For businesses, the threat of being outpaced by the competition is a constant one. Brand owners know that if they stay small and stagnant, they risk losing clients.
Growth is the core ingredient for long-term survival. It is what allows you to acquire new clients, expand the range of products and services you provide to your clients and boost revenue.
Growing a digital agency is no different.
If you aspire to
- boost awareness
- increase revenue and market share
- access a wider target audience
- offer new products and services
- incorporate more talent into your business
Congratulations! You’re already on the path to growing your digital agency.Â
This blog is full of great ideas to help you along that path, and ensure that your efforts remain on target.
What are the tips and tricks to growing a digital agency?
A business grows when every functional aspect is seen to be performing optimally. For a digital agency, this means creating a spotless online image of your agency. More importantly, it also means recruiting a team that collaborates like a well-oiled machine.
1. Optimize your website design
Your website is the first place people interact with your digital agency, even before reaching out to you personally. Research by Stanford shows that 75% of users admit that they judge a business’s credibility based on its website design. So think of your website as your storefront, and showcase all that you have to offer in the best light.
Take a closer look at the websites of some of the best digital agencies. You’ll notice that even though they place a lot of attention on content and copy, the main focus is on visual appeal and website navigation.
According to Kinesis, first impressions are 94% design-related.
As you can see, presentation is crucial to clinching a positive impression about who you are, your level of professionalism, and the kind of services you offer.
If web design has the biggest influence on users, then it should be the first priority on your list. You can be as creative as you want, but make sure that the design enhances your image and helps you reach a global audience.
- State a clear message
- Don’t clutter the page with too many elements
- Ensure the site is mobile-optimized
- Use simple, intuitive navigation
- The text should be readable
- Avoid using un-clickable buttons
- Incorporate attractive visuals
2. Hire the right team members
You’re no longer running a startup from your dining table. A growing digital agency requires permanently available employees to manage different aspects of the business. Hiring new people helps you expand your agency’s strengths.
Source: Unspalsh
But as you probably already know, an established digital agency offers a variety of services. That means you probably need an expert for each service, including an editor, graphics designer, content creation team, SEO specialist, social media manager, marketer, and much more.
But to ensure that you retain your employees,
- Focus on creating a strong company culture and team bonding
- Offer competitive salary and benefits packages
- State flexible hours or remote opportunities when available
- Transparency about growth paths
Digital marketing is a highly competitive field. You can consider hiring more in-house team members, or out-source projects as you see fit.
3. Offer internship and corporate training programs
Entry-level positions are demanding and challenging. They can be the hardest to fill, because many agencies don’t offer training programs, and add additional requirements to the basic job description. Maybe you can recall your intern days when you were always giving 200% to your first job, eager to learn everything in one day.
This is your gold mine of talent. An intern will learn and adapt to change quicker, and those are the essential traits of the digital marketing world.
By leveraging an internship program, you can create a steady stream of qualified candidates that are trained according to the demands of your agency.
But you can take it one step further to help all employees enhance their skills. Corporate marketing training aims at empowering team members, allowing them to merge knowledge with experience.
4. Streamline the onboarding process
‘You had me at hello.’
Clients that are contacting you have most likely already seen your website. Your job now is to understand and cater to their requirements.
But this goes beyond a welcoming introduction. Since this is the initial stage of hopefully a long agency-client relationship, you must streamline processes to provide a smooth onboarding experience.
Use templates to write proposals and contracts. Ask questions so that you can match their expectations. Be clear about timeframes and prices, two topics that can make or break any business relationship.
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5. Improve response times to leads
Consumers are impatient beings that want immediate answers and services.
Yes, we know you’re busy. But best practices include reaching out to your leads as soon as possible. Because while you’re working on a project, they’re still contacting your competitors.
According to a study by HBR, firms that contacted potential clients within an hour were 7X more likely to close a deal than those who tried even an hour later. Even though businesses, on average, take about 42 hours to reply, you should aim to tighten your response time even further.
6. Integrate the right tools to collect and analyze data
Your agency has a lot to gain from data analysis. The technology is at your fingertips. Use some of the best tools for digital agencies, to enhance your efforts in all aspects of your agency, including sales, management, marketing, and SEO.
Check out the extended list of agency tools
7. Don’t overlook the post-sales process
Just because you’ve completed one project, it doesn’t mean that you should say goodbye to your client. A client that’s satisfied with your attitude and services can easily be converted to a repeat customer. More importantly, they can offer positive reviews and recommendations.
Work on maintaining post-sales relationships by:
- Providing memorable customer service
- Offering continued value through educational content, how-to articles, white papers, case studies, etc
8. Upselling is a trade secret
Selling more services to a current client helps to cut costs and simultaneously boost revenue. So as you work on offering additional value to them, upselling opens new revenue streams for your agency.
Tips for upselling:
- Offer discounted rates
- Create complimentary service packages
- Personalize upsell recommendations
- Justify the importance of additional services to their business
Want to Grow Your Digital Agency Today?
Join Cloudways Agency Partnership program to avail growth bonuses, onboarding discounts, enhanced support, co-marketing opportunities, and more!
How can you find more clients for a digital agency?
Even though all of the above are essential elements for growth, the most important part is focusing on your consumer base.
Clients are the lifeline of your digital agency. To support growth, you’re going to need the strength of numbers. That means an increasing client base is the most crucial element for a growing digital agency.
But while finding more clients be thoughtful about who you call a lead and if you need that lead. Lee Jackson, CEO of Event and Cloudways Maverick explains this mistake in the video below.
Here are some ways you can consistently find more clients:
1. Implement better self-promotion techniques
There’s a difference between bragging and self-promotion.
Focus on telling the world what you’re capable of. Use the following methods:
- Build local reach
- Offer testimonials and case studies
- Use the power of social media
- Offer expert advice on guest posts
- Create video content– don’t ignore the potential behind this tip. According to a Livestream poll, 80% of people surveyed would rather watch a video than read a blog.
2. Enhance PR strategies
The digital world is all about networking. You need to find the right people and be in the right place at the right time. Build a community around your agency. Sponsor events, offer educational courses, and backlink to other sites to widen your circle.
3. You need online advertising too
Just like your clients, you need the help of advertising also. Whether it’s through paid ads or cold emails, there is more than one way to get your name out. But not putting in the effort to encourage more awareness about your digital marketing agency could be the biggest mistake you make.
Using a variety of inbound and outbound marketing strategies can help boost online recognition.
Your efforts should include:
Source: Tecswan
4. Partner up with others
Often digital agencies don’t have the talent or resources to offer all the services that clients need. And that’s okay, primarily if you are focusing on providing niche-specific services. The easiest solution is to partner up with other agencies so that a customer does not walk away. It’s a win-win situation.
5. Create a lead magnetÂ
Not all viewers become clients. How about enticing viewers that come to your agency’s website to take the next step? Check this classic video of Cloudways webinar about Why Lead Magnets & What Keys Does Your Agency Need to Succeed.
Offering a free service like a keyword analysis or SEO audit is sure to lure viewers to your site. The longer they stay on your site, the higher the chances of them converting into a customer.
Want to entice your audience with invaluable lead magnets?
Start the Lead Magnet 101 course to learn how to create invaluable content for your audience and generate leads.
6. Actively seek out referrals
Referrals are the highest source of quality leads. Satisfied clients are more than eager to pass on your name to others.
How to prepare a portfolio for your digital agency?
A portfolio allows you to display your services with real-life examples and applications. You don’t need to brag, but go ahead and tell everyone why your digital agency is a good choice. Showreels, testimonials, and projects are great ways to highlight everything your digital agency has to offer. They also help potential clients gauge your marketing reputation.
Your previous and current clients are your best assets. They help showcase just how successful your tactics and strategies are.
- Your website is your best example – make sure it’s perfect!
- Accurately provide your bio and contact details on your website
- Organize information about clients in order to create a comprehensive case study
- Mention the tools you are currently using.
- Demonstrate how the software improves results.
- Include visuals, such as images, charts, infographics, or videos, to engage viewers
It’s time to claim more clients
Just like any other business, your digital agency needs proper planning and budgeting guidelines to foster growth. As trends change and technology advances, you will need to adapt and automate.
With the right strategies in place, you can effortlessly increase the awareness and credibility of your digital agency, as well as reach out to more clients on the digital landscape.
Disclaimer:Â This article is a guest post by Evie Harisson, she is a blogger by choice. She loves to discover the world around her. She likes to share her experiences and discoveries for marketing, and express herself through her blogs.
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!
