TBM BLOG
Want to Nail Your Advertising Pitch? Here’s How!
Preparing for an Advertising Pitch
You’ve got your foot in the door and a time and place to show what you can do for a prospective client. All you need to win that upcoming advertising campaign is a killer advertising pitch – but where to start?
Your pitch doesn’t just need to wow your audience, but also touch on the key points that will both impress them and convince them that you are the only choice to run this campaign. It needs to be smart, polished, and tailored to the client – all within a one-hour pitch meeting!
This might seem like a lot to get right, but not to worry. Whether you are an agency looking to win new business or the incumbent pitching to keep hold of a client, we’ve got step-by-step tips on how to prepare for your next advertising pitch so that you can stride in with confidence.
Match your advertising pitch to the brief
As noted above, your pitch needs to feel personalised and perfectly suited to the client’s needs. Therefore, carefully review the client’s brief before writing the pitch to ensure every point is addressed and included.
Look for the objectives and intended results for the campaign in particular, as well as the details about the market, target audience, budget, and time frame. Then, think about how you can ensure that those objectives are met and how you can show that you’re keeping all their requirements in mind.
Connecting with your audience is also a prime opportunity to really stand out from the crowd. For example, in an advertising pitch for an animated banner or digital marketing campaign, you need to consider two audiences: the audience sitting at the table in front of you and their audience.
Do original research into the client’s target market and give examples of how you will directly appeal to them. Not only does this fill gaps not covered by the client’s brief and add value for the client, but it shows that your team is prepared to go above and beyond when it comes to this advertising campaign.
Maintain a clear structure
This is undoubtedly important if you have multiple people taking part in the pitch and handling different sections. Ensure that your advertising pitch structure covers all the essential elements in a logical and understandable order.
Start strong by thanking the client for the opportunity to pitch. Next, introduce the agency team present at the pitch meeting, giving their names and outlining their expertise briefly. This is also an excellent opportunity to provide a brief summary of who will be speaking and in what order so your audience knows what to expect.
Next, summarise the client’s campaign objectives to demonstrate that you understand the brief. Set out your assessment of the creative and media requirements needed to achieve the client’s objectives in general terms before diving into the more detailed content.
What to include in an advertising pitch?
Now it’s time to launch into the main section of your pitch. Your pitch deck will form the backbone of your advertising pitch. It should outline every aspect of your presentation in the most logical, straightforward way. The order of your pitch deck will inform your structure and serve as a reference point for your prospective clients once you’ve left the room.
Ask other agency team members to provide input on marketing background, media plans, creative proposals, and agency credentials. You want to show the best and brightest that your agency has to offer. So, bring in the expertise of all your colleagues and let them shine!
Here’s a rundown of what’s expected to be included in a digital advertising pitch.
Advertising agency credentials
Describe your agency’s credentials for the campaign. Why are you the perfect team for the job?
You want to highlight any relevant experience in developing advertising for the client’s market sector. Or share impressive measurable results from similar past digital marketing campaigns. Using logos and symbols to represent past clients and any awards you’ve won also lends a subtle edge of credibility to your pitch deck. For all of these areas, the closer this can be tailored to your client’s sector or style, the better!
When discussing your team, you can also outline some more personal reasons why your agency would be great to work with. Highlight prompt communication between your team and the client. And outline how you will keep them in the loop of campaign progress, and anything else to help the client understand what it’s like to work with you.
Digital Advertising Campaign strategy and timeline
To convince the client that you will succeed in this campaign, you need to lay it out step by step. First, start by describing the information needs of the client’s target audience and explaining why your approach would persuade the audience to take action.
Outline the audience’s action in response to the campaign, such as requesting further information or placing an order, and how this would benefit the client. Describe why your creative would have that impact and differentiate your client from competitors.
For every decision you make, explain the rationale for the creative you propose and briefly describe the creative elements, including images, in your pitch document. List the media you would use and justify your choice, showing how your schedule provides the best coverage of the target audience at the lowest cost. At the end of your day, your clients have a business to run – so convince them you are the smartest business choice on the table.
Clear examples of digital advertising
As you’re pitching a creative digital display ad, you want your creativity to really sing. So come to your pitch prepared with sample creative ideas ready to go. As they say, a picture says a thousand words, so give clear examples of your digital advertising so they can see for themselves what your research and ideas will produce.
Cost and timings
At the end of the pitch, it’s time to outline the facts and figures. You may be pitching creative digital display advertising, but you still need to know your numbers.
Provide detailed cost estimates and a time frame for developing and completing the digital display assets. Summarise the key benefits of appointing your agency and thank the client for the opportunity to work with the company.
Quickfire tips for nailing an advertising pitch
Always try to meet senior people before the final pitch, so you have their perspective before the big day. This can be anything as quick as a brief phone call, a lunchtime Zoom meeting, or an in-person coffee.
And as the saying goes, practice makes perfect, so practice, practice, and practice! Being able to articulate a creative concept is key to winning a pitch, so you need to be able to do so in your sleep.
Most importantly, believe in what you are talking about and know the campaign inside out. Be passionate about it and articulate it in a way that resonates and evokes emotion with the client.
Are you ready to pull out all the stops and wow the client with your creativity, wit and out of the box thinking? Have you got your design deck polished, the audience research nailed and your best presentation game good to go?
Get out there and pitch, and GOOD LUCK!
Stay tuned for more topics related to ad pitching and digital marketing in our upcoming series of Pitch Support blogs.
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