Does Your Advertising Agency Get It?

I am continually surprised by the companies that contact us because their existing advertising or marketing agencies “don’t do social media.” When our phone rings, we are often faced with a frustrated person who is then ecstatic to hear that “Yes, we can absolutely design a viral video campaign,” or “Yes, we can certainly launch your company’s blog.”

Now don’t get me wrong, I enjoy the ability to please prospective clients, but I do not understand why the process of finding the right agency to handle your viral or social media marketing campaign needs to be so stressful. Thus, I have put together this post, with a few points for both advertising agencies and those professionals out there in marketing departments who are thinking of new media marketing.

For Companies

1. First off, realize that your existing marketing or advertising agency just doesn’t get it. They do a great job at all the other stuff you need them for, but they likely don’t have the time or the inclination to climb the social media learning curve. You don’t have to take my word for it though, read this article from ADWEEK that was published at the end of February.
2. Even if your traditional agency is beginning to do some work in these areas, don’t be afraid to look elsewhere for expertise. There are many companies who do only new media marketing. The contractor that builds your house is probably not the same one you would want to build your skyscraper. Use the Internet to find specialists.
3. Don’t be afraid to use the new media marketing specialists you find as a sounding board for your ideas. Many of the campaigns we are currently running are very different from what the client thought they needed on the first phone call. Viral and social media are brand new and new facets are evolving every day. As such, there might be tools or avenues for your company and brand that you hadn’t even considered.

For Agencies

For agencies I have only one point, but it is an important point, so I’m giving it its very own list:

1. You probably have a lot of clients who you have been serving for years. Some of these clients are going to begin asking you about viral videos, blogs, destination websites, ORM, and Facebook. Rather than steering them away from those things because you don’t normally do them, why don’t you partner with a social media agency that specializes in those elements? That way, you keep your client’s happy and under your roof, while benefiting from the expert services offered by your partner. This allows you to focus on what you do best, while at the same time staying on the leading edge of new marketing and advertising. Again, don’t take my word for it, check out the ADWEEK article I mentioned above.

I would be very interested to hear the stories of our readers. What have your experiences been when dealing with traditional agencies on the topics of new media? Let us know by commenting and maybe we can continue this discussion in further posts in the future.

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