Starting a digital marketing agency is easy but running and turning it into a successful business is tough! So, how can you boost digital marketing agencies’ growth in this era?
There’s a lot to worry about: hiring, accounting, optimizing accounts, marketing, automation, and most importantly, getting results for clients. Getting significant results for clients could lead to new businesses. But it’s not a guarantee. Hence, driving your digital growth is essential. So let’s dive right in!
Creating Your Agency Website
First impressions count. You’re a creative agency. You need a brand and a website that wows your visitors and prospects and shows your capabilities and talents. However, don’t be that agency that tries too hard to be clever. Consider working with a UX expert to ensure you don’t end up with confusing navigation and no clear website hierarchy. Your website should appear professional and unique and have really clear information for any visitor who navigates and wants to hire you.
Also, remember that your website is meant to generate leads. Be sure you have a clear call to action, and the visitor can understand who you are, what you do, and why you care.
Find Your First Clients
The next step is to find clients for your business. But how do you find them? Here’s how:
1. Networking
When you’re looking for clients, you’ll have to network extensively to find as many potential clients as possible. People need to know about you and your agency before they consider hiring you. Here are some things that you can do:
A. Online Networking
Start by creating a LinkedIn profile for your business. Describe the service you provide and mention any previous experience you or your employees have in the field. Also, ensure that your company has a website that clearly explains what you offer. Be sure to add your company’s profile and website to all your online profiles and social media accounts and ask your employees to do the same.
Then, reach out to your current contacts – letting them know about your services. Since these people know you or may have worked with you before, they’ll be more willing to work with you.
B. Offline networking
Another great way to find clients is by physically going out and meeting people. A great way to do this is to set up a meeting or attend relevant events happening around you.
There are forums where various startups and founders network and share business ideas, experiences, and propositions. It’s an excellent way to build connections with people who can refer you to someone.
2. Marketplaces
Freelance marketplaces like Upwork and Freelancer are another simple way to find people in need of your services. Simply respond to job postings on these sites to find an opportunity for your agency and get to work!
While these marketplaces are great for finding tons of work opportunities, they only work if you already have prior work experience. Remember, these are people who have never worked with you before – they’ll want some proof of work you’ve done in the past!
3. Referrals
Once you have an existing client base, ask them to refer you to their networks. This is one of the easiest ways to quickly find new clients as you’re not doing all the hard work of finding them yourself! Also, as these are businesses that your clients already know, they’re probably more trustworthy, and you won’t have any issues working with them.
4. Local Ads
Placing local ads on Google AdWords and Facebook can be a quick way to get leads who are looking to work with someone nearby. For example, you could target keywords like “web developer in Mumbai” in AdWords or target business owners in the Mumbai area.
Start by budgeting a small amount of money and trying out different variations. If you start getting leads, you can increase your budget.
Keep Creativity Front and Center
If one of the most rewarding feelings for an agency is having your clients praise your work, a close second has to be having other professionals do the same.
That’s why it’s always a good idea to put creativity and forward-thinking at the forefront of all your agency partnerships: the freer you and your partners feel about introducing new concepts, the better off you’ll all be in the end.
Make sure to give your partners enough room and flexibility to show off their own unique creativity. Not only will that provide you with insight into some of their most outside-the-box creations, but it’ll also encourage them to give you the same support.
Hire a Small Team At First
Employees are a crucial part of running any agency. As you’re only starting, it’s best to hire a small team of employees. This helps you complete client work without having to manage a large team.
Start by filling out the core jobs that every creative agency needs, like:
- Web designers who are familiar with modern concepts like responsive web designs. Remember, most clients and customers will likely engage with you through your website; fine-tuning this is essential.
- Marketers who can analyze data and create campaigns to engage potential clients or customers.
- Individuals who have the required skill set to perform the services you are offering. For example, you need content writers if you are a content marketing agency.
Once you have enough clients, you could hire more employees to grow your agency.
Pull Social Data for Case Studies
To close a deal, as when you’re pitching a client, you must showcase past achievements. Fundamentally, start by highlighting a list of clients on your website, arranged by name or vertical, in order to make it easy to digest at a glance.
From there, build out case studies and customer videos featuring as many of your top clients as possible. A compelling case study tells the story of your agency’s project with a client, highlights the client’s challenges and your strategy for addressing them, shows how your agency provided a tactical solution, and shares data points around the results of your efforts.
Keep in mind when creating case studies to include as much data as possible. Your potential clients want to know how you helped others succeed and the results that came with that success. Using a social media tool should be simple to pull data to show how you improved a social presence month over month.
Keep Your Best Clients Happy
While getting new clients is vital to scale your business, keeping your current ones happy is just as essential. Why?
Happy clients turn into loyal clients, and dedicated clients can improve your agency’s cash flow and bottom line through additional projects. Additionally, they can give client testimonials and refer you to their network, bringing in new business for your agency.
A Fruitful Partnership
Whether you’ve struggled with agency partnerships in the past or you’ve managed several highly successful collaborations with other agencies, one thing is for sure: it can be a complicated relationship to manage. By sticking to your strengths, giving enough room for everyone to breathe, and keeping up communication, you can get your partnerships on the right course from the very beginning. Managing an agency is not easy, but it’s totally worth your hard work and focus.
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