The Innovative Agency

What happens when you can no longer scale up? Or your core business just got commoditized and now everybody thinks they can DIY it on the cheap? Keith Scandone, creator of O3 World, a digital product agency, found his company in just that place about eight years ago. After building websites for traditional marketing agencies and their clients, O3 World suddenly faced unexpected competition from Wordpress. Who needed an agency to build a website anymore? Keith knew he'd have to innovate if O3 World was to stay open. But while everyone likes to talk about innovation, who knows what it means? Or how to do it? Keith tells us all about how to innovate in the face of technological change in this episode of the #BestofTIA series. To hear more from Innovative Agency owners, listen to The Innovative Agency podcast on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or on our website.

"Values-based" is a great SEO keyword, isn't it? It can be so much more than that, though. If values drive your agency to the point of shaping your entire business model, you might be ready for B Corp certification. In this episode, I interview Ben Herman, President and Co-Founder at Mad Fish Digital, about values-based businesses. What we talked about: - Becoming a B Corporation - The certification process & whether it affects your profits - How to keep a focus on culture - Where to start on promoting employee engagement and agency culture Check out these resources we mentioned during the podcast: - The B Corp certification website - Scaling Up by Verne Harnish - Officevibe To hear more from Innovative Agency owners, listen to The Innovative Agency podcast on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or on our website.

Agency owners go straight to global when they think SEO, but their clients need them to think local. If you're a brick-and-mortar, having local SEO strategies in place is a must. In this episode, I interview Monica Garrett, Founder & CEO at Margaux Agency, about how the fitness and wellness niche has pivoted in the last 6 months. What we talked about: - Her amazing experience of moving her agency into the fitness niche - Branding in gyms means encouraging ambassador employees - Local SEO tips & insights To hear more from Innovative Agency owners, listen to The Innovative Agency podcast on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or on our website.

If you hear ROI, you're either groaning or super excited. These are the 3 letters that most agency owners talk about, regardless of whether their return on investment philosophy is a source of joy. In this episode of #BestofTIA, I interview Mike Krass, co-founder and CEO at MKG Marketing, about why he loves having the ROI conversation with clients, prospects, and teams. What we talked about: - Choosing measurable metrics & client verticals - Doing vetting and discovery with scorecards - Why agencies really get hired. To hear more from Innovative Agency owners, listen to The Innovative Agency podcast on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or on our website.

It might sound absolutely basic, but successful agencies — the ones with 2020 as their best year ever — have a business plan & manage cash flow. In this episode, I interview The Innovative Agency's first CPA guest, Chris Hervochon, Owner and Virtual CFO at Better Way CPA, about, well, money. What we talked about: - It's not enough just to have a business plan, but you also have to revisit it - Cash flow also means having substantial cash reserves - Things to do right now if you need to measure your revenue health To hear more from Innovative Agency owners, listen to The Innovative Agency podcast on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or on our website.

You want to be an ally to the Black community, but you have no idea how to get started. The first and most important step is willingness to change. In this episode, I interview Dr. Rachel Talton, CEO at Synergy, about actions that agency owners can take to support the Black community. What we talked about: - How to LEAP into 2021 better than we were - What it means to take a realistic look at your agency's diversity & inclusion - 4 actions agency owners can take today to support the Black community Check out these resources we mentioned during the podcast: - How to Be an Antiracist by Ibram X. Kendi - The Flourish Conference for Women in Leadership To hear more from Innovative Agency owners, listen to The Innovative Agency podcast on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or on our website.

The age-old dilemma: how to build an agency that makes sense for you plus makes you attractive to your clients. Arguably the best form of marketing is to pay for your marketing after you get your customer. Also known as performance-based marketing. In this episode of the #BestofTIA series, we revisit my conversation with Robert Glazer, Founder and CEO at Acceleration Partners, about how to implement performance-based marketing in the agency world. What we talked about: - Robert's litmus test for whether a firm is best-in-class - What it takes to do affiliate program management - The differences between newer agencies and traditional digital agencies - Challenges to rapid growth for performance-based marketing Check out these resources we mentioned: - Robert wrote Performance Partnerships about affiliate marketing - The Friday Forward podcast To hear more from Innovative Agency owners, listen to The Innovative Agency podcast on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or on our website.

Longtime listeners of my podcast know how much I believe agencies need to develop multiple revenue streams. Just in case I couldn't persuade you, today's guest can. In this episode, I interview Matthew Scott, Principal at FEED, about thriving during change with multiple revenue streams: What we talked about: - Starting with what has not changed - Being easy to do business with - Pivoting to sell a process, not a product - How to develop multiple revenue streams To hear more from Innovative Agency owners, listen to The Innovative Agency podcast on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or our website.

Ignore SEO at your own risk. Today's guest has focused so well on SEO that he's scaling from 230+ to 500 content writers by 2021. In this episode, I interview Vincent D'Eletto, Owner at WordAgents.com, about the importance of SEO for marketers. What we talked about: - Where to find writing talent & how to keep it - Why he always seeks generalist writers - SEO tips & strategies - How agencies can leverage data to reach prospects To hear more from Innovative Agency owners, listen to The Innovative Agency podcast on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or on our website.

The conversation I'm featuring on today's episode of #BestofTIA is with Grayson Lafrenz, Founder and CEO at Power Digital Marketing, about agency growth and what prevents it. We talked about: The 5 pitfalls that hinder your growth… And 5 ways to grow your business How much of your time should be spent on RGAs How fast star talent will pay for themselves The 4 pillars of diversifying deal flow To hear more from Innovative Agency owners, listen to The Innovative Agency podcast on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or on our website.