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How to Use Content to Position Your Agency as a Thought Leader with Simon Thompson

We all know how important content is for our own agencies and for our clients. And yet, most agencies struggle to actually get it done and done well. We know how to do it in theory.  We understand the audience and the key messaging we need to deliver.  But somehow there is a huge chasm between what we know and what we consistently get done. My podcast guest Simon Thompson, founder of Content Kite, packed our conversation with concrete examples and advice on how to get it done.  He argues that we often write about the wrong things.  We write about us/our clients. Instead, we should be writing about the problems the audience is having first. We shouldn’t fret about how it connects to what you sell. At least not yet. Because if you can’t get their attention the rest is just noise. Simon has decades of experience at major global brands such as L'Oreal, Nissan, BMW, Adidas, Disney, and Mondelez and is now leveraging that experience into great content marketing lessons not just for your clients but for your agency as well. Join Simon and I as we re-examine your content strategy and give you the framework to get it all done by: Keeping your content interesting and on topic for the problems your customers need solving Focusing all your content so it moves toward the same goal Optimizing your content to collect email addresses and then regularly engaging with those people How to effectively repurpose content across multiple mediums The frequency which you must create content How to use content to position your agency as a thought leader in the industry Why you need to spend as much time promoting a piece of [...]

The Best Lead Generation Channels for Agencies with Alex Berman

Agencies should get 70%+ of their new net revenue from referrals but that does not mean you shouldn’t have a concerted new business effort as well. When you count on referrals and referrals alone, you are beholden to accept whatever client walks in the door. They might be too small, too big, out of your industry expertise or a jerk. You need to be cultivating targeted leads and opportunities so you can be choosy on the referral side. My podcast guest Alex Berman believes that he and his team at Experiment27 have cracked the code for agency biz dev efforts. They’ve experimented with many different lead generation channels (cold calling/emailing, directories and sponsorships, agency partnerships, meet-ups and in-person events) to help put more wins in the agency’s new business column. Hear what Alex and his team are doing for their clients and explore if you think the tactics might work for you as well. The massive opportunity outbound marketing provides for agencies How to know if your marketing strategy is the right marketing strategy What to measure with your tracking software to make sure your leads are working The best lead generation channels for capturing leads Tailoring cold calls to the target Why cold emails need to be short and to the point Partnering with other agencies to take on overflow work/give away your overflow work How to capture leads at meetups/in-person events Making yourself memorable by connecting people How to do the follow-up right (it differs if you’ve actually met them or not) Why you need to set a KPI Alex Berman is the founder and SVP of Operations of a marketing and lead generation firm Experiment27. Alex is responsible for generating over $2.5 [...]

How to Establish Yourself as a Thought Leader with Content Marketing with Aaron Agius

Think back to the first year or two of your agency’s existence. Odds are, it was pretty hand to mouth. You survived but you weren’t eating ribeye every night. That’s where my podcast guest started too. Today, Aaron Agius is the CEO of Louder Online, one of the world’s leading digital agencies. He has used his aggressive style of thought leadership to help him pursue and land clients like Salesforce, IBM, Coca-Cola and Intel. But he still remembers the days when he charged his first client $200 and was grateful for the income. In our conversation Aaron talks about how he learned to invest in himself, build his credibility and how making a name for himself became a priority.  It’s all in here including:   Why you absolutely must work on and invest in the business (no excuses!) How Aaron established himself as a thought leader through guest blogging and what he would recommend doing today Why you need high-quality proposal documents Why you need to be cooperative rather than competitive with agencies that you share a client with Why Aaron has created smaller sister agencies in other countries instead of using freelancers Aaron’s genius strategy for leveraging LinkedIn How to prove the ROI of your work to a client Why it’s the CEO’s job to stay on top of what’s coming next Resources that Aaron himself uses to stay current How continually writing blogs, being on podcasts, hosting webinars, etc. helps you keep the clients you have Why you have to write for readers, not search engines Aaron Agius is one of the world’s leading digital marketers according to Forbes. He is CEO of Louder Online, one of the world’s leading digital agencies with [...]

How to Fill Your Sales Pipeline with High Quality Leads with Dan Englander

You hustle hard to get business, win a big account, spend the next three months up to your ears in work, and then it's all over and your pipeline is empty again. Sound familiar? It’s the feast or famine cycle of agency new business. It seems that we can counsel our clients about the importance of new business sales and the whole lead gen thing but somehow we can’t seem to get around to doing it for ourselves. My podcast guest Dan Englander and his team at Sales Schema are the experts at solving the agency sales, lead gen, and new business problem.  Dan and his team have a systemized process that they believe can put prospects into your pipeline and money into your pocket. Dan and I will walk you through the important steps he takes when counseling agencies including: How Dan helps agencies fill their sales pipelines Why you can’t rely on referrals from your network for sales Why creating content is not a sales strategy Why you need to systematize pipeline work and why you need to allot daily time for working on your pipeline Honing in on a particular niche when generating quality leads Why driving prospects to your website is not what you want to be doing Why you need to have a follow-up plan in place for your cold emails Why you need to get on the phone with a lead as soon as possible How to word cold emails so they actually resonate with cold leads How Dan’s company helps agencies hone in on their niche Why cold emails have to come from a real person (and which person inside an agency they should come from) Why you [...]

How to Work with and Manage a Network of Freelancers with Bram Warshafsky

If you were going to build an agency from the ground up today, what would it look like?  For my guest Bram Warshafsky, it was an agency with a lot of technology and a workforce that was almost all contract labor. Bram and his team at 5Crowd don’t concern themselves too much with driving big brand strategy. They use their team of freelancers to take the brand strategy that already exists and find the best way to execute it. Most agencies have augmented their team with some freelancers but many struggle with managing those resources and vetting the potential partners to find the right ones. In this podcast episode, Bram shares his experiences, the trial and errors and his eventual successes and insights that makes it work so well today. Find the best freelance fit for you as Bram and I discuss: Why Bram started his agency, and why he went with the freelancer model What Bram’s internal team is like and how to work with freelancers to offset those positions Why 5Crowd focuses on production rather than strategy What a strong freelancer vetting process looks like Why 5Crowd needed to build their own software How being a production based agency has led to high client retention for 5Crowd What good marketing looks like Why you need to tell the story of how you save your clients money The three questions 5Crowd asks to figure out if they will take on a project Why 5Crowd has freelancers set the price How 5Crowd picks what freelancer to use for the right project Why you need to fully embrace technology to succeed How to get started with freelancers Recently named one of the Top 30 Under 30 [...]

How to Make a Profit Doing Website Development with Brent Weaver

Most agencies offer some level of web development – whether you do it in house or outsource it. Unfortunately, most agencies are still having to ask ‘what is a reasonable profit margin?’ when it comes to website development. Scope creep, unexpected technical snags and constant client changes make it tough to build a profitable web department. But it doesn’t have to be that way. My podcast guest Brent Weaver from uGurus is dedicated to helping agencies and web dev shops actually build a sustainable and profitable business focused on creating websites for clients. Brent and I will help you learn what it takes to make money in web development by explaining: Why agencies have a hard time making money creating websites for clients How to make a profit doing website development and design Why bad discovery leads to scope creep Why you should spread discovery over multiple meetings rather than one long meeting Why you need to niche down to find the quality and quantity of clients that you need Why you need to treat your website (and your clients’ websites) like a kid Working with your clients to develop a web strategy that fits their budget Establishing a communication pattern with your clients Not letting clients delay because a website isn’t perfect How to focus on the right platforms How to know whether to bring web-dev in-house or use a partnership What agencies need to know about the web to capitalize on the opportunities out there Brent Weaver became obsessed with creating websites when he was 15 years old. He realized he could create and share information with anyone in the world with the click of a button. His first business was a web [...]

How to Create Content that Converts Leads with Andy Crestodina

I love learning from my podcast guests every week and man did I learn a lot from Andy Crestodina from Orbit Media Studios. During my interview with him, he was sharing gems left and right about creating content that converts and other awesome quotes like: “If you do that and eat your vegetables, you're going to live a long, prosperous life. That is the secret. I believe that is the key.” “That's called Zero Waste Marketing.” “The three Ps - prominence, promise and proof.” “Everybody has an LBOW. You have yours today and you have what will be your future LBOW.” Curious about what that’s all about? I was too! Andy Crestodina has all the answers and is just waiting to share them with you. He has devoted himself to all things marketing, focusing in on content and web strategy. He can help you leverage your sales funnel with content in ways you’ve never thought of before. Join Andy and I as we find out the key to a “long and prosperous life” as well as: Why Andy started his web design company and how it’s evolved since then Doing important tasks before urgent tasks Why you need to write your content marketing mission statement Why delegating is so crucial (and why Andy hired a boss for himself) Why you don’t need to publish every week Why you should publish answers to questions you get frequently instead of constantly writing emails with similar content Measuring the performance of content How to construct and create content that converts leads “Content Chemistry”: Andy’s book about how to repurpose content Building your website with what people are searching for in mind Winning the SEO battle and turning visitors [...]

The Power of Social Selling and Making Connections for Your Business with Phil Gerbyshak

My podcast guest Phil Gerbyshak is the walking, talking definition of a social connection. Phil takes great delight and is a master at using all things social to help businesses gain that next great client by making authentic connections.        For Phil, it’s not that Twitter, Facebook or LinkedIn are the end all and be all of social tools but instead Phil’s focus is on using the social tool of your choice to get to know and connect with your peers, clients and the world around you. By being valuable and by sharing what you know, you open up the door for opportunity.   We had a great conversation about social selling and what that can mean for agencies today: Social selling: getting people to convert for you Making a connection with someone online (this isn’t a follow or a like) Why keyword targeting isn’t necessarily the best path to success Why Phil actively connects people he thinks should know about each other How Phil uses LinkedIn as a powerful sales and research tool Why you have to share content that isn’t your own Why you should congratulate your competition — and why you need to be genuine about it Phil’s strategy for creating content people need and starting conversations Cultivating and leveraging testimonials How to use your pinned post wisely Things you can do right now to start putting into practice the ideas from this episode Phil’s podcast “Conversations with Phil” Phil Gerbyshak is a speaker and a trainer, who delivers programs on the power of technology, social selling and connection. With a unique speaking style—part technology and sales expert, part entertainer—Phil keeps his audiences awake and engaged while providing micro-tactics to help you [...]

The Importance of Managing Your Online Reputation with Daniel Lemin

“There’s a hair in my soup.”   Not the kind of review that any business owner wants to hear.  Worse – to have it broadcast to other potential customers all over the web. But that’s exactly what is happening with the rise of Yelp, Citysearch, Google reviews and a million other sites out there. The impact and power of online ratings and reviews is not going away, meaning the importance of managing your online reputation is more important than ever. It’s only going to get more pervasive and more influential as we move forward. The good news is that this is a great opportunity for agencies to step in and help business owners manage and maintain those online reputations. Daniel Lemin is my podcast guest and he has seen the evolution of online ratings and reviews. He believes there is vast potential for agencies to provide strategy and counsel to their clients, all while making it very profitable for the agency. Daniel and I walk through the strategies that your agency can put into place to help your current and future clients tackle this issue by learning: The importance of managing your online reputation Why online reputation work is such a great opportunity for agencies How Daniel got into online reputation work and how came to write “Manipurated” What makes this kind of work more profitable for agencies than SEO work Tools that are great for this kind of work Why every person inside an agency needs to be good at this — and why Daniel advises against having a dedicated team that does only this kind of work How agencies can price this kind of work out What agencies can do to get B2B [...]

How to Be a Great Podcast Guest & the Value of Being on a Podcast with Tom Schwab

Podcasting has been around for a while but it is really becoming very mainstream. It’s a wonderfully effective way to connect with your audience on a personal level in a format that has gotten very easy to access and consume. There’s nothing wrong with blogging or creating video content but podcasts are so easy – people can learn from them while they commute to work, walk on a treadmill or listen while they multitask at home. If you aren’t ready to start your own podcast, the next best thing is learning how to be a great podcast guest on someone else’s show. My guest, Tom Schwab helps business leaders, authors and other professionals get invited to appear on podcasts that align with their business goals. Tom believes that every business leader can be coached so they’re a rock star guest. As he says, “what's ordinary to you is amazing to others.” Tom and I dig into the nuts and bolts of podcasting with: Why podcasting is so relevant today How to be a great podcast guest on someone else’s show The benefit of being a podcast guest How Tom’s clients are able to sell being on podcasts to their own clients Benefits of podcasting over other forms of content Why podcast traffic converts higher than blogs Message, market, and machine: what you need to have a successful podcast interview What you (or your clients) need to be a great podcast guest Why you need to bring a giveaway when you are a guest on a podcast What not to do when you are a guest on a podcast Is it appropriate to suggest questions to your podcast host? How Tom helps agencies look good The [...]

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