People of Media: Will Hill | The Agency Adventurer | County 10 News
I’m Johnny Levy, author, connector, and CEO of DataJoe Research. I am also the founder of the Media Data Collaborative, a think-tank dedicated to helping media publishers leverage data for revenue. I’m a dreamer with a passion for facilitating connections between people and transformational ideas.
BEAUTIFUL INTERVIEW
I had a beautiful conversation with Will Hill, publisher of County 10, the online news source for a local niche community in Wyoming.
WHY WILL?
I picked Will for this interview because I’ve identified him as a leader who is successfully navigating the digital revenue age. I was specifically interested in his success in creating an agency model that has become one of the top revenue generators for his company. I wanted to uncover lessons that other publishers might learn from his success.
GOLD NUGGETS
My three biggest “gold nuggets,” i.e. transformational ideas, that I took from the interview were the following:
Evolving Media Sales Roles. We discussed the evolving role of media salespeople, emphasizing the importance of being a trusted advocate for small businesses. Will helped me clearly see a shift from traditional sales to a more consultative approach, where salespeople provide expert advice on marketing strategies. Emphasis on expert — the effective sales professional of today is an expert on digital marketing alternatives, consulting on which channels will and won’t work for a particular SMB advertiser. Will shared an example of a failed marketing campaign and the importance of having the confidence to say “no” to bad ideas. We also discussed the importance of selecting the right partners, with Will crediting his success to his ability to identify and work with culturally aligned vendors like Vendasta and Kenny Katzgrau (Broadstreet).
Trust and a Culture of Generosity. We discussed the challenges faced by small publishers in maintaining a spirit of generosity and customer trust in a world where financial realities exert more and more pressure to go for the quick buck. I then asked for advice on how a struggling publisher could regain this sense of generosity and outcome independence, to which Will responded by emphasizing the importance of finding the right partners, both internally and externally. The greatest driver of culture is the “who” both in the organization and affiliated with the organization. The right “who” will ensure that the client is getting an excellent and noteworthy experience, and it’s the place to start when seeking to recapture a culture of generosity, authenticity, and relationality.
Feasibility of the Agency Model. I am aware of only a few publishers who have fully fleshed out an agency model beneath their brand umbrella. Will gave me incredible, concrete insight into how to develop this model from scratch, which is what he did.