The Innovative Agency

We’re being overrun with technologies that are supposed to make digital marketing more efficient.   The reality is that AI doesn’t always work the way you think it will. Algorithms are only as good as the person who decides what data will be used for a campaign.   In this episode, I interview Raquel Rosenthal, CEO at Digilant, about all things digital media.   What we talked about:   - The need for human curation   - 2 ways to increase trust in a difficult climate   - Trends in the future of digital media buying   To hear more from Innovative Agency owners, listen to The Innovative Agency podcast on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or on our website.

Some agencies approach both brand and demand simultaneously, while some hope the issue of prevalence never arises.   On a recent episode of The Innovative Agency, we discussed how to solve both of those problems…   With workshops.   In this episode, I interview Mark Emond, Founder and President at Demand Spring, about brand, demand, and education..   What we talked about:   - Brand vs. demand are tied up in sales and marketing alignment   - Clients are in transition and need your expertise   - Best practices for workshops and raising the bar on your reputation   Check out these resources we mentioned during the podcast:   - Simon Sinek’s Start with Why   - Demand Spring’s fantastically named Spring Training workshops   To hear more from Innovative Agency owners, listen to The Innovative Agency podcast on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or on our website.

Yes, okay, agile is a buzzword… but we do actually want to be agile, right?   Actually, agile just means a way of managing projects.   In this episode, I interview Joe Teo, CEO at HeyOrca, about the 4 principles of his agile methodology.   What we talked about:   - What agile really meals for social   - 4 pillars of an agile manifesto   - 3 huge don’ts for agencies’ social strategy   - To what extent should you collaborate with clients   Check out these resources we mentioned during the podcast:   - The HeyOrca site offers free resources   - HeyOrca’s Facebook community is called Life in Social   To hear more from Innovative Agency owners, listen to The Innovative Agency podcast on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or on our website.

There’s a not often talked about aspect of agencies that’s massively important: technology.   Mobile technology, mobile strategy, and the interplay between mobile and marketing campaigns all have a huge impact on your clients’ successes.   In this episode, I interview Todd Wooten, Founder and President of VRTCAL, about his mobile first strategy.   What we talked about:   - 5 reasons why mobile first is your best (only) option   - Mobile first builds trust and confidence   - The fascinating shift from PII to DII   - The ultimatum: Innovate or die   To hear more from Innovative Agency owners, listen to The Innovative Agency podcast on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or on our website.

The spring of 2020 has been an interesting time to do business, to say the least.   One of the most valuable things we could dwell on in the industry right now is how to navigate the turn around the corner as we are beginning to hear some hopeful pandemic-related news — while still feeling ourselves in the midst of an unprecedented challenge.    Recently on The Innovative Agency, I chatted with Scott Baradell, Founder and CEO of Idea Grove, about adapting communications and marketing during a crisis. What we talked about:   - Ways to adapt your marketing to show leadership   - Scott’s raw story about loss and digging deep   - Focusing on helping and caring instead of selling   Check out this resource we mentioned during the podcast:   Scott’s blog post, “The Importance of Getting It Together In Times Of Crisis”   To hear more from Innovative Agency owners, listen to The Innovative Agency podcast on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or on our website.

There's already a lot of great content out there about how agencies can and should adapt their businesses because of COVID-19.   One aspect of these changes that isn’t as widely discussed is how agencies can help their clients be effective in a time of crisis — ethically.   In this episode, I interview Bryn Tindall, CEO and Owner of Rebel Interactive Group, about ethical considerations brought about by the current crisis.   What we talked about:   - Elements that affect marketing during a crisis   - Creative communications & 3 messages to send   - Trends stemming from COVID-19 that could stick when it’s over   Check out this resource we mentioned during the podcast:   - I appreciated the Rebel Interactive blog post about COVID-19 facts & opinions   To hear more from Innovative Agency owners, listen to The Innovative Agency podcast on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or on our website.

Creativity has many facets.   It means different things depending upon the clients that your agency might serve and how you might attack creativity depending upon their goals.    In this episode, I interview Gal Borenstein, Founder of the Borenstein Group, about aspects of creativity for a B2B marketing agency.   What we talked about:   - The 4 pillars of creating trust   - Do psychological research on your client’s customers’ decision makers   - Understand the misalignment between messaging and belief   - Trust is something you have to earn, not assume To hear more from Innovative Agency owners, listen to The Innovative Agency podcast on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or on our website.

Given the amount of time that most agencies spend on building a new business pipeline, hiring talent, and the amount of time and money that goes into trying to acquire those clients.   There's a big opportunity to be lost once you advance in those conversations.   That moment when you realize your client isn’t ready for what you offer.   Recently on the Innovative Agency Podcast, I talked with Cat Bradley, Founder and CEO of SewEthico, about creating successful relationships between your agency and the clients that you serve.   What we talked about:   - The question agencies aren’t asking   - When it’s fine to frustrate your clients   - 3 reasons to send a client back to the foundational profit models   To hear more from Innovative Agency owners, listen to The Innovative Agency podcast on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or on our website.

Gone are the days of the teenager in the basement with the Xbox.   The Fortnight World Cup was recently won by a 16 year old who earned a prize of $3 million.   That’s $1M more than Tiger Woods took home for the U.S. Masters.   In this episode of The Innovative Agency, I interview Larry Jaeger, Founder and CEO at Sponsor Burst, about marketing in the world of esports.   What we talked about: - Creating a niche market - How to reach Gen Z - Research techniques for esports and other niche industries - The importance of credibility in your marketplace   To hear more from Innovative Agency owners, listen to The Innovative Agency podcast on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or on our website.

Authority drives agency choice 62% of the time.   Establishing your agency as an authority, then, should be one of the main goals of an agency.   In this episode, I interview Drew McLellan, owner of Agency Management Institute and McLellan Marketing Group, and Stephen Woessner, owner of Predictive ROI:   What we talked about: - 3 essentials to becoming an authority - Using cornerstones & cobblestones to go multichannel - Deciding whether to speak or write - Developing authority is a long-term play (but you can accelerate it)   Check out these resources we mentioned during the podcast: - Drew is the host of the Build a Better Agency podcast - Stephen is the host of the Onward Nation podcast - Stephen also wrote Profitable Podcasting   To hear more from Innovative Agency owners, listen to The Innovative Agency podcast on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or on our website