What is the secret to running a successful marketing firm

Back in 1990, I learnt a valuable lesson at the hands of highly creative Irish Advertising man who was my boss. He owned an advertising agency that was home to some of the biggest brands in the world.

The way he ran his agency was simple:

• It’s not about creativity, it’s about selling. Does this advertisement “sell”?
• There is no room for error. No client can ever receive any documentation that has a single error in it. Proof reading was a must, and everything went through more than one set of hands.
• Simple business model that focused on customer satisfaction and profits.

Today, 30 years later a few things have changed:

• Creativity can lead to sales but it might just be part of the longer strategy of nurturing the customer all the way to making a purchase.
• We are human and we make errors, but robots – not so much so. In many places where there is room for error, robotics and AI is replacing humans and doing a much better job.
• Simple business models work for a time but being innovative is the only way to survive.

When I review what has worked over the years and what hasn’t, it is very much apparent that change is a good thing, and a must if your business wants to exist longer than the calendar year you are working in.

The secret to running a successful marketing firm is simple:

• Have a plan in place and be prepared to continually change it.
• Invest in talent and performance, not big personalities.
• Use technology everywhere you possibly can to automate process, obtain useful analytics, and fast-track marketing efforts.
• Keep up-to-date with the latest marketing techniques.
• Have an innovative mindset in place.

Going from $500,000 in revenue to $2,000,000 to $5,000,000 and so on requires careful planning, processes and procedures – but it also requires a talent pool with a shared vision.

Invest in that!