The Innovative Agency

When you've never had a brick and mortar agency, there's one thing you want to tell people working remotely… It doesn't have to be this hard to connect with each other. In this episode, I interview Anne Stefanyk, CEO & Founder of Kanopi Studios, about insights for virtual from her web-first agency. What we talked about: - Putting humans — specifically employees — at the center of your why - Strategies for culture, communication & connection - How to build clients a website that lasts - You're forgetting about maintenance services Check out these resources we mentioned during the podcast: - Simon Sinek's Start with Why - Brené Brown on operationalizing vulnerability - It Doesn't Have to Be Crazy at Work by Jason Fried - Profit First by Mike Michalowicz To hear more from Innovative Agency owners, listen to The Innovative Agency podcast on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or on our website.

Today on the #BestofTIA series, we're highlighting my conversation with Darren Magarro, Founder and President of DSM. We talked about: - Where to invest (people) - Knowing your goals - You won't be judged on how you're knocked down but how you get back up - The mindset of a leader Check out this resource we mentioned during the podcast. To hear more from Innovative Agency owners, listen to The Innovative Agency podcast on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or on our website.

The reason people don't produce content is that they don't know what to produce. (Hint: It shouldn't be promotional content.) Welcome to your step-by-step guide to building out a content-based relationship agency development strategy. In this episode, I interview Dylan Hey, Cofounder at Hey Digital, about how to win on LinkedIn. What we talked about: - His amazing journey to building an all-virtual agency - In the second year, he topped his year 1 revenue by 3-5x - Exactly what & how to post on social platforms - Designing your content sharing schema - Why you really do have time to launch a podcast Check out these resources we mentioned during the podcast: - Dylan's podcast is The SaaS Marketing Show - James Carbary at Sweet Fish Media (which also produces The Innovative Agency) helped Dylan launch To hear more from Innovative Agency owners, listen to The Innovative Agency podcast on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or on our website.

There used to be just a couple of ways a customer could interact with your company. Now there are a dozen. Brand unity is desperately important, and at the foundation of consistent messaging is… design. In this episode, I interview Angela Hill, CEO of Incitrio, about the importance of design in branding. What we talked about: - Design is crucial despite the prevalence of other methods & tactics in marketing - Crowdsourcing your logo just won't work - 4 marketing packages & access levels - The steps in developing monthly marketing retainers To hear more from Innovative Agency owners, listen to The Innovative Agency podcast on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or on our website.

In the first episode of the #BestofTIA series, I'm featuring my conversation with Jeff Pedowitz, President and CEO at the Pedowitz Group. Tune in to hear us talk about: - What's broken about the traditional revenue model - How value-based pricing works - 3 myths that keep agencies from unlocking passive revenue - Salons and tiered subscriptions Check out this resource mentioned during the show: Pedowitz Group's Revenue Marketing University To hear more from Innovative Agency owners, listen to The Innovative Agency podcast on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or on our website.

We can't always rely on referrals and personal networks to answer this question: Where will the new business come from? In this episode, I interview Dan Englander, Founder at Sales Schema, about cultivating a business development mindset. What we talked about: - Don't hire a salesperson before your agency is ready - How specialization will serve you best (even during the pandemic) - Steps for avoiding self-centeredness in your messaging - If you can't sell, teach; if you can't teach, listen Check out these resources we mentioned during the podcast: - Sales Schema's podcast: Digital Agency Growth - How to adapt your messaging for a crisis: salesschema.com/crisisprospecting - Andrew Chen's "Law of Shitty Clickthroughs" article To hear more from Innovative Agency owners, listen to The Innovative Agency podcast on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or on our website.

Most people treat a crisis as a good time to panic, when it's actually the opportune moment to make a dramatic change decision. Narrowing your focus in content and raising your confidence with data are the right things to do right now. In this episode, I interview Greg Linnemanstons, President at Weidert Group, about how he pivoted during the last recession to thrive during this one. What we talked about: - Inbound was his Eureka moment - The power of focused content and narrowing the scope - How it's not good enough "just" to publish now - Metrics evaluation! More fun than you think Check out these resources we mentioned during the podcast: - Weidert Group Marketing & Sales Blog - HubSpot's Inbound course To hear more from Innovative Agency owners, listen to The Innovative Agency podcast on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or on our website.

Consumers hate being tracked. But marketers need data to create precision ads. Today's guest brings his problem-solving skills to the cutting edge of data intelligence and data privacy. In this episode, I interview Harry Maugans, Founder and CEO of Clickagy, about privacy clusters. What we talked about: The genuine, creepy truth that cookies can track us within a foot of our position & feed us custom ads The problem of privacy regulation compliance & the solution of one to few Marketers who rely on cookies can only reach 50% of devices To hear more from Innovative Agency owners, listen to The Innovative Agency podcast on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or on our website.

In the classic debate about brand vs. demand, there is no 1 winner. There's only the perfect fusion of both. Smart agencies know which levers to pull to harmonize brand & demand. In this episode, I interview Carl Fremont, CEO at Quigley Simpson, about key levers for brand and demand. What we talked about: - The marriage of brand with data & analytics - Performance marketing alone is an old system & needs to go away forever - As yourself this: Do I need to invest more in the brand side for a longer term gain in the demand? To hear more from Innovative Agency owners, listen to The Innovative Agency podcast on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or on our website.

In the eternal struggle between the urgent and the important… our clients often win, and our agencies often lose. But treating your agency like your most important client is the best way to serve both your agency and your clients. In this episode, I interview Veronique James, Founder and CEO at The James Agency, about prioritizing your agency. What we talked about: - Tactical strategies for treating your agency like a client (including budgets and billable hours) - How to assess what is urgent vs. what is important, especially when you're busy - Positioning your communications during this tender time of global crisis - The necessary mindset for prioritizing your agency's needs To hear more from Innovative Agency owners, listen to The Innovative Agency podcast on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or our website.