APA connects its members with appropriate industry products and services to help their businesses grow. Agency Access, a full service marketing agency for artists, is a respected partner providing APA members with valuable discounts. We thought we should learn more about how their company works.
Interview with Keith Gentile, President & CEO of Agency Access
APA: Agency Access started as a provider of lists for photographers. What has it evolved into?
KG: We started as a list service in 1996, where we supplied access to 20,000 creatives hiring photographers across advertising, graphic design firms, magazines and book publishing companies. We quickly realized that photographers not only needed access to an up-to-date creative database, but they also desired a service that would help them utilize the database by implementing marketing services around that list. Over the last 20 years we have evolved into a full-service marketing agency and can handle most any marketing implementation. We also have expanded our list to a database of over 90k contacts internationally. These services not only include targeted mailing lists, but also include services such as consulting, portfolio building, design, email marketing, phone marketing, printing, mail fulfillment and more.
APA: Are there any misconceptions about Agency Access that you would like to address?
KG: The misconception is that we are only a list company. Our goal is to support the artist from start to finish. We offer consulting services, marketing support (which includes a list), estimating and negotiating the job. We look at it as a full circle of support. Create a strong foundation of work, market it and then have a strong team to help you produce an award-winning estimate.
APA: The Campaign Manager seems to be a program where a photographer gets a team and they help keep a consistent marketing plan together. Is there one person assigned to the photographer to work through the entire program?
KG: In our Campaign Manager program, a photographer is assigned four people who work with them throughout the process. Firstly, a consultant (who makes sure the member’s message and branding are clear) will identify the target market and map out a creative strategy plan for the next 15 months. Then, a graphic designer will design the promotions associated with the program (email, direct mail, print booklets, PDF portfolio, etc.). Through this process there is a lot of file collection, file prep, organization and approvals going on, so your Production Coordinator will help facilitate all of this. Lastly, the Campaign Manager will act as the point person throughout the entirety of their 15-month program. The Campaign Manager is responsible for keeping the member and team on schedule with their marketing plan as they help the member understand their statistics, identify the targets for the postcard mailing and make phone calls to set up meetings. The Campaign Manager is the photographers’ lifeline throughout the 15 months.
APA: What would you say to Photographers that have used your service for one year and didn’t produce enough results to continue with your agency?
KG: My advice is to stay consistent and keep moving forward. If any of our members got the message that you only need to use our services for a year and you will be successful or that you can send out a few emails and get work, then I apologize. Marketing is not a sprint, but more of a marathon and it will take time and often times it will feel like it’s not working, but it is. Laying a foundation can sometimes take up to 3 years before seeing results, but I assure you that your work is not wasted when moving through the process.
I want to make it clear that our programs are not a silver bullet and more of a place where photographers can come to get support and advice on this busy industry we all work in. Marketing is like a gym membership. You have good intentions to market and then life happens and you fall off. If you stick with it you see results, but if you fall off you can only blame yourself. This is exactly why we moved to become a full service agency, because we understand how hard it is to do all of this on your own. I have seen so many photographers become successful with our support, but this by no means indicates that we made them successful. They were the ones that put in the time and dedication in to marketing consistently and with our help, we both became successful.
APA: How many email promos do you think a photographer should send out? (How often to how many people?)
KG: The number of promos should be sent out according to a member’s budget and what is appropriate for their specific market. It is important to have a targeted list of contacts that are seeing your email promotions consistently. It all depends on the number of contacts the photographer has on their list, which is decided by their target market and their overall budget. However I can suggest that casting a wide net is not always the answer, and the frequency of send outs should fall between monthly and quarterly. Email is different these days and we have to respect the inbox of the Creatives supporting our industry. If you have some time to show them, great! But if not, keep it light and simple and focus efforts on other channels of marketing out of pure respect for email marketing.
APA: Can Agency Access put together a targeted list for photographers? Can you design and send the emails, design and send printed promotions on behalf of the photographer?
KG: Yes, we pride ourselves on not only having the best and most accurate creative database in the industry, but on having spent years tweaking and mastering the way our application can help a photographer customize the perfect leads list. Our members have the option of having one of our talented designers develop and code an email or design a direct mail promo. Once a design is completed we have implementation services that allow photographers to broadcast an email through our Emailer service where we print the mailer and fulfill them through our in-house mail facility.
APA: Do you have someone who can update all the online portfolio sites where a photographer posts their work? Will that person help tag the images when needed?
KG: Yes, absolutely. And it’s important that a photographer’s visual voice is consistent throughout all marketing platforms, even if it’s not a product of Agency Access. We have a service where our consultants go in and make sure the edit of these online portfolios are looking their absolute best. Any Photographer can come to us, member or not, and purchase this service. The consultant will get an update of the project and go in and edit the photographers’ work for the portfolio site they are part of. Unfortunately we do not support keyword and specialty tagging for services outside our portfolio site FoundFolios, but we will offer advice and direction.
APA: Do you have someone who can make calls to set up appointments for the photographer? How does that typically work?
KG: We offer Phone Marketing both to our database members and through our Campaign Manager programs. We make phone calls on behalf of our members. We listen closely to what each particular member wants the message to be and work on a script for a phone call. We then spend the time and energy building a targeted list for the round of calls. We have learned that not only is consistency key, but that building the list is more than half the battle.
Let’s be honest, we all want to get a meeting with the Art Producer at BBDO, but many times we won't get this meeting. If we take a strategic approach, build the right list and make professional calls, it has been proven that phone marketing is indeed a great way to market and get that meeting you have been trying so hard to get. I’m not saying we can do a round of calls and book you 10 meetings, but if done right, we can get you a meeting or two, some good leads to follow-up with and maybe a few that want you to stay in touch.
APA: Can the photographers choose the consultant they want to work with or is someone assigned?
KG: Our Consultants are skilled across all platforms, but just like photographers, have certain specialties. The team we built was not on accident, and it was strategic. We have consultants with stock experience, photo-editing experience, repping backgrounds, estimating backgrounds and art producing experience. We spend a lot of time accommodating our members’ requests. If push comes to shove, as long as they can wait, we try to make sure each artist works with their consultant of choice. We try to match the photographers’ goals with our consultants’ skill sets and have been very successful.
APA: Do you think one image or multiple images work better?
KG: Strong, brand relevant imagery works best. No matter if they are in single or multiple form. If the imagery is great and relevant to the recipient it should not matter.
APA: What is the difference between the Database access and Emailer?
KG: There are two levels of memberships. The database gives you the ability to construct your promotional marketing list. The Emailer program allows you to design and send your email promotions right through the AXS website. This is very similar to a Constant Contact, Mail Chimp or MyEmma. You will be able to see your open and click through rates, but more importantly; you can output the up-to-date interested creatives for follow up.
APA: What is your branding service?
KG: When trying to stand out as a photographer, the first thing that comes to mind is the style of work. Branding, however, is a close second. Many times people confuse branding for a logo, but it’s so much more than that. Branding is a look, a feeling and an emotion you get from a company or in this case a photographer. Our branding service addresses all of these issues. We look at a photographer’s work, target market and vision for their company and design a branding book.
This includes a logo, type treatment, supporting type treatment color guide, usage guidelines to use on all their promotional material, an elevator pitch and a list of emotional brand words that support the photographer’s brand. In the end, the photographer receives the native files for the logo, a beautiful brand book to keep for guiding when using their brand in promotions and a digital collateral package that lays out their business card, letterhead and envelopes.
APA: Can you design a newsletter for a photographer?
KG: This is absolutely something our Designers can do and do often. The way they execute these designs is extremely smart and professional. We have a full-time design team of six headed by our award-winning Creative Director, Mike Warning. We can handle any creative project a member might envision. We create custom newsletters for members that allow them to keep their clients up-to-date on their latest projects, share news, and showcase their personal work. This is perfect for reps or photographers who need or want to tell their audience more of what’s going on!
APA: I heard you recently hired a Director of Brand Development Peter Berberian, what led you to make this kind of decision?
KG: Over the years I have made decisions to bring people into my company who know the market and can keep our data and company strong moving forward. Similar to bringing on Steven Langerman of Langerman Lists, Nelson Nunes, Co-Founder of ADBASE, and Amanda Sosa Stone—I always felt the need to build a company with industry professionals who would have the same vision as I did when we started this company. It was and still is the vision to help artists be successful. And all these moves, including the one to hire a Director of Brand Development, were always meant to continue that vision.
I know Peter Berberian is the perfect person to help continue this vision and be my feet on the street for as many members as possible. He is out and about at every event in NYC, meeting members face to face and will soon start traveling the nation to expand his reach. It’s important that my members know I care and although I will always pick up the phone and try to get out to as many events as possible, I realized I can’t do this alone. I’m very excited for Peter to make his way in my company.
APA: I sometimes hear my members say they get a lot of calls from your sales department, would you like to comment on this?
KG: When a photographer requests more information or a free trial to our database, we are persistent. We are persistent because we are passionate in what we do. I do feel we are respectful when told that now is not the best time, but more often we are told ‘thank you for keeping up with me, because I know I had to do this but just got so busy.’ I hope this is not a reflection of who we are as people. However, I do hope it shows how passionate we are and how persistent we would be in helping you market your photography business.
APA: What should “success” look like for a member of Agency Access?
KG: Every member has a different barometer of success. For some, it’s that first face to face meeting at their favorite magazine. For others, success could mean an advertising job for NIKE. The one thing that remains true for all present-day artists is one simple fact; if you are not telling creatives your story through marketing, you are missing out on the opportunity to get those meetings and jobs.
APA: What do you think is the best way to work with Agency Access?
KG: All of our members have different needs; the question should really be how could AXS work with you?
Agency Access provides APA members with a 15% discount on any Agency Access database as well as 15% off any FoundFolios portfolio.