6 Critical Services Agencies Must Provide to Stay Relevant in Social Media

Is there a future for agencies in a social media world?
Yesterday, I gave a presentation in Tempe, AZ to Agencyside, a conference of advertising and PR agency owners. I emphasized that to remain relevant, agencies must differentiate themselves by providing advanced social media services, not just the basics.

An Enormous Opportunity
The huge (and expanding) reach of [...]

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7 Ingredients in the Perfect Twitter Profile

People are drinking the Twitter Kool-Aid like it’s the last day before Prohibition. It’s fantastic that so many are finding value in something so simple that can be so powerful. 
But many in the latest wave (more like a tsunami) of Twitterers seem to be overlooking a fundamental premise of the Twitter follower/following paradigm, which is [...]

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The Social Networking Friendship Development Scale

It used to be that you actually met someone in person first, and then developed and nurtured that relationship into its natural culmination – helping them move.
The Web and social networking has changed that, and now friendships are developed in a variety of digital forums, eventually moving offline and becoming three dimensional.
Below are the Before [...]

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3 Reasons David Lee Roth is a Bad Internet Marketer

I am of a vintage that was shaped by Van Halen’s album (actually a cassette for me) 1984. With Jump, Panama, and Hot for Teacher (a video that joins “Hungry Like the Wolf” in my early teen pantheon), this was a truly epic record – highlighted by David Lee Roth’s bad boy caterwauling. 
 
And then, he [...]

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5 Memorable Lessons from my Sarah Palin PPC Campaign

Thanks to everyone for participating in my “Are you man enough to write a PPC ad about a woman VP” contest. Many excellent entries (see original post). Here are the results:

McCain is 72 years old 
Avg US life expectancy is 78 years 
Is Palin qualified? Read This 
DailyKos.com   1.31% Click-through rate      
 
Sarah Palin’s Secrets 
What the GOP doesn’t want you to 
know about [...]

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Wake Up Agencies – Digital Shops = Trojan Horse

It was bound to happen, and now it has. A big-time digital agency (R/GA) has opened up a full-fledged brand development arm.
And whom do you think they will be competing against with this new branding department? Other digital agencies? Nope. They are aiming for traditional agencies and the branding, media placement, and creative budgets they [...]

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And They’re Off…Palin PPC Finalists Selected…Ads Live on Google

Thanks to everyone who participated in the Palin PPC contest (see post below).

It was difficult to select 4 ads to test live on Google, but ultimately I choose these:
Sarah Palin’s Secrets
What the GOP doesn’t want you to
know about McCain’s running mate
from James Archer (@jamesarcher)
I like this one because it’s a solid tease with a lefty [...]

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Win $200 in the Palin on PPC Contest

 
Are You Man Enough to Write a Great PPC Ad About a Woman VP?
I’m using the puzzling choice of Sarah Palin as McCain’s VP pick to engage in a crowd-sourced search marketing experiment. Namely, who among you can write the most effective Google PPC ad featuring her?

The winner will receive $200 cash from the gilded [...]

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Ad Agency New Business Survey – Take It

My friend Michael Gass, who writes the excellent Fueling Ad Agency New Business blog, has launched a survey of small and mid-sized ad agencies and the current state of their business development program. 
With the economy getting as ugly as pre-surgery Joan Rivers, figuring out how to keep your agency in front of key prospects is [...]

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PitchEngine Takes the Mystery out of Social Media Releases

Agency Advantage Tools – #3 In a Series
Since it’s invention by Todd Defren at Shift Communications in 2006, the social media press release has taken root.
Combining short paragraphs and bullet points with Web-friendly links, tags, and multi-media content, the SM release aims to give reporters and bloggers the key ingredients for a story in an [...]

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