Digital Marketing Agency

Nov 25, 2021

Creating a digital marketing or service agency can be one of the most rewarding businesses you’ll ever launch. It can provide you with the flexibility you need to enjoy life while still being able to generate a full-time income online.

You can also create a digital service agency as a side hustle that generates income in your spare time while outsourcing the workload to qualified professionals. The possibilities are truly unlimited.

In this special report, we’ll take a close look at how to build an agency, what tools and resources will help you gain traction in your market, and how to define your target audience so you can build an online presence and land your first client quickly.

Building Your Digital Agency

There has never been a better time to start up a business in the digital marketing field. Digital marketing agencies have been on the rise for the last few years and continue to grow in popularity.

The question is: how do you get started, especially if you have no prior experience?

The key is to aim for a targeted audience rather than setting your sights on a larger market, especially when just starting.

If you narrow your focus to a specific niche, you’ll be able to better understand what that audience needs and then create your services around that ever-growing demand. Then, you can always expand your services and outreach later as your business grows.

To start, you simply need to have a plan that aligns with an existing demand in a specific market, and then target that audience with your offers.

There’s a common misconception that starting a digital marketing agency involves building a massive company with high start-up costs, and taking in all sorts of clients - in other words, you have to cast a wide net to be a success. This just isn’t true. A digital agency can just be you; a team of one!

It’s not about having a costly website or even the number of employees you have. It’s about figuring out who you can help, what services will provide the best ROI, and then building a simple system that delivers results.

The Agency Profit Accelerator Course, created by PromoteLabs, is one of the most comprehensive training programs on the market when it comes to helping you build a profitable business. You can find that here: https://promotelabs.com/aa

With your very own digital marketing agency, you’ll be able to build a client list that consists of business owners in need of someone to help them generate leads and then convert those leads into customers. In turn, they’ll pay you top dollar!

The demand is growing rapidly which makes launching a digital marketing agency easier than ever. It’s also a rewarding and challenging business that offers new and exciting opportunities every day.

In the next section, we’ll look at some of the top tips and strategies involved in creating a successful digital marketing agency from the ground floor up.

Insider Tips & Strategies

When it comes to creating your digital marketing agency, the first step is to define your business goals. This involves careful planning:

What do you want your business to look like?
What’s your overall vision and your end goal?

Starting your digital marketing agency without having a clear direction is like setting out on a road trip with no maps or navigation software. You’re going to end up taking many wrong turns, getting lost, and maybe never arriving at your destination at all.

If you’ve ever studied the digital marketing industry, you know that agencies that have conflicting, or unclear goals often run into trouble. Businesses that stick to their vision, however, usually do extremely well. Because this is an incredibly lucrative market to be a part of - you just need to have a clear business plan, define your objectives and see it through.

There is no one way to do things though; just choose one specific goal to start with, and stick to it until you’ve gained traction and accomplished what you set out to do. Then, you can consider expanding your services and changing your primary goal.

Again, there isn’t a one-size-fits-all approach to starting your digital agency.

Some agencies are large and some are small; some focus on just one part of digital marketing (like search engine optimization), while others are designed to be full-service agency that does everything from web design, programming and development to content marketing.

A common buzzword in the agency world is becoming the “landscaper” vs. the “gardener.” You may have heard of these terms if you’ve been researching the industry, but let me quickly explain in case you haven’t.

A “landscaper” agency focuses on solving specific business problems. They generally stick to a set list of services and then expand their offerings to include additional services only when needed.

In other words, they provide a fast solution to business problems while offering set rates and packages. They also typically focus on services rather than outcomes. They offer quick, instant and clear solutions to problems and rarely go above and beyond those single, short-term tasks or goals.

A “gardener” agency, on the other hand, focuses on creating a long-term, personal relationship with their clients that involves a deeper understanding of their client’s businesses and overall needs.

They also offer a wider variety of services, and usually, they are specifically tailored to what those clients need to grow their businesses over time. These agencies are usually ultra-focused on providing a specific outcome for clients. In other words, their client sets a goal and the digital marketing agency works towards achieving that primary objective. They are a results-based agency.

It’s up to you to carefully evaluate the market, your skillset and your overall objective and then choose which path to take. You can start by asking yourself the following general questions:

What skills do you possess that could help online businesses? What are you passionate about and what part of your market are you most interested in helping?

Think of the following:

Do you want to start small with a pre-determined service list or do you want to be flexible while providing additional service packages and options to clients as they need them?
Do you want to serve local clients or go outside of your local area so you can broaden your outreach?
Will a typical client need to remain within a certain budget? Would that budget be quite restrictive?

In other words, are you targeting start-up companies, Mom & Pop shops, or would you gear your services towards more established and funded companies?

Do you plan to complete these tasks yourself or are you going to outsource it all to a team of freelancers?
Are there services you don’t want to offer or niches you don’t want to serve?

What you are ultimately looking for is to create a digital marketing agency around a section of a larger market where demand is ongoing, but at the same time, you don’t want to offer so many services that you struggle to manage clients or fail to help them accomplish their goals.

There are also a few things you should avoid doing to ensure your digital marketing agency is successful. Some of these things include:

Stay away from trying to offer something for everyone:

You know what’s said about a “jack of all trades” - he is a “master of none.” This is especially true in the digital marketing agency market because your brand involves becoming known as the “go-to” person for a specific skill or set of skills.

If you want to build a client base quickly, the easiest way to do that is by choosing to position yourself as the expert in one specific field.

This will become part of your brand, but more importantly, it will make it easier for you to find and land clients because you’re gearing your campaigns towards a specific segment of your market.

Avoid direction-hopping:

Again, when starting, choose one angle and see it through until you have enough of a client base (and experience managing your agency) to expand your service list and outreach.

Of course, when it comes to figuring out what services you plan to offer, your overall experience is a main factor. You need to be sure you have the necessary skills to fulfil the services you plan to offer.

If you lack the necessary skills, you can always outsource to seasoned professionals from freelance platforms like Upwork.com, however, it’s important that you at least have a general understanding of the services you plan to offer.

That way, you can ensure the job is done correctly and that your clients are receiving the best outcome possible. Whether you plan to do the work yourself or outsource it, you must be able to drive results.

If you start your career managing clients for a larger agency, or you decide to partner up and create a team, the best first step is to aim your sights on solidifying a contract with just a handful of clients. This will help you test the waters, get a better idea of all the processes involved in working with clients, and will help you gain a better understanding of how to communicate and deliver results.

It’s often easier to begin by positioning yourself as a contractor before you become a founder. That will allow you to mitigate the risks involved and provide you with hands-on experience that will allow you to go out on your own eventually.

From invoicing, and communicating regularly, to setting aside money for taxes and business expenses, you’ll learn the small (but very important) elements of running your own business before you launch a full-service company.

You also learn important time-management strategies that will help you keep up with tasks and fulfil your obligations on time.

Finally, working with a company or as part of a team will allow you to gain a better perspective on the inner workings of a digital marketing agency while also putting you in a position to potentially gain referrals down the line when you’re ready to go out on your own.

If you need guidance and want a clear path towards creating a successful digital marketing agency, the Agency Profit Accelerator course will guide you every step of the way.

They’ll show you exactly how to set up your digital marketing agency so you’re playing to your strengths instead of floundering around wondering what to do next.

Here’s the link again: https://promotelabs.com/aa/

Defining Your Target Audience

If you’ve ever created a business before, you know that the first step is to define your target audience and create a profile of your ideal client.

If you think this is a difficult step, it isn’t. Start by spending time researching your market. Hang out in communities and forums where your average customer would go, such as Facebook groups targeting specific niches.

Not only is this a great way to keep a pulse on the market, but you’ll quickly begin to see a pattern based on frequently asked questions or requests for help from those who may become future clients.

And every successful digital marketing agency is based on the foundation of providing answers and solutions to problems. So, the more you understand what those problems are and what your clients need help with, the easier it will be to gain a clearer picture of the type of services you should offer.

When researching your market, write down everything you find that you feel is of importance. This should include, as mentioned previously, commonly asked questions, their wants and needs, habits and information about the type of businesses they run.

You’re looking to answer two very important questions:

What are the main problems they are facing?
How can you help them solve those problems?

Once you’re able to answer those questions, you’ll know exactly how to create your services so that they are geared towards helping clients achieve specific goals. This knowledge will strengthen your offers and demonstrate to potential clients that you have a clear understanding of their needs.

Get as specific as possible:

It’s much better to start small and scale up than to try to help everyone and end up getting lost in the chaos. Try to envision your perfect client. Create a profile of what that client needs help with and what is within your skillset that would enable you to provide solutions.

Then, keep your focus straight and narrow. Don’t stray too far, or try to offer a wide variety of services. The more specific your offers are, when starting, the easier it will be for you to fulfil your obligations to your fullest potential.

For example, if you decide to create a digital marketing agency that aims to help local doctors land more clients through organic search, that should be your only focus. You can always scale up and include a larger client base, or additional, relevant services later.

What to Avoid:

Avoid taking on any clients that don’t align with your primary strategy. It may sound like a great idea to take on as many clients as possible when you’re trying to get your business off the ground, but again, you’ll increase your chances of being successful if you stay focused.

Carefully consider businesses that won’t provide you with referrals, case studies, or testimonials. When you’re just getting started in the digital marketing space, word-of-mouth is vital in helping you build a client base.

So, it makes sense that in the beginning, you’ll want to focus on clients who are willing to provide a testimonial, or at the very least, private feedback that helps you improve your services.

Building an Online Presence

Now it’s time to think about how you’re going to create an online presence for your digital marketing agency. Of course, this begins with building a website.

The good news is, you don’t need an expensive, custom-designed website to successfully launch a digital agency, but since your job will involve helping people get seen online, you should have some sort of online presence yourself!

You can set up your website using WordPress and a hosting account with a reliable provider such as www.BlueHost.com or HostGator.

This will provide you with the ability to set up your website quickly without the design experience needed, and will also allow you to create a professional domain-based email account that you’ll use when contacting and communicating with clients.

With WordPress, you’re able to choose from thousands of professional themes that can be easily customized to match your brand. In addition to your home page, about page, and privacy page, you’ll also want to create a couple of important pages that address specific needs, such as your service overview and pricing.

And you should also consider creating an About Me page that gives those who don’t know you a better understanding of your background and what you have to offer.

Here are a few focused landing pages that you should consider creating when developing your website:

Service-specific pages:

These pages should promote your services and provide detailed information about what you offer. Make sure they are focused on the problem your service solves or on the application of that service.

For example, it’s one thing to indicate to visitors that you simply specialize in SEO.

However, not every business owner may know what that means. Therefore, a more successful landing page would explain exactly how improved SEO will impact their business, such as increasing page load speed on-site and of course, maximizing visibility in the major search engines.

Geography/Demography-Specific:

These pages focus on the location service and the logistics of obtaining your agency’s services. Your clients are going to want to have someone who understands their local market so these pages are incredibly important and effective at landing new clients. If you have a special understanding of a certain demographic, you can focus on that as well.

Industry-specific:

These pages should promote your expertise within specific industries. Even though marketing principles aren’t typically all that different across industries and niches, your clients want someone who can understand their unique perspective.

This goes back to understanding your niche and what matters most to people in that market. The better you can demonstrate that you know their market and what they need help with, the easier it will be to land your first client.

The more specific you get, the better. "Digital Marketing for the Travel Agency" will not bring in your first clients, says ShivarWeb. "Facebook Marketing for Airbnb Hosts in Atlanta, Georgia" absolutely will.

Keep the following in mind:

Detailed Content:

Think about your website from a potential client’s perspective. They will want as much information about your services as possible so they are reassured that you will help them solve their problems. So, the more detailed your service listing is, the better.

Lead by Example:

If you’re a copywriting agency, for example, make certain your sales copy is as well-written and focused as possible.

After all, your copy will serve as the lead example of what you’re capable of and if clients are considering hiring you for their copy, they’re going to want to see that you have what it takes to create content that converts.

If you’re a design agency, you’ll want to make sure that your website looks professional, is responsible and mobile-friendly.

Again, lead by example. Whatever you’re selling, you need to demonstrate on your website that you have the skill set to get the job done.

Selectively Choose Your Platforms:

You don’t have to be everywhere (i.e. Facebook, Pinterest, Instagram, Twitter, WordPress, YouTube, etc.), but you should aim to establish yourself on at least one of the major platforms.

You can always branch out later when you have time or resources to manage multiple social media accounts. The goal should be to start with the one that you can keep up to date, and that is most often used by your core audience.

Finally, it doesn’t have to be perfect to be ready!

Don’t get hung up on perfection:

While you always want to portray yourself in the best possible light and ensure your online presence is professional and demonstrates that you are knowledgeable and capable, you never want to spend so much time trying to perfect your campaigns, thus taking away from the time you could be spending landing clients.

Landing Your First Client

The days of “if you build it, they will come,” are long gone. That means you’re going to have to roll up your sleeves and get ready to do the legwork involved in sending traffic to your website so you can generate leads and build your client base.

Thankfully, it isn’t difficult to gain lift-off and better yet, you don’t have to spend money on paid advertising to land your first client.

Here are a few ways to get started:

Word of Mouth and Referrals:

Agencies often rely on direct referrals to help them expand their outreach and build their client base. Many top agencies grow exclusively on word of mouth alone with little to no marketing dollars spent.

They’re beyond the point of having to deal with the inner workings of direct response marketing and instead, they know how to appeal to certain markets - and what kind of performance it takes to get those referrals.

One very happy customer can turn into dozens of referrals! So, this means that you should start by tapping into any sources you may already have who may be willing to refer clients to you.

Have you already worked with a client before when you were part of a team or company? Then consider reaching out and letting them know you are available.

Do you have friends in the industry who run their digital marketing agencies and may have more clients than they can handle? Reach out and let them know that you’d be willing to consider any clients they are unable to take on.

Direct Outreach:

This strategy does require time and persistence but it’s incredibly effective. Direct outreach is the opposite of a brand awareness digital marketing campaign - it’s clear and focused direct response pitching.

Remember, this doesn’t mean spamming people or inundating their inboxes with countless offers or proposals. That could make you look desperate and unprofessional and destroy the brand you are working so hard to create.

Instead, consider going directly to your market and creating a targeted outreach campaign. This might include social media, networking via groups or reaching out directly to email contacts or leads through existing campaigns or even “cold-calling”.

Just be sure to always provide a clear reason for people to consider your services. Highlight your skills and expertise, and include a link to a landing page where potential clients can learn more about you and why you’re the person to get the job done.

Don’t include rates in your initial email. Instead, use that time to briefly introduce yourself while focusing on their business and how you can help them maximize their outreach.

The most effective cold-calling (or cold-emailing) involves doing your research so that you understand a bit about each company you contact. Sure, this takes a lot more time and you won’t be able to email as many people, but those you do connect with are far more likely to take notice because your emails will be far more personalized and genuine.

You also want to make sure you don’t overload potential clients with too much information. Instead, highlight your skillset in terms of how it aligns with what the company needs most.

If that’s exposure in search results, focus on highlighting your ability to boost rank and optimize content. If possible, provide examples of how you would approach the problem they’re facing.

Just remember to keep your email short and direct, while always positioning yourself as the go-to person for the solution they’ve been looking for.

“You’ll stand out,” says ShivarWeb, “when people remember you as the [X] marketer for [Y] industry in [Z] city.”

Direct outreach also means networking and participating within industry forums and communities. This doesn’t involve direct pitching but rather relies on establishing yourself as an expert within those places so that you’re able to gain additional leads, partner up with other experts and build your client base.

When you’re just starting, direct outreach is one of the most effective ways to establish your business and quickly land your first client.

Tap into your existing network, look for projects you can complete effectively, and keep working towards getting your name out there. Again, every referral through word of mouth counts!

Paid Traffic:

While it’s true that ads like Facebook or Google ads can be extremely costly, if you’re serious about building a long-term marketing strategy for your digital agency, then your goal is to generate as many leads as possible that are likely going to convert into long-term clients.

Here’s what you should be doing:

Look at what keywords are driving your best leads. Google Ads and Facebook provide you with this valuable information.

Always know your metrics. Study the results so that you can eliminate ads that aren’t working while fueling the ads that are helping you land clients. Try using modified broad match for your keywords, too, because often customers are using a wider variety of keywords than you think they’re using.

This means that while you can start off using narrow, ultra-targeted keyword strings, as more time goes on and you’ve gained experience running ads, you should consider expanding on your keyword bank.

Run your ads so that they are location-focused, especially if you’re a local agency. If you have a landing page for a town or city, set up a campaign for that specific area and run it consistently.

Test your ad copy so you can further define your audience and what marketing message resonates best with them. You can also use this information when it's time to create print or display campaigns!

In closing, some of your best leads may exist in your circle, so don’t overlook the network you may already have. Never be afraid to reach out, put yourself out there and always be consistent when it comes to furthering your brand message and gaining exposure.

Starting a digital agency without experience doesn’t have to be a difficult or costly process. It does, however, require a clear understanding of what you want out of that agency as well as a solid business plan to get you there.

A comprehensive, all-inclusive training program, like the Agency Profit Accelerator Course, will minimize the learning curve so you can launch a successful business faster and easier. You can find out more here: https://promotelabs.com/aa/