marketers, seize the online revenue opportunities
Outdated thinking may be costing your agency money and limiting your client relationships. How?
Walk into any agency and ask which clients should be running online ads. You’ll likely hear the same predictable responses: “The e-commerce brands, obviously.” “Our SaaS clients with clear conversion funnels.” “Maybe the restaurant group if they want to drive foot traffic.”
Here’s the problem with this thinking: you’re leaving money on the table and under-serving your clients based on assumptions that no longer hold true. (Is it time to level up?)
challenging agency ad strategy assumptions
Most agencies operate under a binary classification system. Clients are either “ad-ready” or “not ad-ready.” Unfortunately, this outdated framework stems from the early days of digital advertising when platforms were limited, targeting was early stage, and creative formats were restrictive.
Today’s advertising ecosystem bears little resemblance to that world. We now have granular audience targeting, diverse creative formats, multiple attribution models, and platforms that cater to virtually every demographic and psychographic profile imaginable.
The real question isn’t whether your client should run ads. It’s which ad strategy makes sense for their particular audience. Check out how we work with other agencies.
how to identify where your client’s audience lives online
Consider your current client roster through this lens: every single one of your clients likely serves customers who spend time online. A manufacturing company CEO researches industry trends on LinkedIn and Google. Decision-makers check Facebook for community updates and platforms like X (Twitter) for news. Patients at a dental practice scroll Instagram while waiting for appointments. (Heck, nearly 70% of the world’s population is now online.)
Our job is no longer to determine *if* an audience exists online—it’s to identify where audience segments spend their time, what motivates them to take action, and when they are most likely to purchase.
As an example, identify one industrial B2B client you’ve never considered for digital advertising. Their buyers might not be browsing Facebook for fun mid-day, but they’re absolutely researching solutions on industry publications, checking LinkedIn for peer recommendations, and using Google to compare vendors.
The ad strategy looks different—maybe it’s LinkedIn sponsored content targeting specific job titles, or Google ads targeting high-intent search terms—but opportunities absolutely exist.
revenue opportunities hiding in plain sight
This reframe opens up significant revenue streams that most agencies overlook. Instead of creating ads for 20-30% of your client base, you could be serving them to 80% or more.
The professional services firm that you’ve positioned as a “brand awareness and content” client? Their partners stay active on LinkedIn, and their ideal clients search for solutions on Google. A targeted LinkedIn campaign showcasing thought leadership content while Google ads capture high-intent searches could dramatically expand their lead generation.
The local fitness studio that came to you for “social media content only”? Their community likely engages highly on Instagram and Facebook, making these platforms perfect for promoting classes and events, sharing member success stories, and driving membership sign-ups through targeted local campaigns. Social media is not just about posting free content.
The nonprofit organization that limited you to create creative for “email and events”? Their donor base spans multiple demographics and platforms. Younger donors often engage on TikTok, while middle-aged supporters might share on Facebook, and major gift prospects consume content on LinkedIn. We do original research on midwestern trends annually – check out our free download, Kansas Social Media Use by Age.
Each segment requires different messaging and creative approaches, but all represent viable advertising opportunities.
focus on strategic positioning, not service pushing
This shift transforms how you approach client relationships and new business development. Instead of being the agency that asks “Do you need ads?” you become the agency that demonstrates strategic thinking with “Here’s how ads would work for your specific audience.”
This consultative selling approach positions you as a true marketing partner rather than a vendor pushing predetermined services. You’re showing prospects that you understand their unique challenges and can craft solutions tailored to their audience’s behavior and preferences.
When you present advertising as part of an integrated strategy rather than a standalone service, clients see the value more clearly. You’re not selling ads—you’re selling audience engagement, lead generation, and business growth through the most efficient channels for reaching their specific customers.
the competitive advantage to share with your client relationships
While your competitors chase the “obvious” advertising clients—e-commerce brands, SaaS companies, and retailers—you can differentiate by showing any prospect how online advertising could work for their situation.
This approach also deepens existing client relationships. The client who initially hired you for brand positioning and content marketing suddenly sees additional value in your services. You’re not just maintaining their brand—you’re actively driving business results through targeted advertising that complements their broader marketing strategy.
a simple framework for evaluating online ad potential by client
Start by auditing your current client base through this new lens. For each client, we walk through a framework on our Discovery Call that covers:
Business objectives: What do you as the client want to accomplish, by when? Do your current objectives focus on awareness, education, engagement, or conversion?
Target audience analysis: Where does your target customer spend time online? What platforms do they use for research, entertainment, and connection? What triggers your customers to seek solutions? Are they problem-aware, solution-aware, or ready to purchase?
Content and creative planning: How does your audience prefer to consume information? Where do they currently live online? Video, written content, images, or interactive formats? When someone clicks on an ad, where do they go? Do you want to avoid specific targets or keywords? Describe your typical customer journey.
Budget realities: What investment level makes sense, given your customer lifetime value and acquisition goals?
Measurement and tracking: What does success look like? Are you targeting specific KPIs? What kind of reporting matters most to you?
This framework helps you craft advertising strategies that feel natural and necessary, and aren’t forced or opportunistic.
develop a long-term vision for client success
Embracing this “every client is an ad client” mindset doesn’t mean pushing advertising services where they don’t belong. It means approaching each client relationship with curiosity about how online advertising could enhance their overall marketing effectiveness.
Some clients may need time to build the foundation for effective advertising—better landing pages, clearer value propositions, or stronger conversion tracking. Others might be ready to launch campaigns immediately. Your role is to assess where they are and create a roadmap that makes sense for their business.
“The question isn’t if your clients should run ads—it’s which ads make sense for their audience.”
share digital ad strategies that make sense
The agencies winning in today’s market aren’t those with the most prestigious client lists or the flashiest creative work. They’re the agencies that consistently deliver business results across diverse client types by understanding that effective marketing meets audiences where they are, not where we think they should be.
Every customer base is ideal for some form of online advertising. The question isn’t whether your clients should run ads—it’s whether you’re strategic enough to figure out which ads make sense for each client’s unique situation.
Stop leaving revenue on the table by categorizing clients as “ad-ready” or “not ad-ready.” Start positioning yourself as the agency that can unlock advertising opportunities for any business by truly understanding their audience and crafting strategies that deliver results.
Your clients almost certainly have customers that are already online. Our job is to help them connect.
