Ahmad Kareh

In an era of frequent social media outrage, the people who are most often motivated to leave a review for a business are those who are dissatisfied. Satisfied customers, on the other hand, may not always think to share their appreciation publicly.

Agencies love to wow their clients. A delighted reaction is a sign of a job well-done—and as smart professionals know, delighted clients often give referrals that lead to future opportunities.

Customer reviews are among consumers’ most trusted ways to vet a product or service, with 84% saying they trust online reviews as much as they do personal recommendations. Carrying such high trust and being publicly available around the clock, positive online reviews can clearly be a powerful part of a business’ marketing toolbox.

As consumers are more and more tied to online technologies, business websites are playing an ever-growing role in the customer-company relationship. Yet, creating an online space that grabs customer attention is only half the battle. It’s vital to success that websites also drive sales.

Conferences are an excellent opportunity to meet fellow professionals while learning about the upcoming trends within your industry. The best conferences offer a variety of invaluable experiences: High-profile speakers review new ideas or offer insights to learn from, new products and innovations are unveiled, and networking opportunities are plentiful.

Artificial intelligence can bring an efficiency boost to many industries through automated data analysis, fast and efficient processing, and predictive learning systems. There are already several instances of AI systems being implemented in agency spaces, from performance prediction to targeted marketing efforts to better personalization and more.

Every business has its problems, but no leader wants their private business woes to tarnish their public reputation. Unfortunately, it’s not uncommon for companies—especially larger, industry-leading firms—to have their internal issues leaked to the rest of the world.

In today’s digital world, most consumers form their first impressions of a company based on its website. Even businesses with physical locations are often first judged by their online presence. Many consumers won’t even bother with a business whose website is dull, confusing or uninviting.

Content marketing is a great way for modern businesses to attract and retain customers. To truly reap the benefits, you’ll need to produce content that is relevant and helpful to your target consumers. Otherwise, you’ll only be wasting your time and resources on content that no one will read.

Reliable marketing data is crucial for agencies looking to gain a more complete picture of consumers in a particular area. While marketing research can be quite expensive, there are free online resources that detail the characteristics of people living within a defined zip code, providing statistics on consumer spending, demographics, lifestyle and behavioral trends—all of which can help an agency better address their clients’ target audiences.