What is the future of the #Digital #Agency sector post #COVID? My exclusive podcast with Robert Craven.
It was great to be asked to record Robert Craven’s GYDA podcast the other week as always been a bit of fanboy of his work. He is legend. He is a first-class, international keynote business speaker. A digital agency expert, author and business growth consultant.
I have listened to him many times. And always loved — if not slightly feared his…
‘free of nonsense’ approach.
As he pulls no punches and takes no prisoners when it comes to this stuff. So it was interesting to be asked to spar with him. About the future of marketing and especially digital marketing and company cultures.
I was going to be a little out of my depth. On marketing. As Robert has written and co-written more than ten books on marketing and strategy.
- Bright Marketing
- Customer Is King
- and Kick-Start Your Business
Which are all business best-sellers. Which I have written just one on how to start your own business. His books have been acted upon by thousands of growing businesses. Whislt my workshops and webinars may have been seen by that many. My book certainly has not.
Sir Richard Branson wrote two of the forewords for goodness sake!
So why was he talking to me?
In 2015, Robert Craven wrote Grow Your Digital Agency. The book quickly became the number one resource for Digital Agency Owners wanting to grow their business. Three years later, with agency owners calling for more, the GYDA Initiative was conceived. In July 2018 they launched the GYDA Initiative. And became a team of digital agency experts. Led by Robert Craven. All working together in the number one resource for Digital Agencies. Tasked to create change and agitate growth in digital agencies.
It was under this guise that he asked me to be a guest on his podcast show to discuss the future of digital agencies. Not only from my work having a digital agency. And also training agencies in marketing. But also in digital transformation. With positive company change with www.YourFLOCK.co.uk
As at FLOCK
We have worked with many digital agencies. As a world we know well. With my past and with my future thinking around the future of work. And knowing how high the churn rate is for employees preCovid.
They were a key demograhpic when we first started our consultancy business. With many a roundtable discussing the key issues in the industry and sector.
So from a company cultulre POV. It will be interesting to see what the digital agency landscape is like. Post COVID. And we have a webinar on this coming up (On Thursday 25th June 930am.) With global transformation specialist and thought leader Jeremy Blain.
But for now…. What is the future for digital agencies??
So in this GYDA Talks Robert Interviews me. As investor in www.YourFlock.co.uk. FLOCK — as an HR #SAAS #tech starting — itself being the digital transformation of a client’s consultancy business in early 2018. Something I liked the look of so much for the future of work I became an investor.
So what do we chat about. In the interview — Robert and I discuss:
- remote work company culture,
- diversity and inclusion,
- what to do with a non-diverse agency,
- the future of digital agencies and the agency world right now.
So have a listen here and comment below if you think I am right. Let’s just say we didn’t always see eye to eye on everything.
But we did on many, many other things. so…
In more depth — Robert and I discuss:
Company culture post Covid.
- Is WFH sustainable?
- Zoom Doom Gloom culture
- The agency world right now
- The reason for staff churn is not surprising
- How you get the staff you deserve
- How you need to “show don’t tell” your culture.
- Why we built FLOCK
Diversity problems in agencies.
- What to do with a non-diverse agency?
- Diversity is now possible with remote working
- The danger of when you recruit similar people who say ‘yes’ to you
- My concern for “Agencies” that can’t see the wood for the trees
- How you have to look at share values. Not the differences.
- Recruitent playing a key role for the future of agencies
- The Future Worker
The future:
- Data is the new CO2
- The future of marketing is without agencies
- You won’t be around in 3 years if you are not doing tech
- You have to have a tech stack which will define you
- The issues around the lack of understanding of the future
- Do not build your own AI
- You must be doing chatbot marketing in house
- The future of voice — with soap and Alexa
- Voice activated search = brands don’t matter
- Be worried about Frictionless Marketing
- Reposition as a place of innovation…. a data agency… digital transformation — build a product
And how in the end…
Culture eats software for breakfast.
Your true USP — is your people — and your people working together happily. Which is what FLOCK is all about.
But am I right? Have your say below…
Thanks to the GDYA. If you are a digital agency you get 10 free YOUR Values Surveys. For Your FLOCK profile. Combine it with your teams and get Your Team Culture MAP.
