No matter if your digital marketing agency is well-established or just starting out, there’s always an opportunity to explore new growth strategies for your business, team, and client base. To assist you in this endeavor, we’ll be sharing practical strategies designed to help you expand your digital marketing agency, categorized as follows:

• Client acquisition tactics
• Ideas to expand your team
• Ways to refine your offerings These actionable insights will enable you to concentrate on strategies that can propel your agency’s growth this year.

Client acquisition tactics

Without a steady stream of leads, acquiring clients becomes an impossibility, and without clients, the very existence of an agency is jeopardized. This is a straightforward concept. However, even when operating at full capacity, it remains essential to continually replenish your sales funnel with fresh leads and nurture those relationships. This approach ensures a consistent flow of potential clients, both in the present and in the future. While there are numerous avenues to acquire new clients, referrals consistently reign supreme. In fact, a study conducted by nexus-security, as highlighted in their State of the Agency report, revealed that 51% of agencies surveyed identified referrals as their primary source for securing new clients. Upselling, which involves selling additional products or services to existing clients, followed closely behind at 20%.

If you possess a reasonable length of time in the industry, the aforementioned sources are probably quite familiar. Nevertheless, continuing to read is recommended as we have some supplementary ones to present. It’s possible that there are untapped methods your team hasn’t yet explored that could be quite effective in expanding your client roster. For freelancers and small agency owners seeking to bolster their client base, these lead-generating, client-acquisition tactics are worth considering.

1. Become Your Own Public Relations Advocate

This holds true unless you’re already part of a large agency with a publicist on retainer. If not, dedicating effort to publicity is a worthwhile endeavor. If proactively promoting your digital marketing agency or yourself isn’t something you’re accustomed to, it might require some adjustment. However, the long-term benefits far outweigh the initial effort. Actively seek opportunities to increase the visibility of your name, team, and the services you provide. Here are a few ideas:

• Craft compelling pitches and submit them to relevant events, positioning yourself as a speaker.
• Attend industry conferences and local business gatherings to network and stay informed.
• Use online platforms to announce your participation in events and express your interest in connecting with fellow attendees.
• Reach out to podcast hosts and propose sharing your expertise with their audience.
• Contribute valuable content to industry blogs and publications, establishing yourself as a thought leader.
• Maintain an active presence on social media to cultivate your personal brand and connect with your target audience.

Do these approaches genuinely produce results in expanding your digital marketing agency? Absolutely. To illustrate, Akvertize has been operational for over half a decade, and we place significant reliance on these tactics to promote our agency. These methods have effectively attracted leads to our pipeline and played a key role in converting a significant number of them into clients. Maintaining a proactive and helpful presence, strategically placing your name across various platforms, and consistently sharing valuable tactics, tools, ideas, and content can yield significant rewards. Regardless of whether you’re at the helm as the CEO, managing paid media efforts, or contributing as a junior-level team member, embodying the role of a publicist on behalf of your agency can have a profoundly positive impact. Additionally, this proactive approach helps build authority and credibility within your industry, ultimately attracting more clients over time.

2. Make Your Availability Known

If you’ve explored the above strategies and still find yourself with available capacity, simply communicate that you are open to taking on new clients. Be sure to clearly outline your areas of expertise. Posts of this nature tend to garner significant attention and are frequently shared on social media.

If space allows, specify the types of clients and industries you gravitate towards and have a proven track record with. If, like me at one point, you’re apprehensive about how this might be perceived, rest assured. The initial time I shared this on Twitter, I harbored concerns that it would be misconstrued as a sign of our agency struggling to secure work. However, the feedback I received was quite the opposite. It was perceived as an indication of growth. We continue to employ this tactic periodically, and it consistently generates leads, regardless of whether we’re experiencing a slower month or aiming for further expansion. Don’t hesitate – let potential clients know that you’re available and eager to assist them!

3. Embrace Every Meeting Opportunity

At AKvertise, we make it a point to answer every call, attend every meeting, and engage in every conversation with prospective clients. Why? Because the outcome of a conversation remains uncertain until you’ve actively participated in it. While this approach might not always be feasible, especially if you’re fortunate enough to have a high volume of leads (a good problem to have!) or if you adhere to stringent lead scoring criteria, it’s generally advantageous to connect with as many prospects as your schedule permits. These interactions can be instrumental in expanding your network and identifying potential avenues for collaboration. Even if a prospect doesn’t turn out to be an ideal fit for your agency following a conversation, you can always refer them to a trusted agency that might be better equipped to cater to their specific needs. (We’ll delve deeper into the benefits of partnering with complementary agencies a little later!)

Expand your team

Do you want to take on more clients but feel limited by your current resources? One solution could be to enhance efficiency by leveraging AI tools specifically designed for marketing agencies. Alternatively, expanding your team becomes a necessity. This can be achieved by either collaborating with other agencies or bringing in new talent as employees. If the latter aligns better with your agency’s long-term goals, be aware that while it sounds straightforward, it can be easier said than done. Talent acquisition can present its own set of challenges, and finding the perfect fit often requires navigating through several hires. However, rest assured, skilled and dedicated marketers are out there.

4. Expand Your Team by Hiring

Utilizing platforms like job boards for job postings can certainly yield positive results, but nothing quite compares to the power of a personal recommendation. In our experience at AKvertise, reaching out to our network of industry contacts to inquire about potential candidates has proven to be a highly successful hiring strategy. Additionally, we frequently utilize our personal and company social media channels to announce open positions, as it offers an effortless way to spread the word. If expanding your paid search and/or paid social teams is a priority this year, leveraging Twitter and engaging in conversations using hashtags like #ppcchat and #fbadschat can be a highly effective way to connect with qualified marketers and advertisers. LinkedIn has emerged as a powerful platform with a significant surge in user engagement in recent years, making it a valuable resource for recruitment. Encourage your team members to share information about job openings and include a link to the detailed job description on your company website. This allows potential candidates to learn more before applying. As an advertising agency, you have the added advantage of leveraging your LinkedIn audience for remarketing campaigns.

In addition to these avenues, numerous online job boards, such as Indeed, can assist in your search. If time is a constraint, delegating the recruitment process to an external recruiter could be a wise investment, ensuring you find the ideal candidate for your digital marketing agency. Consider broadening your search by offering remote work opportunities, particularly if your agency is located in a smaller city where the talent pool might be limited. According to HR Morning, a significant 86% of millennials prioritize workplace flexibility and the option to work remotely. The next critical step: Investing in comprehensive training for your new hires is crucial for setting them (and by extension, your agency and clients) up for success.

5. Forge Strategic Alliances with Other Agencies

If hiring employees isn’t feasible at the moment, another viable option is to connect with agencies that offer either competitive or complementary marketing services. For instance, if website design is part of your service portfolio, consider reaching out to agencies that might be experiencing capacity constraints and offer your expertise to their client base. While some agencies are transparent about these collaborations, others might prefer white labeling your services, so it’s essential to determine your preferred mode of operation. Collaborating with agencies offering complementary services can also unlock exciting new client projects. For example, reaching out to SEO agencies to inquire if any of their clients are interested in exploring paid search or paid social advertising can be mutually beneficial. This approach not only benefits both agencies involved but also provides clients with a more comprehensive and holistic marketing strategy, potentially positioning your agency closer to becoming a full-service provider while driving revenue growth. At AKvertise, we’ve witnessed remarkable success with this approach over the years, seamlessly integrating ourselves as an extension of other agency teams. You can replicate this success by cultivating similar strategic partnerships.

Refine your offerings

Joining forces with an agency that provides complementary services presents an excellent opportunity to expand both your team’s capabilities and the range of services you offer, allowing you to remain competitive in the dynamic digital marketing landscape.

However, periodically revisiting and refining your agency’s core offerings is essential for identifying the most effective growth strategies.

6. Strategic Scaling Back for Enhanced Growth

Scaling back certain services might seem counterintuitive, but it can actually pave the way for remarkable growth. If your agency excels as a full-service provider, maintaining that model makes sense. However, for smaller agencies, specializing in a niche area can be a game-changer. When AKvertise was launched, our service offerings included both paid search and paid social. However, as we approached our third anniversary, we made the strategic decision to streamline our advertising services and concentrate on the area where we truly excelled and derived the most satisfaction: social media advertising. This allowed us to further refine our skills and clearly establish ourselves as a specialized social media advertising firm. Admittedly, there were initial reservations about potential business loss and a decline in leads. However, we decided to embrace the challenge and view it as a worthwhile experiment. If the change didn’t yield the desired results, we could always revert to offering a wider range of services. More than two years have passed since this strategic shift, and specializing has undoubtedly been the most beneficial decision for our business. It has attracted a larger clientele and fueled our growth, demonstrating the potential it holds for other agencies as well. By striving to become the undisputed expert in your chosen field, you increase your chances of evolving into the go-to agency for that specific service.

Position Your Digital Marketing Agency for Success in 2024

This year, approach your agency with the same strategic mindset you would apply to a client’s campaign. Objectively assess your business, implement your own recommendations, experiment with some of the tactics outlined above that you haven’t yet explored, and carefully analyze their effectiveness for your digital marketing agency. Prioritize marketing efforts that increase awareness of your agency. Actively seek out opportunities to bring in new leads as you navigate the path to growth. This includes fostering valuable connections with clients, team members, and potential partners. Here’s a recap of the strategies to fuel your digital marketing agency’s growth in 2024:

1. Embrace the role of your own publicist, proactively promoting your agency’s expertise.
2. Clearly communicate your availability to take on new clients, showcasing your expertise.
3. View every meeting as an opportunity, embracing conversations with potential clients.
4. Expand your team strategically by hiring talented individuals who align with your agency’s culture and goals.
5. Explore mutually beneficial partnerships by joining forces with other agencies that offer complementary services.
6. Don’t shy away from scaling back on certain service offerings to focus on your agency’s strengths and expertise. Remember, there’s minimal risk in experimenting with new approaches, as you can always revert if needed. Embrace the spirit of experimentation, and here’s to a successful and prosperous year ahead!