Approachable, confident, dismissive of corporate stereotypes, Lee Matthew Jackson is all about agency owners understanding their own worth and value. Lee founded tech agency Event Engine as a platform for event organizers to be able to run their events online. He also hosts the popular podcast Agency Trailblazer where he helps agency owners build a business that’s true to themselves, and actively enriches their lives.
We sat down with this leading agency owner to chat about the changing agency landscape, lead generation, and collaboration in the time of COVID-19.
Cloudways: Great to have you here, Lee! Can you start by telling us how you founded Event Engines, your tech agency?
Lee: Event Engine was the evolution of our full-service agency. We recognized that many of our clients were in a common industry with a common problem we could help them solve. This lead to the development of the Event Engine Platform and the complete transformation of our business from generalist to specialist.
Source: eventengine.tv
Cloudways: You started Agency Trailblazer, a podcast for digital agency owners, back in 2013. How has the agency landscape changed since that time?
Lee: There are encouraging signs with agencies specializing and productizing in order to stand out and attract their ideal clients.
On the flip side, I see a worrying trend where inexperienced individuals are setting themselves up as agencies using free or low-cost tools. This creates a perceived race to the bottom on price, and can also give the industry a bad name with a rise in bad experiences.
I believe in response, agencies will be far more focused on targeting their ideal clients and offering valuable services. Rather than competing on price, more and more agencies will recognize the importance of serving a niche/avatar.
Source: agencytrailblazer.com
Cloudways: As a big proponent of WordPress, what has your journey been like with the platform? What’s your take on managed WordPress hosting?
Lee: I love WordPress although having tried to be positive about Gutenberg…I am still struggling to fully embrace it!
As regards managed hosting? Essential to our business.
We do not have the resources to hire specialists to support the server architecture, nor for the architecture itself. Using a provider like Cloudways saves us costs and gives us access to the incredibly talented support team at Cloudways HQ.
Cloudways: How should small agencies go about lead generation as opposed to larger ones? In your opinion, what is the biggest mistake agencies can make when building an audience?
Lee: The biggest mistake is to try to appeal to everyone.
Agencies, big or small, should:
- Recognize their strengths
- List out the expensive problems they solve
- Create the avatar of those they solve those problems for
- Show up with relevant content to attract that avatar
I learned from experience that trying to appeal to everyone attracts no one. If I managed to get a lead, it was a low price, low-value job and I’d be back looking for more within days.
Cloudways: In the wake of the pandemic, what advice do you have for entrepreneurs trying to build a digital agency, and manage remote teams? Any remote collaboration tools or techniques you prefer?
Lee: A weekly standup meeting to kick off the week is highly recommended. Track all your tasks in a central project management system.
For morale, have flexible working times. With a global team, we also ensure there is an overlap so that we can spend time on a Zoom call together whilst we work. We don’t need to be chatting but it gives the feeling of being together just like when we are all at the physical office.
Cloudways: Agencies are notorious for their punishing hours and work-life overlap. You’ve been vocal about your struggles within the agency game, to the point that you once wanted out entirely. What steps do you think agencies should take to ensure a healthier work space that doesn’t burn you out?
Lee: Please stop working 18 hour days and weekends. Your family, your children and your health will not be happy that you put money in the bank. All of them want your time.
Take time with family, take time for yourself.
If you are working 18 hour days and you feel trapped in your business, you have to make a dramatic change.
The definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over again, expecting different results. If you think that working harder will eventually lead to success, you will still find yourself working 18+ hour days in the years to come.
I know, because I did that. I nearly lost everything by working myself into a breakdown.
“Work smarter, not harder” may sound cliche, but it is true. I’d encourage you to listen to episode 200 of my podcast which will help you understand how to make a significant change in your business one step at a time:
Must-Listen Agency Podcasts That Will Make You Smarter
Cloudways: A little earlier this year, you spoke on your podcast about how your now-closed Angled Crown website was not outcome-driven and therefore had a poor conversion rate. Like many agency owners, you were too busy to have more than a basic, visually appealing digital storefront. What advice do you have for similarly busy agency owners to quickly makeover their website for results?
Lee: Do what I didn’t…I was so good at helping clients with their websites, I neglected my own. Thankfully with my Agency Trailblazer brand, I attract leads to the extent the Angled Crown brand became irrelevant. However, this is not the case for most agencies.
Your website is your shop front and often the first experience your potential client has of you. What are the outcomes you want from your site? A purchase? A contact?
Work out what you want your visitors to do, reverse engineer, test, iterate and measure.
Source: https://eventengine.tv/angled-crown/
Cloudways: Digital community participation is more important than ever before. In 2020, what should agencies change about community interaction and management to ensure they’re plugged in effectively?
Lee: Honestly? Many should stop and take a serious look at how much they are participating in.
I am seeing people spending an unhealthy amount of time in Facebook groups rather than working on their businesses.
Community participation IS important but should be balanced and purposeful.
Choose one community that you can call “home”. Then create a timeslot that you will visit that community and connect with others.
Set yourself some rules such as:
- Don’t get involved in arguments
- Be positive
- Be helpful
- Make friends
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Cloudways: Where do you see web design trends heading at the start of this new decade? What themes do you think websites will be likely to adopt or touch upon in the years to come?
Lee: I talk often about outcomes. With so many websites out there, we will need to make more of an effort in what we put on our sites rather than how they look.
I can see an increase in rich media content to attract a target audience along with calls to action for relevant content to that audience, such as lead magnets and so on.
Many of us already know this yet so many sites are a “catalogue” rather than a resource.
Cloudways: And finally, who would you suggest we interview next in this space?
Lee: My business partner Tim Davies.
Many thanks to Lee for his valuable insights! Keep up with Agency Gurus, as we continue to feature agency owners and specialists with mastery over their fields.
You can connect with Lee on his LinkedIn or Twitter, or get in touch on his website.
Arsalan Sajid
Arsalan, a Digital Marketer by profession, works as a Startups and Digital Agencies Community Manager at Cloudways. He loves all things entrepreneurial and wakes up every day with the desire to enable the dreams of aspiring entrepreneurs through his work!
