The New Business Dingo

We all look to the web to accomplish daily tasks, in fact there are several websites I visit each day in the order of getting things done for business.

From a corporate marketers perspective it’s no different, and one trend we’re watching closely at Catapult is the tendency for corporate marketers to search for new agency and marketing partners online.

There are a small but growing number of sites that offer corporate marketers exclusive access to information on marketing services agencies. Each site is slightly different and in some cases such as Marketing Mine, offer marketers the ability to search, compare, read reviews and even issue RFP’s.

Many sites are open to all users including other agencies and creative directors, who are typically curious or just poking around for insights on their competition.

Therefore, there's certainly a case to be made for confidentiality from an agencies perspective. Many provide exclusive access for marketers through verified registration (I’ll list a few examples below). These sites offer more than just basic agency information (Size, industries served, revenue by channel, etc.), with sections dedicated to marketer testimonials, case histories, awards, white papers, bios of key agency personnel, agency ratings by marketers and creative in all channels.

Marketers, like all of us are looking for robust sort and search capabilities to make the task more efficient, and some of these sites have search technology that provides premeditated selection criteria that allowing and assisting the user in narrowing down the database to the right result.

As an ad agency new business director you’re looking for ROI in any investment made for new business, which in my mind in terms of online search directories, comes down the volume of verified corporate marketer traffic on the site, and the number of searches that you're displayed in right?

Select a site that offers the ability to track both of these metrics, and of course, build a profile that highlights your areas of REAL expertise. To be found, be a specialist!

A few site examples to consider in your review:

Agency Compile

Agency Finder

Marketing Mine

Will these sites replace search consultants? 

Probably not.  We know there will always be reviews (typically the larger variety) that will involve search consultants. But that is not the only way business moves from one agency to another. For those times these sites provide the in-depth knowledge of the agency world, an opportunity to compare agencies and the ability to develop a customized RFP document. 

My advice, get listed sooner than later.

Happy Hunting,
The New Business Dingo