A New Marketing

Have you seen any websites for marketing or advertising firms lately?

Go ahead. Open another tab and search for some. Look at a few of them. Notice anything?

They all look the same. They all have a short section about the firm, a quick list of their “core values” or “goals,” they list samples of their recent work, and then they say something to the effect of “…we deliver a unique experience for our clients to build brands and engage audiences..” (What does that stuff even mean?)

My question is this: If they can’t even differentiate themselves, how can you expect them to do it for you or your product? Sure flashy graphics and novel interfaces add a little value (see Leo Burnett), but with the same old information, it’s like putting a brand new paint job on your 1987 Toyota Camry. Sure it looks better, but it runs just the same.

If I ran an agency, the first thing you would see on my page would be a phone number. And not just a number leading to nowhere, but one that put you in touch with an agency rep that had the power to get things rolling. Sure it’s important to feature some of your work for people who are just browsing, but the ability to deliver real, personal insights immediately makes a big difference.

Another thing I would feature on my site would be a live chat room, where members of my team are both encouraged and sometimes directed to hang out. The purpose of this room is to provide some interaction for people with questions, and also just to set up a forum to talk marketing. If you’re considering hiring an agency, you want to know how they think, and what better way than to discuss it with them.

So there it is..a couple ideas from me. Look for me opening up my own shop sometime in the next 20 years. Look forward to hearing from you.