How to Get More Clients for Your Digital Marketing Agency
Starting your digital marketing agency was challenging, right?
All the late nights, all your savings put into this dream, people telling you “you’re going to fail”...
I started my own agency years ago too. So I get it.
I understand all your ups and downs, your blood and sweat, your tears of joy and frustration.
You took risks. You gave up a lot of security. And you took that leap.
But then, the “real work” began, didn’t it?
You’re now at the point where finding more clients for your agency is a daunting task.
But from experience, I know that the results all depend on your approach.
And that’s exactly why I’m writing this article. To teach you that there is a way (well, actually 11!) to get more clients for your marketing agency.
Today, I’m going to tell you:
- 11 proven tactics that are sure to get you more clients and skyrocket business for your digital marketing agency.
- How all of these tactics will help you become a trusted resource for your target audience.
- And why it’s important to get clients through advertising strategies, networking, content marketing, and public relations.
Ready to grow your client list? Let’s get started first with how to...
Get More Clients to Your Marketing Agency by Becoming a Trusted Resource for Your Target Audience
In order to close more clients, you need to establish authority in your sales process.
And that applies to any business in general.
So if you’re looking to get more clients for your agency, then you gotta establish yourself as an industry thought leader or industry expert.
In fact, according to a recent survey by the Edelman Group, thought leadership has more influence on sales than most marketers realize.
And 87% of them admit to trusting brands that they see as experts.
So how can your agency establish itself as an industry thought leader?
Let’s find it out!
Tactic #1 to Get More Clients for Your Marketing Agency: Invest (Time) in Content Marketing & Blogging
Content marketing is fa’ sure the most reliable and sustainable way to grow your traffic.
You knew that, right?
And it’s also one of the cheapest and smartest ways to get more clients for your digital marketing agency.
Why?
First of all, it’s cheap because you can do it yourself without having to hire a content writer. And second of all, because people will consume it if it’s valuable.
And if you pursue content marketing to get to the top of people’s inboxes, newsfeed, ads, or top of Google search results, then potential clients will find you.
And when they find you, they’ll like your content (whatever you’re blogging about).
But they’ll like you as long as you don’t put the primary focus on your service but rather on delivering relevant industry insights.
And eventually, they’ll want to sign up for your service after seeing you as a source of trustworthy, useful, and valuable information.
See how easy it works?
With content marketing, that coveted position is earned through continuous iteration, offering high-quality content, and publishing on your blog on a regular basis.
And that last point is specifically important since content marketing quantity increases traffic.
So what are you going to start doing to find more clients for your marketing agency?
Start blogging (here’s a blog post template you can actually use by the way) without actually selling your services.
You can slightly plug in your service in a non-salesy way, of course. But don’t do a hard sell in each article you publish.
Instead, create valuable content that you can later promote and that your potential clients can absorb.
Then, choose the blog post type and blog post titles ideas you know will convert.
OrbitMedia actually suggests webinars, roundups, gated content, and guides and ebooks as the most effective content formats.
And finally, tap into content distribution channels like:
- Email Marketing: Package your article’s content into a newsletter. Then, the content will become your vehicle to stay relevant and top-of-mind in your audience. And if you don’t know how to create a killer newsletter, no worries. AutoGrow can take care of your email marketing for you. Just watch this video to learn more about what we can do for you.
- Social Media: Social media is propelled by people who are looking for something to do other than their work—whether the content be entertaining or educational. They want to consume content that’s a match with their current interests. And don’t forget to look for the best social media sites for lead generation.
- SEO: New content works as a beacon to Google and other search engines to tell them what your website is all about and to rank your website as a match with certain keyword searches.
Ok so you get it now.
Blogging and promoting your content will definitely help you get clients if you provide valuable content consistently.
Let’s see the next tip.
Tactic #2 to Get More Clients for Your Marketing Agency: Guest Posting
Doing guest posting introduces your content to a whole new audience (potential clients) who may not know you (yet).
I have actually written some guest posts in the past.
And one I remember was for KissMetrics—“7 Laws of Sales Funnel Physics Every SaaS Business Needs to Know” (that I later turned it into “The 11 Laws of Sales Funnel Physics Every Business Needs to Know”).
Well, I ended up turning that blog traffic into sales.
So my point here is that when you do guest posting, you can tap into unknown audiences.
Audiences where your potential clients may be sitting down just waiting to meet your business.
With all that being said, guest posting lets you:
- Drive exposure to new audiences.
- Generate backlinks to your website and blog content (great for traffic and SEO).
- Establish credibility within your industry.
- Provide networking opportunities with decision makers and strategic partners
- Double your website traffic in 30 days (just like we did).
And if you’re still skeptical about finding clients for your marketing agency through guest posting, here are some interesting stats from OptinMonster that’ll help persuade you:
- 60% of blogs write 1-5 guest posts per month.
- 3% of blogs write over 100 guest posts per month.
- Only 6% of bloggers publish the majority of their original content as guest posts.
- Over 63% of readers perceive blogs with multiple authors to be more credible.
- 79% of content editors say guest content is too promotional—so be sure to keep it educational.
The bottom line is, guest posting will help you tap into brand new audiences where you can convert those leads into clients.
Now let’s move to the next tactic.
Tactic #3 to Get More Clients for Your Marketing Agency: Speaking at Online Conferences & Webinars
Yep, conferences are still a thing.
Virtual conferences were on the rise prior to 2020 and are now a part of the “new normal”.
In fact, according to Bizzabo, 67% of businesses use virtual events complementary to in-person events.
And 96% of the people surveyed think that events provide valuable opportunities for people to form more in-person connections in a world where digital is on the rise.
Speaking at an industry conference or simply hosting a webinar is just a great way of showing off your expertise while at the same time exposing your brand.
And if you have trouble getting your agency on the agenda of someone else’s conference or webinar, why not host your own?
When hosting your own conference, just keep in mind to have:
- An end goal (get more clients, create brand awareness, etc.)
- A well-curated list of attendees
- Compelling speakers
- Facilitated small group breakout sessions
- A plan to engage attendees more deeply over time
In fact, one survey by Bizzabo found that 65% of B2B marketers within the professional services industry host one-day conferences.
So speaking at conferences is not only on the rise but helps give your brand a lot more exposure so your clients can actually find you.
Ok, is it clear that speaking at conferences and webinars can actually help tap into new audiences?
Cool.
Get More Clients for Your Marketing Agency Through Advertising—Yes, Advertising Is Still a Thing…
There are cheap advertising tactics to market your business and take your business from anonymity to the spotlight.
And nowadays, billions of people are on social media around the world. So of course, advertising on various social media platforms like Facebook or Instagram is still important.
Here are just a few ways to expand your social media reach and position your agency in front of potential clients.
Tactic #4 to Get More Clients for Your Marketing Agency: Tap Into the Power of Facebook Ads
As I said above, billions (with a “b”) of people are now on social media around the world.
- Facebook, the largest social media platform in the world, has 2.4 billion users. (Our World in Data)
- Youtube has more than one billion users. (Our World in Data)
- More than 1 billion Instagram accounts worldwide are active every single month.
- Whatsapp has more than 1.6 billion users. (Statista)
- There’s a total of 275 million accounts on Twitter. (Statista)
- Over 200 million Instagrammers visit at least one business profile daily. (Instagram)
- ⅓ of the most viewed stories are from businesses. (Instagram)
The rapid growth of these platforms has changed how we access information from the news, how we’re educated, and how we enjoy entertainment.
So when it comes to finding more clients for your marketing agency, posting ads in Facebook is a trend you should be part of. Because Facebook, without a doubt, is one of the best places to score marketing agency clients.
You see, according to Pew Research, among U.S. adults who use Facebook, 74% visit the site at least once a day.
And not to mention that Facebook ads are relatively cheap in relation to the wide exposure and the expert targeting that is baked into each campaign.
We even use Facebook ads as our main retargeting ads strategy platform.
Because when you keep in mind that website visitors who are retargeted with display ads are more likely to convert by 70%...
...And on top of that, 26% of customers will return to a site through retargeting according to Invesp…
...you realize that getting more clients for your marketing agency is as easy as creating and posting an ad on Facebook.
Tactic #5 to Get More Clients for Your Marketing Agency: Use Google AdWords
Getting started with paid ads can be intimidating. I get it.
But you can actually use Google Ads to generate more leads.
And for this, you need to know what you’re doing to get the best results.
You see, when it comes to Google AdWords, you’re not targeting the audience based on demographics but instead on their specific keyword intent.
This means you’re generating leads that are much more qualified farther along your buyer’s journey and primed for the sale.
The only problem is that competition drives up the price per click (PPC) for many “high intent” phrases, which can make Google AdWords unaffordable for some smaller agencies.
Even still, using Google Adwords stands as a great way to find more clients for your marketing agency.
For this, there are some Google ads headline examples you can take some inspiration from.
And you can also follow these advanced Google ads techniques we love:
- Create a Google-friendly landing page: Create a landing page that you are going to drive traffic to with Google ads. For example, for the sales funnel strategies I have created for our done-for-you service clients, I always start with a lead magnet landing page.
- Understand Google AdWords’ policies: It sounds like common sense, but because Google can be strict and confusing with their guidelines, it’s really important that you fully understand all of their policies.
- Optimize for mobile: Most people are searching for things from their phones these days. So mobile devices are in higher demand than desktops. And this is especially true for search. So if your ad doesn’t display well on mobile, you’re not going to get the results you want. And this is one of the zero multipliers that kills your conversions.
- Know and improve your quality score: This score is on a range of 1-10 and covers each keyword in your account. It’s an estimate of the quality of your ads and the landing pages that get triggered by that keyword. Basically, it compares your page to the other pages that come up for that same keyword.
- Use retargeting to get more leads: Use remarketing and retargeting to get more leads into your funnel with your Google ads.
Alright, let’s keep going.
Tactic #6 to Get More Clients for Your Marketing Agency: Set Up LinkedIn ads
For marketing agencies, LinkedIn is the perfect place to find more clients.
Because LinkedIn profiles of individuals and companies tend to be updated on a more regular basis than other social platforms.
This platform enables you to target at a much more granular level than other platforms.
In fact, this is the #1 channel to distribute content and to drive more traffic to B2B blogs and sites.
So if you’re looking to find more clients for your marketing agency, here’s how to nurture those leads on LinkedIn according to them.
- Build your brand and content presence through your company landing page: Your landing pages are the place where people will learn more in-depth about you and your services. Here, you can market your business to the LinkedIn community and tell your company or founder’s story so prospects simply learn more about your business, your employees, and your brand.
- Publish your content to grow your audience: LinkedIn is an intuitive blogging tool that seamlessly integrates with your profile on LinkedIn. It lets you publish any content to quickly grow your audience and network.
- Upload your content to SlideShare: SlideShare is a social channel where you can establish your business as a thought leader and authority around topics and keywords.
Easy peasy.
Let’s move on!
Tactic #7 to Get More Clients for Your Marketing Agency: Run Instagram Ads
Instagram is a perfect place for agencies to generate a buzz among new clients because their photo ads allow businesses to showcase compelling images.
In fact, there are plenty of Instagram posts ideas that sell.
And since I’m going to assume you’re already designing dazzling visual content and copy, Instagram is the perfect platform to scream it from the rooftops.
In fact, Instagram is the social channel with the second-highest ROI among marketers according to HubSpot.
So don’t be afraid to tap into Instagram’s power.
Just make sure to be running ads and follow the best tips to increase sales and exposure with Instagram stories.
Next...
Get More Client for Your Marketing Agency By Standing Apart From the Pack
There are numerous digital marketing agencies to choose from. Actually, like millions...
But you need to know the importance of articulating the benefits your agency offers, how you provide specific solutions that address your clients’ needs, and what distinguishes you from the competition.
So let’s check out this first tactic for getting more clients for your marketing agency by standing apart from the pack.
Tactic #8 to Get More Clients for Your Marketing Agency: State Your Specific Value Proposition
One of the best ways to separate yourself from the pack is by pointing out your core values and unique value proposition.
In fact, 57% of decision makers prefer it when thought leadership solutions are outlined in “snackable” pieces according to Edelman.
This means potential clients want to know what your agency stands for. They don’t want to guess it. They want to know it.
Why did you decide to create your unique products or services?
For this, list down and explain all your service’s offerings into as much detail as possible.
The more clear you are about your unique value proposition, the easier it will be for potential clients to sign up for your service.
They need to know the specific solutions they’re looking for and that your agency solves for them.
Tactic #9 to Get More Clients for Your Marketing Agency: Highlight Your Unique Selling Proposition (USP)
Your Unique Value Proposition is that unique and special thing that you can offer that your competitors can't.
It's your "competitive edge."
It's the reason why clients come to you and no one else.
It is a clear statement that explains what your service does and why it’s different.
It is what sets you apart. It tells your prospect why they should buy from you—and not someone else.
So what’s yours?
That’s the big question!
And if you don’t know the answer, that’s probably one of the reasons why you’re not getting as many clients as you want.
Your USP could be something as simple as your niche, the personalized attention you offer, that you consistently produce higher ROI for your clients than other agencies in your niche—literally anything.
And of course, I wouldn’t let you walk away without a formula you can implement today to define your own Unique Selling Proposition .
All you have to do is follow these steps:
- Be clear.
- Be concise (1–2 sentences).
- Make it a statement the rest of the copy on your site can support.
- Don’t use jargon (speak your customers’ language).
- Describe the end-result in a headline and use the subheadline to give more specifics on the “how”.
- It should be clear who the USP’s target is—either by the language used or by directly stating it (e.g. “sales funnels for service businesses”).
Once you have a USP rough draft, boil it down, and boom. You have a compelling Unique Selling Proposition.
Get More Client for Your Marketing Agency Through Networking
Networking is often seen as a shortcut to success.
It can also be a stepping stone to building synergistic relationships that can be a game changer for your business.
Now let’s see which tactics are going to help you get more clients through networking.
Tactic #10 to Get More Clients for Your Marketing Agency: Participate in Online Forums or Communities
For marketing agencies like yours, this is an effective way to get in front of people who are already interested in the services that you provide.
You see, according to Vanilla—a cloud-based customer community software—an online community can actually help organizations improve engagement by up to 21%.
So by joining or creating Facebook groups or participating in forums in LinkedIn, Quora, Reddit, etc., you can establish credibility by thoughtfully answering questions participants may have.
In this process of answering participants’ questions, you’ll get people to know your brand. You’ll get them to see you as an authority figure. And you’ll get them to better know your services.
And you’ll do this by sharing links to your own blog posts or landing pages like a subtle call to action.
And this way, you’ll start creating brand awareness and establish authority.
Get More Clients to Your Marketing Agency Through Public Relations
Public relations is something tech mogul and billionaire Bill Gates famously said he’d spend his last dollar on according to Entrepreneur.
Public relations is more than the typical press release.
It is about crafting your story, creating the right narrative, and being able to effectively share that story across the right channels.
Now let’s see which is the one tactic that will help you get more clients through public relations.
Tactic #11 to Get More Clients for Your Marketing Agency: Tap Into the Power of Storytelling
No one wants to read a boring old article about your products or services.
How would you feel if I started pitching AutoGrow’s products or services in a very salesy way while you’re actually reading useful and valuable content?
You wouldn’t like it, right?
And how would you feel if I’d slightly plug in AutoGrow’s products or services in a non-salesy way and in a way that adds value to you?
You would love that I bet!
People are skeptical about anything that is perceived as advertising, robotic, or even salesy.
But everyone likes storytelling. I mean, who doesn’t love reading a good story?
Especially if it’s true, genuine, and involves risk-taking and being scrappy.
Readers love that because they can relate to it.
And that’s the power of storytelling.
When you tell an immersive story through your articles, bio, videos, or anywhere on your website, you’re making the readers lose themselves in a story.
And the more they are immersed in the story, the more likely they are to adopt the attitudes and ideas of that story.
That’s what narrative transportation is all about.
So if you want to boost conversions and increase audience engagement by 5X with storytelling, then:
- Include personal stories or anecdotes in each of your articles.
- Write a short bio of the founder of your agency—and what struggles he/she went through to get where they are. In fact, 43% of people skim through the founder’s story on a website according to HubSpot.
- Include anecdotes about team members, how they have overcome X challenges, and also how they haven’t been able to.
- Don’t fake your stories—people sense when you’re not being genuine.
- Tap into the principles of narrative transportation.
Your potential clients are eager to know the stories behind your agency, your founder, and your team.
Conclusion
Getting more agency clients doesn’t have to be a chore.
In fact, for innovative marketing agencies like yours, viewing the process as an opportunity to tap into your creativity can make it so much more enjoyable.
And that enjoyment will come through to your prospects.
Let’s recap how you can get more clients for your digital marketing agency:
- Blogging and guest blogging
- Hosting a conference or webinar
- Tapping into the power of Facebook, Google, LinkedIn, and Instagram ads
- Highlighting your Unique Value Proposition and your Unique Selling Proposition
- Participating in online communities or joining Facebook groups
Your best bet is to find the options that make the most sense for your agency.
Just use a combination of those tactics and enjoy the results that are sure to come.
And if you love these ideas but just don’t have the time to execute them yourself, Autogrow can help you.
Just watch our demo and see what we can do for your agency.
Now tell me something, will you use these strategies on your own or do you need some help?
Let me know in the comments below.
Keep AutoGrowin’, stay focused.
