The Innovative Agency

Branding — it's a much-discussed and often misunderstood topic within the marketing world. There are many clients out there who don't invest in it because they don't believe it provides ROI. But the truth is, given time, it can deliver tremendous impact to the bottom line. Todd Irwin, Chief Creative Officer and Founder at brand x, chats with me about the power of branding and how it builds trust. We discuss: - How B2B companies perceive the brands of the people that sell to them - How branding agencies can work more effectively with other agencies - Why brand should start internally - What to do when rebrands go wrong To hear more from Innovative Agency owners, listen to The Innovative Agency podcast on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or on our website. Listening on a desktop & can't see the links? Just search for The Innovative Agency in your favorite podcast player.

In the last 10 years, there has been a 5,000% increase in the amount of data that exists. This data explosion presents a challenge for brands and agencies alike — if you don't understand what to prioritize, you could be spending a lot of time and money using data incorrectly. Our latest guest, Brandon Starkoff, CEO at Transparent, has the experience and insights to help you avoid such costly mistakes. He joins the show to explain today's shifting data landscape and how you can make the most of it. In this episode, we discuss: - Why focusing on your core business will ensure you prioritize the right data - Why brand is important, but secondary to customers - The future of first-party data To hear more from Innovative Agency owners, listen to The Innovative Agency podcast on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or on our website. Listening on a desktop & can't see the links? Just search for The Innovative Agency in your favorite podcast player.

Some think that being everything to everybody drives success for a marketing agency. But the truth is that there are far more advantages to finding a niche and growing your expertise. Alex Membrillo, CEO of Cardinal Digital Marketing, joins me to share why you should niche down and how to go about doing it. Topics covered: - Choosing to focus on the healthcare industry - Creating opportunities for authority building and thought leadership - Developing a proprietary data analytics tool To hear more from Innovative Agency owners, listen to The Innovative Agency podcast on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or on our website. Listening on a desktop & can't see the links? Just search for The Innovative Agency in your favorite podcast player.

Out of every crisis comes opportunity. When live sports came to a halt in March of last year, sports marketing agencies had to scramble to find new opportunities to bring value to their clients all while supporting a heavily impacted industry. In today's episode, Michael Neuman — Founder, EVP, & Managing Partner of Scout Sports and Entertainment — talks with me about driving innovation in chaotic times. Topics we cover: - Tracking lost client value and understanding changing fan behavior - Pivoting to new opportunities - The challenges of an agency leader in a vulnerable industry - Changes that will remain moving forward To hear more from Innovative Agency owners, listen to The Innovative Agency podcast on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or on our website. Listening on a desktop & can't see the links? Just search for The Innovative Agency in your favorite podcast player.

When COVID hit, experiential marketing agencies specializing in in-person events were forced to adjust. In this episode, Rick Kiley and Jeff Boedges, Partner and Managing Partner, respectively, at SoHo Experiential, share how they were able to leverage the networks they had in place to pivot their business. What we talked about: - How COVID accelerated changes to their business - Educating clients on delivering high-quality, virtual experiences - Finding a new revenue stream with marketing sports book gambling -Opportunities in cannabis marketing To learn more about the topics discussed in this episode, email Rick (rick@sohoexp.com) or Jeff (jeff@sohoexp.com) or listen to their podcast, The Green Repeal. To hear more from Innovative Agency owners, listen to The Innovative Agency podcast on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or on our website. Listening on a desktop & can't see the links? Just search for The Innovative Agency in your favorite podcast player.

A lot has changed in content marketing over the last year. So much, in fact, that it brought the man who wrote the book on content marketing out of retirement to update his seminal work. On today's episode, Joe Pulizzi, Founder of The Tilt and author of Content Inc, joins me to talk about what content marketing looks like today. Topics we covered: - Why it was time to update his book - Asking hard questions before diving into content marketing - Focusing on one main content type on one channel - The genesis of The Tilt Pre-order Content Inc at content-inc.com and sign up for The Tilt at TheTilt.com. To hear more from Innovative Agency owners, listen to The Innovative Agency podcast on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or on our website. Listening on a desktop & can't see the links? Just search for The Innovative Agency in your favorite podcast player.

There's no denying we're in a video content boom — even shorter-form videos can have outsized impact. And when you add the brand equity, audience reach, and production expertise of an influencer, your video content can attain even greater levels of success. In this episode, Gabe Gordon, Co-Founder at Reach Agency, speaks with me about the ins and outs of video-driven influencer campaigns. What we talked about: - Starting out in a niche, then expanding out to other corners of the market - Trends in video consumption - Tips for collaborating with influencers To hear more from Innovative Agency owners, listen to The Innovative Agency podcast on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or on our website. Listening on a desktop & can't see the links? Just search for The Innovative Agency in your favorite podcast player.

Inbound referrals can only provide a limited amount of a marketing agency's new business. At some point, you need to diversify your lead generation. Today's guest, James Harper, Founder of Agency Flare, tells me that we're at a tipping point where marketing agencies need to adopt a blended approach to lead generation — using both inbound marketing strategies and a cold sales approach. Topics we talk about: - The role of the agency owner in the sales process - Using a blended approach of inbound and outbound tactics - Adopting a "serve" rather than "sell" mentality - The value of niching up To hear more from Innovative Agency owners, listen to The Innovative Agency podcast on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or on our website. Listening on a desktop & can't see the links? Just search for The Innovative Agency in your favorite podcast player.

Recently, I was invited on The Climb hosted by Jon Tsourakis, President and Chief Revenue Officer at Oyova, to talk about the legal counsel I provide to agencies. In this crossover episode, the tables are turned. Jon joins me to talk about how an agency leader approaches legal issues and to share his advice for other agency owners. We cover topics like: - Negotiating contracts with clients, other agencies, and freelancers - Properly valuing and charging for your expertise - Asking clients the hard questions upfront Other resources mentioned during the podcast: - Digital Mastermind Group Annual Event - Want to join the Digital Mastermind Group? Email Jon at Jon@digitalmastermind.com To hear more from Innovative Agency owners, listen to The Innovative Agency podcast on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or on our website. Listening on a desktop & can't see the links? Just search for #FlipMyFunnel in your

For small and mid-sized agencies, client work comes first — but often at the expense of new business development. So how do you go about refocusing efforts on your agency's growth engine? Lee McKnight, Vice President at RSW/US, has some ideas for you. He joined me to talk about the opportunities and challenges facing agencies today and how to recalibrate the way you approach new business. What we talked about: - The state of new business for small and midsize agencies - Why you shouldn't wait to go after new business - Taking a step back to instill an agency-wide culture around new business To hear more from Innovative Agency owners, listen to The Innovative Agency podcast on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or on our website. Listening on a desktop & can't see the links? Just search for The Innovative Agency in your favorite podcast player.