The 2013 Definitive Guide to Agency New Business Tools Webinar

New Business Tools: The Definitive Guide

lee@rswus.com @rswus #agencynewbusiness

New Business Tools: The Definitive Guide lee@rswus.com @rswus #agencynewbusiness

Lee McKnight Jr.-Director of Business Development at RSW/US

Our initial goal:

To create an annual survey of the top new business tools agencies use.

Download at http://www.rswus.com/resources/

survey-results

Background

300 agency

respondents nationwide from the RSW/US & MirrenDatabases.

Background

How many employees do you have in your agency?

100-150

Background

Please select the title that most closely represents your role in the agency.

President/CEO/COO

Account Manager/Director/VP

Creative Manager/Director/VP

New Business Manager/Director/VP

Background

Ultimately chose 12 categories

Background

Social Media Platforms CRM Software Research Services Presentation Software Prospect Contact/List Building Services SEO Tools Email/Auto-Responder Services Survey Software Social Media Monitoring Tools Inbound Marketing Platforms Marketing/Webinar Platforms Project Management/Collaboration Tools

Background

1) Break down, from these 12 categories, the 4 key platforms that should be part of your agency arsenal and explain why.

Webinar goal

2) Show you what platforms your agency colleagues find most successful.

I. Your 4 Key Primary Platforms & Why (including what are your fellow agencies using)

II. 5 Key Secondary Platforms & Why

Your 4 Key Primary Platforms and

But first, in a perfect agency new business world you would only need these three tools:

-An Inbound Marketing Platform

-CRM software

-Prospect Contact/List Building Services

I. Your Perfect World-Just 3 Platforms/Tools

Centralized, All-in-One Toolset

Customer Intelligence

Inbound Marketing Automation

Integrates With Your CRM

Inbound Marketing Services areimpressive

I. Your Perfect World-Just 3 Tools

Couple that inbound marketing platform with CRM software and a list building service and you’re in fine shape.

Now the reality check.

1) It’s expensive

2) You don’t have the time, manpower or content generation (or all three)

So back to reality

Crawl before you walk

I. Your 4 Key Tools and Why

Here are the 4 platforms/tools you need to use:

Social Platforms

Email/Auto-Responder Services

I. Your 4 Key Tools and Why

CRM Software

Why CRM?

-An effective new business program must have a CRM.

-It’s easy when you start, but very quickly prospects will number in the 100’s and you can’t track, incorporate data and follow up with prospects without one.

Tool #1: CRM

CRM Advantages:

-Tracking email campaigns

-Sitting in the cloud (mobility)

-Monitoring the overall sales pipeline.

-Connecting via social media

-Integrating customer data

Tool #1: CRM

CRM Software % Using % Rate as Effective(7-10 rating among users)*

Salesforce 39% 58%

Sage ACT! 6% 30%

Microsoft Dynamics 4% 29%

Sugar CRM 2% 33%

Goldmine 2% 100%

Leads360 1% 50%

Oncontact 1% 0%

Other mentions 44% (Workamajig, Zelephant, The List, Highrise, Excel, NetSuite, Daylite)

Tool #1: CRM

Only 37% of agencies using

believe

their system is

effective

Tool #1: CRM

Why not effective?

• Difficult to keep it updated• Only use it as a database• Too complex/too expensive

Tool #1: CRM

CRMEXCEL

Tool #1: CRM

But an Excel spreadsheet is better than nothing.

A good CRM can be that critical time saver agencies need.

Tool #1: CRM

Why List Building Services ?

-Because the back bone of any program is a targeted, clean list.

-And the majority of agencies do not have time to do it.

Tool #2: Prospect Contact/List Building Services

List Building Service Advantages:

-Research

-Quality of Leads

-Quantity of Leads

List Building Services % Using % Rate as Effective(7-10 rating among users)*

The List 49% 45%

Jigsaw 20% 44%

Access Confidential 17% 62%

Netprosp 1% 0%

Mintigo 0% N/A

Oceanos 0% N/A

Other mentions 13% (RSW/US, AdData, Pearlfinders, LinkedIn, Hubspot, Adweek, Inside View, Lexus Nexus)

Only 43% of agencies surveyed used a list service.

Slightly surprising given how

difficult it can be to build, clean

and maintain lists internally.

Although we suspect it’s not that the other 57% are doing it themselves. . .

they’re just not using lists at all.

-Start small:

-20 to 40 prospects a month, if a list service isn’t in the budget.

-Build the parameters first:Geography, revenue, vertical

-Assign 20 prospects a month to different people in the agency

Tool #3: Social Media Platforms

Why Social Media Platforms?

-Social's not going anywhere-you don’t use it at your peril.

-Marketers are getting younger. “I don’t do voicemail.”

Social Media Platform Advantages: (thanks to Michael Gass)

Social media “teaches” agencies to promote themselves the way they should have been doing new business all along.

Agencies need a differentiated and appealing position to a particular target audience.

By enlarging the agency's online footprint so it can be found by their best prospective clients that match up with the core strengths of the agency.

87% of agencies surveyed use them.

A healthy number.

But-only 18% rated social media as

being effective!

Well, like anything else (in new business or otherwise), social takes time to work.

Too many agencies still don’t believe in it as a new business tool.

Treat social the same way you treat your overall prospecting:

-With consistency & follow through

Start small.

Tool #4: Email/Auto-Responder Services

Why Email/Auto-Responder Services?

-In short, time and reach.

-While many do it poorly, still an entirely viable channel, in concert with all the others.

List Building Service Advantages:

-Cost (low)

-List Management

-CAN-SPAM Act of 2003

-Statistics

Email/Auto-responder Services % Using % Rate as Effective(7-10 rating among users)*

Mailchimp 24% 64%

Constant Contact 22% 55%

Emma 11% 20%

iContact 3% 100%

Infusion 2% 100%

Vertical Response 2% 33%

Aweber 1% 100%

Get Response 0% N/A

Other mentions 35% (Hubspot, Campaign Monitor, Exact Target, sf.com Genius, Act On, Benchmark, Conversen, What counts,

Listrak, Pardot, Alterian, MarketFirst, Net-Results, Interspire, Prospect Smarter, MarketVolt, Silverpop)

• They are easy to track

• They are customizable

• They are easy to use

use are very effective, primarily because:

55% of agency executives say the platforms they

The 15% that don't find their platforms effective say it’s because they don't put the time into them to make it work.

Tool #4:Email/Auto-Responder Services

Social Platforms

Email/Auto-Responder Services

I. Recap: Your 4 Key Tools and Why

Underlying all these:

Your agency positioning and expertise in the space.

II. 5 Key Secondary Platforms/Tools & Why

Briefly look at 5 tools, I call secondary because they’re largely dependent on your content output and budget size.

SEO Tools Research Services Social Media Monitoring

Marketing/Webinar Platforms Survey Software

SEO Tools

SEO Tools % Using % Rate as Effective(7-10 rating among users)*

Google Analytics 42% 39%

Adwords 24% 52%

Wordpress 19% 43%

SpyFu 3% 57%

SEM Rush 2% 50%

Open Site Explorer 2% 71%

SEOQuake 1% 60%

Majesti SEO 1% 60%

Other mentions 6% (SEOMoz, BrightEdge, Hubspot, Get Clicky, Statcounter)

SEO Tools

Only 17% of agencies say they manage their SEO analytics daily.

36% of these same executives say they dosomething in the social space every day.

SEO isn't just about getting the technical details of search-engine

friendly web development correct. It’s also about marketing. This is perhaps the most important concept to grasp

about the functionality of search engines. You can build a perfect

website, but its content can remain invisible to search engines unless you

promote it.*

*Moz.combeginner’s

SEO Tools

-1990's=meta keywords tags and keyword stuffing

-2004=link bombing with anchor text, buying tons of links from automated blog comment spam injectors

-Today=Author Rank

SEO Tools

Change is a constant when it comes to search.

Start Small

-First set a goal to get your site optimized.

-Create one new case study a month.

-Commit to just one post a month.

-And use a free tool like Google analytics-at least once a week.

SEO Tools

Research Services

Research Service % Using % Rate as Effective(7-10 rating among users)*

Hoovers 17% 36%

Forrester 17% 45%

Mintel 12% 56%

Iconoculture 10% 49%

Trendwatching.com 7% 44%

Redbooks 7% 43%

Jigsaw 7% 28%

Datamonitor 5% 53%

Gongos 5% 53%

Other mentions 18% (4A’s, The List, Internal Resources, WARC, Second Wind, Lexus Nexus, ComSCore, MRI, eMarketer,

Mirren, Data.com, Access Confidential, Ratti)

The majority of agencies in our survey say they use research services (60%).

41% of those that use researchservices deem them effective at helping them bolster their agency's new business development efforts.

Research Services

A few reasons Agency executives say they use research services:

Clients/prospects love research

"How can you pitch someone if you don't know their business?

"It's like going to battle and not reading the decoded message from the enemy!"

Research Services

A few reasons Agency executives don't subscribe to specific services:

• Data isn't granular enough• Limited information available on regional prospects• Value doesn't match cost

Research Services

Let’s make a distinction:

Research for prospecting or pitching?

Easier said than done, right?

Social Media Monitoring

Social Monitoring Tools % Using % Rate as Effective(7-10 rating among users)*

HootSuite 37% 43%

Tweetdeck 21% 45%

Klout 13% 31%

Sysomos 5% 70%

Sprout Social 5% 54%

Tweetadder 4% 29%

Socialoomph 2% 33%

Viralheat 1% 33%

Sprinklr 1% 0%

Mediafunnel 0% N/A

Topsy 0% N/A

Other mentions 11% (Hubspot, Inside View, Sociatracker, Tracx, NMIncite, Radian6, Buzzhead, TweetBot, meltwater,

Adobe Social, Spredfast, Sprial16)

When asked to rate the most effective of the bunch, agencies rated HootSuitemost effective because:

• Easy to use• User friendly• Allows more social platforms

Why agencies don't like the products offered in this space:

Limitations on social media

outlets

Hard to find actionable insights

Not using very

effectively

Can't tie to ROI

Too time consuming

Marketing/Webinar Platforms

Meeting Platforms % Using % Rate as Effective(7-10 rating among users)*

GoToWebinar 35% 59%

Webex 30% 44%

Adobe Connect 6% 55%

Anymeeting 3% 80%

Pardot 4% 100%

Adobe’s Marketing Stack 2% 0%

Other mentions 11% (Net-Results, Meltwater, Optify)

Most users are generally satisfied, with 56% stating such:

• Makes it easy to connect with others• Have a lot of out of town clients• Allows us to control the presentation

Only 12% say the meeting platforms they're using are noteffective.

The few issues noted relate to:

• Technical problems• Specifically, trouble getting users logged in• Don't use enough

And webinars can be tough until you’ve established

your thought leadership.

Your prospects are incredibly busy, and

without a strong position and following, tough to get them in

the seats. lee@rswus.com @rswus #agencynewbusiness

Survey Software

Survey Software % Using % Rate as Effective(7-10 rating among users)*

SurveyMonkey/Zoomerang 79% 45%

SurveyGizmo 4% 67%

Survey Analytics 4% 67%

QuestionPro 2% 75%

FluidSurveys 1% 0%

Other mentions 10% (ResearchNow, Qualtrics, Second Wind, Mailchimp, Google Docs, SPSS, Vovici)

Survey Software

Of those that felt like survey software was not effective (25%), their reasons include:

Survey Software• No bandwidth to use• No flexibility• Our lack of expertise

Survey Software

Over 40% say their Survey software is effective.

• Great at helping get at original insights• Use it for clients• Prospects love to hear about themselves• Inexpensive• Straightforward

Things to consider:

It’s a project of defined duration (versus blogging)

Excellent insights for your own content

Excellent insights to better understand the challenge

Survey Software

Thank You.

Download our report: at rswus.com

(Resources-Surveys)

lee@rswus.com

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