What’s next for agencies as they look to retain clients and win new business? What will the post-COVID normal bring? Agencies have faced cuts to budgets, layoffs, last-minute pivots on campaigns, ramp-ups in industries skyrocketing during the pandemic, and, of course, opportunities to create the next big viral campaign. This is in addition to the challenges which were present before the pandemic, like unexpected competition from consultants, brands ditching outside agencies and moving their ad operations in-house, and the growing demand for transparency.
One thing can be sure: agencies are facing a serious reckoning. It’s time for them to take a customer-centric approach to win new business.
Get to Know Their Consumer on a Deep, Emotional Level
In order to successfully win new business, you to need show brands that you’ll get to know their customer beyond surface-level understanding. Stand out among the crowded agency space by going beyond stale, cardboard personas and deliver potential clients a 360-degree view of their consumer at the individual level, not the household level. Deep insights reveal what makes consumers tick, what they value and why they choose to advocate or abandon a brand. Brands are more likely to be persuaded by insights-led pitches*.
For example, if you’re pitching a car company, go beyond basic demographics of auto-shoppers, like their age and household income. Dynamic insights reveal that today’s car shopper values creativity and living an exciting life. They are driven by recognition from peers, respect from others, and having an optimistic outlook. They buy healthy food and belong to a gym. Consumers in the market for a car are also more likely to feel guilty about the environmental impact of their car. This paints a much fuller picture of who’s buying a car within the next 3 months for your prospects and gives them a much deeper understanding of who they should be connecting with and what those people care about.
Bonus: Download our Agency Blueprint for using data to become disruption-proof.
After demonstrating exactly what deep insights your agency can reveal about their customers and prospects, offer specific campaign and creative recommendations based on their needs, values and motivations. For example, present a campaign idea that revolves around living an exciting life and participating in an athletic activity. Suggest that they emphasize the eco-friendly qualities of their vehicle, since auto-shoppers are more likely to feel guilty about their environmental impact.
Source: Resonate Ignite Platform™, March 2021
Introduce a New Buyer Persona
Another approach is to introduce the brand to a segment they might not know about. For example, if you’re pitching an energy drink company, consider doing a deep dive on their assumed buyer persona to see if it’s in sync with who’s actually buying energy drinks. You probably have a picture in your head of a college kid chugging one to stay awake while studying. However, our insights on energy drinkers reveal that this isn’t the case. More than half of all energy drinkers are young to middle-aged dads, with kids under 5. Highlighting a misconception about a prospect’s target audience shows you’d help them crush their campaign goals by offering them a continuously updated view of their prospects and customers.
If you’re able to identify a potential new segment in your pitch, outline a few strategies for connecting with them. Our insights reveal that you might not want to rely on traditional advertising channels to connect with energy drinkers, especially if you want to reach this audience at scale. Advertise on the four major networks or during an NFL games, since this group typically watches them. Coming up with a plan based on your insights will set the stage for your relationship going forward.
Source: Resonate Ignite Platform™, March 2021
Where Can You Connect With Them?
Deep insights not only reveal who customers are and what drives their daily decisions, but where to reach them. Find out what shows their customers watch, whether they use streaming services or cable, what social media platforms they spend time on and other similar insights in order to create an effective targeting strategy.
Say the brand’s target audience is millennial moms, our consumer intelligence platform reveals these women are watching Disney Junior, E!, and MTV, which they’re likely watching with their kids. They’re also 27% more likely to watch TV thru a streaming service, particularly Amazon Fire TV Stick and Roku. When it comes to social media, they prefer image and video-focused apps Pinterest, TikTok, and Snapchat. They’re 37% more likely to share personal milestones on social media and 17% more likely to check-in at a specific location. This information allows you to devise an ad targeting strategy ahead of your pitch.
Source: Resonate Ignite Platform™, March 2021
Gain a Competitive Edge Over Other Agencies to Win New Business
Having a deep, person-level understanding of your potential client’s customers gives you a competitive edge over other agencies. You’ll be able to bring them actionable insights that are constantly refreshed to reflect the most accurate view of U.S. consumer in this very moment. Leveraging these insights leads to winning more business with stronger performance due to more accurate targeting and the deepest understanding of the why that drives everyday decisions.
Learn more about the deep insights currently driving consumer sentiment in the 2021 State of the Consumer.
