In this episode, hosts Peter Kang and Sei-Wook Kim tackle a common agency pitfall: treating marketing as a short-term, reactive effort only when leads dry up. They argue for a fundamental mindset shift, framing marketing as a long-term investment in reputation and awareness, similar to the compounding benefits of consistent exercise.
Peter and Sei-Wook first outline the "basics" of agency marketing: from social posts and case studies to newsletters and events, and then dive deep into six specific, unconventional examples. They share their own experiences with a 24-hour website challenge and open-source software, and highlight other standout campaigns like annual recap microsites, community-building meetups, physical publications, and even an agency-built coffee shop.
For any agency owner tired of generic marketing tactics, this episode is a treasure trove of creative, memorable ideas to stand out and build lasting connections with your ideal audience.
Key Moments
1. The agency marketing mistake: Why a reactive, short-term lens leads to frustration.
2. Reframing marketing as a long-term investment in reputation and awareness.
3. The basic marketing toolkit: Social media, case studies, newsletters, and events.
4. The 24-hour website challenge showcases speed, skill, and heart.
5. Open-source software, building goodwill and technical credibility.
6. Annual recap microsites, packaging a year's work into a narrative asset.
7. The final word: Why consistency and experimentation are the keys to marketing success.
Real Talk Takeaways
1. Marketing is not a slot machine; it's a long-term activity where results compound over time, much like exercise.
2. The goal of marketing is to be remembered, so when an opportunity arises, your agency is top of mind.
3. Even basic marketing activities can be highly effective if done with consistency and a specific audience in mind.
4. Ambitious, one-off projects like a 24-hour build or a physical publication can generate years of storytelling value and PR.
5. Giving back to the community through open-source code or hosted events builds immense goodwill that can convert to opportunities years later.
6. The right marketing mix requires experimentation; you have to try different things to see what resonates with your target audience.
7. Measure success by asking new prospects how they heard about you, understanding that results often lag 6-12 months behind the effort.
Timestamps
00:00 – Intro: The Wrong Way to Think About Agency Marketing
01:14 – Marketing as a Long-Term Investment, Not a Slot Machine
02:05 – The Basic Level of Agency Marketing Activities
04:13 – The Power of Doing the Basics Exceptionally Well
05:35 – Introducing Six Unconventional Marketing Examples
06:00 – Example 1: The 24-Hour Website Challenge
07:39 – Example 2: Releasing Open Source Software
09:51 – Barrel Holdings: Acquiring Profitable Agencies
10:14 – Example 3: Using Annual Recaps as a Narrative Tool
11:20 – Putting Your Annual Recap in Email Footers
11:35 – Example 4: Building a Community with Events
13:18 – Example 5: The Impact of Physical Publications
15:05 – Example 6: The Ambitious Big Bet (Like a Coffee Shop)
16:37 – Wrapping Up: The Need for Consistency and Experimentation
18:08 – How to Measure the Impact of Your Marketing Efforts
19:01 – Final Advice: Keep Trying Stuff
Notable Quotes
"A lot of agencies... by the time marketing enters their minds, it's because the leads have kind of started to dry up... this might be some reactive, quick, 'Hey, let's post some stuff on LinkedIn.'" — Peter Kang on the common reactive approach to marketing.
"The way to get the true power of marketing is to think about it as like a long-term investment. It's not like a slot machine where you can just put in some coins and leads will come out right away." — Peter Kang on the long-term investment mindset.
"At the core, [marketing is] about building reputation and awareness of who you are, what you do with the specific target that you're after. Ultimately you're trying to connect with that specific audience." — Sei-Wook Kim on the fundamental goal of marketing.
"Marketing is a lot about consistency. It's not an on-off type of thing... It's what are the activities that you continue to do that reach the audience that you hope to reach?" — Sei-Wook Kim on the importance of consistent effort.
Links & Resources
Peter Kang on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/peterkang34/
Sei-Wook on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/seiwookkim/
AgencyHabits Website: https://www.agencyhabits.com/
AgencyHabits on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/agencyhabits/
Barrel Holdings Website: https://www.barrel-holdings.com/
Barrel Holdings LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/barrel-holdings/
