Actionable AI Business Development Strategies for Ad, PR & Marketing Firms
AI won’t take your job. It’s somebody using AI that will take your job.
Richard Baldwin, economist and professor at the Geneva Graduate Institute in Switzerland
Agencies believe they’re holding their own when it comes to trends and tech, but marketer confidence is eroding.
77% of Agencies Confident in Staying Ahead of Trends, But Marketer Confidence Drops to 62%
I’ll be writing a another post specifically around ways agencies can do a better job of getting in front of their clients and their prospects when it comes to staying on top of trends and tech.
For this post I want to get into AI, specifically, and before you stop reading give you 5 very real world examples with actionable steps you can take, so keep reading.
Setting the table for actionable AI business development strategies for ad agencies
73% of agencies cite AI-powered personalization as the top trend for 2025, up from 70% in 2024 and only 25% in 2023.
And from Forrester:
91% of US ad agencies are currently using, exploring generative AI
And finally, because we focus on small and mid-sized firms at RSW predominantly:
Large agencies are further along the generative AI adoption path, with 78% of respondents at agencies with more than 201 employees saying they leverage the tech compared to only 53% of small agencies, or those with less than 50 employees.
With these stats, it’s not specified whether the AI usage is directed at client work or business development strategy, but certainly it applies to both.
And for this post, I want to focus specifically on driving business development for your firm.
Before I get into some core strategies, I want to give you a few sentences from a newsletter I receive daily called Inbox Hacking, and one you may want to check out for yourself as well.
AI Slop – Avoid At All Costs
Specifically this article: What’s worse than AI slop:
In case you haven’t seen the definition of AI slop…
The Guardian referred to “slop” as the advanced iteration of internet spam: low-quality text, videos, and images generated by AI.
Plenty of that crap to go around. And I know AI isn’t perfect. It’s just a useful tool that needs a human to monitor it and check its work.
What’s happening, though? Humans are avoiding that task. It’s too easy to save time by not checking AI’s work.
I love this term, and I know you’re nodding your head vigorously in agreement.
I strongly urge you read the entire post, it’s good, and has specific examples of AI slop, to serve as an ongoing reminder of what not to do.
That’s the caveat here as I get into my actionable AI business development strategies.
You can’t rely too heavily on AI at this point, it’s not there yet. (When it is, that might be scary, but let’s not think about that at the moment).
It is an incredibly useful tool, and so many firms don’t realize what it can actually do.
And while I am certainly no expert, here are several ways you can use it right now:

https://dagsson.com/
Actionable AI Business Development Strategies for Ad, PR & Marketing Firms (with example prompts)
First, let me stress, all of these can be carried out without paying for multiple platforms.
As you well know, there are a dizzying amount of AI-powered platforms out there, but you can accomplish all of the following with a free version, or an upgraded version, usually $20 or so a month, of Chat, Claude, Gemini, Perplexity, or Copilot.
And a side note, I’m not getting into the image generation, video/animation, music, or coding platform versions, just Text & Conversational AI for this post, which is a good place to start if you’re somewhat of a neophyte.
1️⃣ Prospect Research & Lead Identification
- Use AI to research potential clients by generating lists of companies in specific industries, locations, or revenue ranges.
- Copy and paste LinkedIn bios or company descriptions and ask AI to summarize their challenges and marketing needs.
Here’s an example prompt:
Find 10 mid-sized eCommerce brands in the U.S. with recent funding rounds or product launches.
We’ve used AI for this at RSW, and while it’s very helpful, don’t get overly excited about one aspect:
It will not generate full contact lists with email, address, etc.
That is where you will have to invest in a platform dedicated to prospect list-building.
BUT, this is fantastic for finding new companies, which is half the battle in direct outreach.
2️⃣ Personalized Email & LinkedIn Outreach
- Paste a prospect’s LinkedIn profile or website copy and ask the AI platform to generate a custom outreach email.
Example prompt:
Write a short, engaging cold email to [Prospect Name], the CMO at [Company Name]. They recently launched [Product Name] and are investing in digital ads. Our agency specializes in scaling eCommerce brands through performance marketing.
- For LinkedIn DMs, here’s an example prompt:
Craft a casual, non-salesy LinkedIn message for [Prospect Name] introducing our agency’s expertise in [Service]. Keep it conversational.
Again, use this technique with caution and governance.
Avoid AI slop!
I will never take an email directly from Chat, because it’s just too evident that AI wrote it.
As previously stated, that will change as AI evolves, but what this is great for?
Providing new ways of thinking around your messaging.
3️⃣ RFP & Proposal Writing
- Speed up proposal creation by asking ChatGPT (or other platforms previously mentioned) to structure responses, rewrite sections, or enhance clarity.
Example prompt:
We’re responding to an RFP for a social media marketing campaign. Can you draft a compelling executive summary and a breakdown of our services?
- If you have previous proposals, paste them and ask the AI to refine and improve language. (This one is super-helpful!)
I can’t recommend this enough.
This can save hours of work and make proposals more persuasive.
I recently had a conversation with an agency principal who created a GPT specifically for proposal writing and he said it cut his time in half.
But, my previous caveat still holds – it will not spit out a perfect version, especially on the design side.
And you will absolutely need to make changes and additions, but you should experiment and give this a try.
4️⃣ Thought Leadership & Content Creation
- Generate LinkedIn posts, blog ideas, or industry insights to position your agency as a leader.
Example prompts:
Summarize the latest trends in digital advertising and how agencies can adapt.
Write a LinkedIn post on why agencies should rethink RFP participation in 2024.
- And if you want to repurpose content, ask:
Turn this blog into a Bluesky thread and a LinkedIn carousel outline.
In this case, you’re only using AI + Google Trends.
Reminder #34: Don’t forget my previous caveat, but wow, this really helps with continuous content ideas and saves a ton of time.
5️⃣ Competitive & Market Analysis
- Ask AI to analyze competitors and summarize industry reports.
Example prompts:
What are the key differentiators of top ad agencies working with DTC brands?
Summarize this competitor’s services and their strengths vs. weaknesses. (Paste website copy!)
- Use AI-generated insights to adjust your agency’s pitch and highlight competitive advantages.
Again, this is where AI can do the heavy lifting.
Ideally these have been helpful.
Time to incorporate them into your business development strategy.