Common Mistakes Advertising Agencies Make Online.

I know a lot about advertising and digital agency websites and their online presence.

When I am conducting an agency review I check out a lot of agency websites.

When I am helping agencies find great talent, I check out their websites and their LinkedIn game.

When they need to outsource digital development I connect them with my partner in Buenos Aires.

When I hunt for agencies, I check out their online game because in the New Normal clients will definitely do a Google search on you.

We all know that agencies admit they are Cobbler’s Children when it comes to marketing themselves.

I have blogged about that in the past. Most don’t listen. They say I know I know but rarely change. Change is hard in business and life.

If I worked that way I would be sleeping on a bench.

Today, I find that agency websites have improved. Why Technology made them do it so most agency sites now are responsive to provide an optimum viewing experience across a wide range of devices.

Agency websites are now also mobile friendly. They did that to please the God of Google to make sure their site doesn’t lag in Google’s search rankings.

But agencies still make mistakes.

While agencies converted their sites, most adapted but did not change and think about how interfacing with them on multiple devices has altered the game. The internal brief was probably let’s make our site responsive. Few agencies spend as much time on their sites as they do their clients’ sites.

I have always felt that the way agencies invite prospects to connect is lame. I can’t believe that the number of agencies responsive websites still say fill out this form to connect with us on their sites. Do you think I am going to do that when I am doing a review? I want to connect with you quickly. Where is the New Business person’s email or cell phone, so I can connect on my phone if I am driving?

I am always happy when agencies post their social media logos on their site. I have done that for years on my salutation, my blogs, my business card, and my site.

Getting in touch easily is the key in the New Business game. However I see some agencies that only have a Twitter or Facebook Icon on their website. Where is LinkedIn? Would I tweet you an RFP? I want to connect with their leadership and that is easier on LinkedIn.

As the game gets better, most agencies want to move up the food chain and catch bigger fish but they also make themselves look small.

If I see a BNI or Chamber of Commerce logo on your site does that make me think you are a big time player? I think not.

Most agencies today should hopefully have a LinkedIn Corporate page. One mistake that I often see is that they often exaggerate their company size. On their LinkedIn page they can list the number of employees and they do. Then you check how many employees they have on LinkedIn and it doesn’t add up.

Now hype is the last thing I look for when I am doing a review. Clients don’t pay me for that.

One thing that agencies can count on in the New Normal is the power of transparency online.

I have seen agency profiles that say their agency has 35 employees. Then I look and see that 123 people work or have worked there. That would tell me that they are an agency where I shouldn’t go. It is a sign of a revolving door.

In the end we all know you can’t be perfect with your Internet presence but then again if you’re an agency telling your clients you will make everything perfect, you can’t compromise.

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