Billboards aren’t just background on road trips. Integration of outdoor advertising and strategic placement continues to work in the digital age. People spend so much time in front of screens now that real-life advertisements have more power than they used to. The pathway from outdoor ads to increased revenue is straightforward -- but success depends entirely on execution. Brands not only need to expand their presence outside, but also to create memorable experiences that make the most of their ad budgets. If you're interested in learning how to expand your advertising reach, I was recently tapped by Entrepreneur.com to write an article on outdoor advertising and what it can do for your agency.   I’d love for you to check it out and let me know if you think outdoor advertising is a tool your agency would consider utilizing.

Every company has a niche—even those that serve other companies. Marketers need to understand that opportunity is not limited—value is. Most agencies offer a wide variety of services, but only a few can claim to be the go-to experts in specific fields. An expert agency in one field is far more marketable than a jack-of-all-trades agency in no area If you’re searching to identify your agency’s specific spark, Marketo blog recently asked me to create a resource for their readers with tips to identify and dominate their businesses’ own niche in the agency world. I’d love for you to check it out and let me know what niche your agency capitalizes on.

I was recently asked by CEO Library to share my thoughts about reading, specific books and how being a reader has changed the trajectory of my career.  Which, no doubt it has.  I've always loved to read and can't imagine not doing it consistently. How about you?  Are you a reader? Has how you consume books changed? (My habits sure have!) Here's a peek at what I was asked and my answers:  1. What’s your favorite book and why? Business and non-business, if possible. Favorite business book — Radical Leap by Steve Farber Favorite non-business book that I would argue can teach you a ton about business leadership — The Harry Potter series by JK Rowling 2. Was there a moment, specifically, when something you read in a book helped you? Can you tell me about it? I’ve always been a voracious reader.  I read to learn.  I read to relax.  I read to cleanse my palette so I can be creative.  I read to find perspective. I read to entertain myself.  I loved reading to my daughter when she was little and as she got older -- reading the same book together. So books have helped me do everything from learn about my mom’s dementia, to keep current with trends that impact my clients, to cope with loss, to raise a daughter to find some balance in my life and by helping me fall in love with characters, places and ideas. 3. What books had the biggest impact on you? Perhaps changed the way you see things or dramatically changed your career path. I would argue that my favorite books (which I re-read every year or so) in question #1 have had the biggest [...]

I got an email from an AE who had attended one of my workshops.  She was frustrated because her client called her boss (the agency owner) directly about an issue.  She felt like the owner undermined her role with the client by taking the call and not including the AE in either the conversation or the solution. Here’s what I said: This is a great example of something you should talk to your boss about.  Explain to him that you want to be your clients’ go to resource and ask him for his advice on how to make that happen.  Also — ask him to help you establish your credibility with the clients by either suggesting they speak to you or at least saying “let me dial <AE’s name> in on this call so we’re all on the same page” or something like that.  But it sounds like you have some work to do, in terms of really earning your client’s trust and confidence. It takes time — you don’t get it automatically and it’s easy to lose.  Here are some ways you can accelerate the process: Over-communicate proactively (have a regular rhythm of updates etc. so they can count on them) Anticipate future issues, challenges and opportunities and talk to the client about them (ideally on a weekly or bi-weekly call) in a heads up fashion rather than a “this is screaming down on us” thing Spend more time with the client/on site if you can.  Nothing is better than face time Get smarter about the industry and share that knowledge Be über responsive.  Their emergency is your emergency.  They want to feel like your only client, even though it’s not your reality Get [...]