Ad Agency New Business: How to Jumpstart Your Agency’s New Business Resolution
It’s that time…again. The new business resolution that you talked about last year is back. You strategized about it in committees, assigned roles for its enactment and made plans for its progression.
So why hasn’t it happened?
The onset of any new year inspires many resolutions. Resolving to create a sustainable business development program is perhaps one of your most critical.
Following are a few quick tips and easy-to-implement solutions designed to move your agency toward increased new business health and success
Small portions lead to big results.
Big goals can often be overwhelming and easy to postpone. Rather than tackling your prospect universe in its entirety, focus on one niche industry or highly specialized service area in which you possess a strong competitive advantage. Be certain that you are strategically positioned to resonate with the intended audience.
Target 50-100 organizations within that meet very specific criteria within that subset. Consider: organizational size, geographic location, sales orientation and current relationship status. The more focused, the better.
Personally research and build an associated contact list to include all decision-making and influencing roles within each organization. Purchased lists are notoriously fraught with misinformation and dead ends; so take the time to delve deep as your program’s success relies on the accuracy of this information.
Structure a preliminary outreach plan to include a simple door-opening piece focused on a unique point of prospect pain. Follow with a regimented combination of personal, social and direct outreach designed to create awareness and an ongoing conversation. A succinct and personalized approach will also help to increase effectiveness and the likelihood of a positive response.
Exercise smart content.
Developing relevant and regular content that cements your unique brand position is another critical element that you can no longer ignore. Assign an agency principal your thought leadership role. Support this individual with a small team of research and fact gathers to aid in the writing load.
Commit to creating consistent and detailed content that defines and demonstrates your USP. Relentlessly distribute this material in a multi-channel manner.
Trim your social fat.
Stop tinkering with your social networks. Assemble a squad for each major platform. Empower these teams to be creative in their approach and mindful of the content nuances associated with each. Monitor results regularly for adjustment and cross-platform coordination. Have fun with the process. Cultivate a friendly and competitive environment to help bolster positive results.
Creating a comprehensive business development program requires a significant commitment. There are, however, some easy-to-implement first steps. Commit to a plan and assign the proper resources or give us a call; we would be happy to help get your new year off on the right foot.