In this episode of The Smart Agency Master Class, I talk with Michael Gass who is going to share with us his steps for driving new agency business.

Positioning is the foundation of generating ad agency new business.

Historically, agencies have problems when it comes to new business. There’s little differentiation; every agency sounds just like the next. It’s like you’re forgetting your marketing minds when it comes to promoting your agency.

Think having great creative makes you different from the next guy? Michael doesn’t. “Great creative isn’t a point of differentiation, it’s an expectation.” If you really want to stand apart you need to narrow your focus – find that niche – and give the prospects a reason to want to work with you.

Stop being your own worst client and making it harder than it should be!

The paradigm shift.

Let’s face it – it just isn’t how it used to be. Many agency founders, who were once great at working a room are finding themselves pretty inept nowadays. But Michael points out that we don’t need to be mourning the days of chasing new business.

Instead of being the new business hunter, it's now about learning to become the prey.Click To Tweet

He suggests using technology to entice new business to come to you. Don’t worry if you have been slow to start using social media, you’re not alone. Most agencies didn’t start using it until 2010, and then they just did the same thing they were doing in the real world – talking about themselves.

“Credentials, capabilities, and case studies – no one cares.” Prospects are looking for resources, not portfolios.

7 steps to differentiation and driving new business to your agency.

#1 – Identify a target audience. Remember, you want to work with people who fit in that sweet spot. Once you find the target audience, set a clear objective.

#2 – Find your purpose. Think about what your content driven blog is providing. Make sure that you’re keeping your focus narrow. If you try to be everything to everybody, you won’t appeal to anyone.

#3 – Develop content! Michael gives his clients a 30 post in 30 days challenge. Do that and you’ll have a lot of content and a routine for future production. Also, make sure you’re leading with the benefit statement (i.e. put the most important information at the top to hook your readers).

#4 – Include a clear call to action. Give your readers a prompt to keep the conversation going.

#5 – Implement best practices. Keep what works and dump what doesn’t.

#6 – Make use of your analytics to refine and improve your content. You can learn a lot by just looking at the data, so if you’re not currently checking your analytics, you’re missing out.

#7 – Manage the process. Use automation or hire someone to be responsible for making sure posts happen. Even if you’re busy with pitches or away at a conference, someone should be in charge of putting out content.

What you can do right now to start generating new business for your agency?

Michael is a huge fan of social media and is adamant that we get comfortable using it. Tweet a lot, post on Google+, Facebook and LinkedIn. Write blog posts. Share, share, share.

Start building a community. Use social media to promote your blog and share your posts. You can also share posts by others that you think are relevant and interesting. For help building that community, try ManageFlitter.

Sound daunting? Michael suggests using Basecamp, a project management tool. Michael calls it “the ultimate cat herding program.”