as marketing is concerned, email is doing pretty well.
Twitter and Facebook are fantastic products and companies; but that’s what they are, companies.
Your email recipients are still going to use business email for business purposes.
You can’t easily segment your friends and followers to do targeted marketing (through social media)
You can’t tell who clicked on a link with some social media outlets.
That said, you can’t tell who didn’t click on the link so you can follow up with them with a different message.
You cannot personalize your Facebook updates.
You cannot size your graphics or use more than one in Facebook.
You can’t track how many clicks you got on your links in Facebook.
You are limited to 140 characters in Twitter.
You almost have to have separate social media accounts for your business and your personal life.

Additional resourceful articles that may be of interest:

Agency Leadership: Can you be a great leader and not be a great presenter?

Michael Gass — Fri, 16 Oct 2009 15:50:32 +0000

It is often critical for new business, particularly for small-to mid-size ad agencies, that agency leaders be good at presenting.

I was reading an excellent article written by Dan McCarthy, a manager of leadership development and author of the blog Great Leadership: Opinions and information on leadership and leadership development.

Dan points out that (ad agency) leaders can’t skimp on presentation skills as he raises the question, “Can you be a great leader and not be a great presenter?”

“For most leaders, at some point, they are going to have to give that department presentation, halftime pep talk, inspirational talk to the troops, or presentation to the big dogs. It’s those make-or-break moments on stage when leaders have the opportunity to influence the greatest number of people to change.

So if a leader gets stage fright, and doesn’t shine during these opportunities, or worse, avoids them altogether, than I’d say it’s going to be an up hill climb to ever become a truly great leader. You can’t just throw up your hands and say “it’s just not me”. Consider it a requirement for the job.“

Dan reminds us that presentation skills are “learnable” and provides the following 5 recommendations:

1. Get Help. If you know you are behind most of your peers, there here are books such as “Leading Out Loud”, and public courses that you can find in just about any major city or a personal coach could be a good option

2. Use deliberate practice. That is how the best athletes, performers, and leaders do it. They don’t rely on inborn talent. Never, ever, give a presentation without preparation and practice. Even the best don’t wing it – that’s why they’re so good.

3. Get Feedback. Practice by itself won’t work unless you get feedback.

4. Master the techniques. The best presenters have mastered these techniques:

They use stories to connect on an emotional level.
The use of media.
Audience engagement. We retain 10% of what we read, 20% of what we hear, 30% of what we see, 50% of what we see and hear, and 70% of what we discuss with others. Look for opportunities to engage your audience.
Questions. Always save time for them. Anticipate and prepare for the tough ones.

5. Learn from the best. There are learning opportunities daily if you look for them: movies, YouTube, Conferences, meetings, church and politics.

This is just a “Readers Digest” version of Dan’s article. I would encourage you to read it in its entirety and subscribe to his blog through your RSS Reader for some great tips on Leadership: “Can a Poor Presenter be a Great Leader?“

What’s your opinion? Cast your vote in this twtpoll: Can you be a great leader and not be a great presenter?

Additional posts regarding agency leadership that may be of interest: