Marketing Agency Exposed Podcast

Summary: In today's episode, we dive into the evolving world of ecommerce. Every agency should be executing their services on their own business to gain valuable experience and learn how to truly innovate. There's no way to truly innovate if all you do is work on other people's projects. We talk about channel diversification and marketing diversification. Although Facebook ads and Amazon can be he...

Summary: On today's episode, we talk about where we think an agency's profit should go to bring the greatest return and maximize your resources. It's how you bring stability and value to your business. Disclaimer: this is not financial advice. Consult with your financial professional doing anything. We are not financial professionals, and we do recommend finding a real advisor who is invested in y...

Summary: Today we discuss how to break into new verticals. We also discuss whether you should break into new verticals. It can be challenging to close in on a client in a different industry when you have minimal experience there. On this week's episode, we offer a few tips to help you jumpstart your journey through new verticals. It's all about becoming a master translator. Even if you don't have...

Summary: Today we talk about the challenges of working with difficult clients or just simply not getting the feedback you expected from the people you serve. Unfortunately, as service providers we can't control the happiness of the people we serve. We can only control our own actions - the work we do and the way we respond. Our first tip is to try to be empathetic. It seems a bit cheesy and retali...

Summary: Today we discuss the positive aspects of running an agency. When you work in an agency, you're essentially paid to play (if you do it right). You're exploring unknown aspects of online marketing, branding, design, etc and that's exciting! You have the opportunity to work with multiple clients per day which provides variety. Agencies have the ability to look at hundreds of marketing strate...

Summary: Today we analyze Patrick Lencioni's "The Five Dysfunctions of a Team '' and discuss how to apply these principles in everyday agency life. We use a pyramid to model these 5 concepts because each level builds on the next. The foundation of the pyramid is trust. Everyone knows the saying "There is no relationship without trust", and this also applies to business. The next level is healthy c...

Summary: Today we discuss the lonely aspect of being a business owner or leader and some ways to prevent it. It's a real problem. One way to fight it is to get into a group and have mentors. Whether it's a mastermind group, or the Agency Exposed community, escaping isolation is key. We also discuss the challenges of firing in a small business, the balance in discussing business matters with employ...

Summary: Last week we covered how to scale your business without hiring. Today, we chat about how to make sure your agency is primed for scaling. The first step is to define what you want your agency to look like. Next, you need to put guidelines in place to protect your goals for your business. It's also important to know what tasks give you energy, drain you of energy, and the ones in the middle...

Summary: In this week's episode, we dive into how to scale your agency without hiring. Although hiring team members is required, it's not the most effective and healthy way to scale. To increase capacity and profit, you must innovate. Old, out-dated techniques are one part of the problem. A technique that can help you scale your agency in a profitable way is to create a culture that promotes effic...

Summary: In this week's episode, we explore the scientific world of AI and specifically AI copywriting. We discuss the pros and cons of AI in marketing and life. Throughout this episode, we dissect the importance of the human element, truth in marketing, the future, and false narratives. We also breakdown the difference between machine learning and AI. Although AI can eliminate tedious tasks and c...

Summary: Today we're continuing our series on agency fundamentals. Even if your agency is mature, this discussion is for you. One of the issues is the need to take time off without harming your business. The agency shouldn't rely on any one person to survive. Three main ways to keep your agency running smoothly when you aren't there are: a partner who can pick up the slack, systems and processes,...

Summary: Today we're discussing how to start an agency and the 3 key components to be successful. These fundamentals are relevant to even verteran agencies. But first, what is an agency? Many businesses in this space are stereotyped as agencies but in reality, these "agencies" are not agencies at all but rather, teams of specialists. The three essential components to building a healthy and success...

Summary: Today we chat about how cancel culture impacts business, brands, and marketing. We talk about how truth is hard to find in the media and how we have the apparent ability to judge others as a massive group, which can be powerful and dangerous. We explore the importance of sincerity as well as the balance between being genuine and expressing an opinion about something that may overstep boun...

Summary: In today's episode, we look at the benefits of the iOS 14.5 update to marketers and agencies as they serve their clients. We've heard all of the noise about how the privacy updates will kill digital advertising, but the truth is advertising was around way before the tracking that we currently know.    Top 3 Curtain Pulls in this episode:    Look to the good - the smart marketers aren't th...

Summary: In today's episode, we debate the difference between online privacy and online anonymity. It seems we may have the 2 confused in today's culture. Where does privacy end and anonymity begin? And how does all of it affect us as advertisers? We discuss the difference between privacy and anonymity, the "Big Brother" fear that drives us to desire these things, and how maybe the lack of anonymi...

Summary: Today we're talking to Brad Ayres about his daily routine. We talk morning rituals- including reading business and finance news as well as staying up to date in the applicable industries for his clients. As a creative personality that also loves number crunching, Brad's experience of Agency ownership is deeply dependent on delivering results. This means gathering, deciphering, and underst...

Summary: Today we're talking to Bob Hutchins about his daily routine. We talk exercise, journaling styles, self-reflection, and finding creative inspiration- all before setting foot in the office. With experience on both ends of agency ownership, Bob delves into the benefits and challenges of having limited responsibilities as a Director versus full authority as a partner/owner. He opens up about...

Summary: A specific morning ritual is a VITAL part of any business leader's recipe for success. The ONE thing successful people have in common is the fact that they HAVE a morning ritual. And today we're going through a day in the life of one of our hosts, Ken Ott. One of the keys to Ken's day is everything that happens before the work-day starts. We talk: rituals, nutrition, intermittent fasting,...

Subtitle: Understanding how to price your services is both complex and challenging, and there are a LOT of variables at play. Do you price based on effort or value? Do you prepare for haggling or give your final price upfront? Are you too expensive or not expensive enough? There are pros and cons with every decision and the lack of discussion around this topic makes for widely scattered strategies...

Summary: Last week's episode was all about preparing for the next downturn- today we're flipping the script. How do you prepare for good times? How do you prepare to bring about good times? And when those good times come how do you MAXIMIZE them and not squander them. As a business leader, complacency and lack of intentionality are a dangerous combination. Don't lose sight of the discipline you de...

Disclaimer: In this episode we talk about our experience in reading the market and preparing. We talk about our interpretations of current conditions and what that means for our business, but this is not financial advice. Please consult your professional advisor before taking any actions based on what you hear.   Summary: In this week's episode, we talk doom and gloom, and ode back to 2008 and 202...

Summary: In this week's episode, we discuss NFTs, the ongoing privacy vs marketing-tech saga, and get deep on the moral obligation of marketers.    Top 3 Curtain Pulls in this episode:  What on earth is an NFT? NFT stands for non-fungible token. "It's a digital asset that is on a blockchain and it's yours. If you buy it, it's your. And it's indisputably yours." They serve as a method of regaining...

Summary: In this week's episode, we're sharing our perspectives on privacy and how data tracking and targeting capabilities have shaped the advertising industry. We discuss what privacy means to us as consumers and as agency leaders, and we even explore how reduced targeting could actually be a good thing for our industry. After all, great content that tells a great story will always be what sells...

Summary: Jody Sutter is the owner and founder of The Sutter Company, a NYC-based consulting company that helps agency leaders tap into their strengths, clarify their strategy, and close more business. Through decades of experience in sales and operations for creative firms, Jody uniquely understands how to help agencies overcome their struggles with business development. In today's episode, we dig...

Summary: In this week's episode, we discuss RFPs and how each of our agencies approach them. We talk about investigating whether an RFP is worth your time or not; we share our own experiences with assessing RFPs and guiding potential clients toward a better plan of action; we talk about speaking to clients' needs in a way that inspires them; and we also share our framework for not just meeting RFP...