Digital marketing professionals often begin their career working either in a company’s marketing department or in a digital marketing agency. They get commercial experience and develop key skills and grow in confidence. Sooner or later, ambitious marketing professionals start to get itchy feet. With the experience and knowledge that they have accrued, as well as the industry contacts they have gathered, these marketers are well placed to build their own marketing agency. This not only has the potential to maximize their earning potential but also gives them the chance to choose their own clients and set their creativity loose.
While launching and running your own business can be exciting, fun, and rewarding, it is also one of the most challenging ways to make a living, particularly in the early days. You need to be resilient, determined, and ready for several years of unpredictable income, late nights, and early starts. It is a competitive industry that requires its professionals to adapt and evolve continuously to stay on top.
If you have been working in the digital marketing industry and are planning to launch your own digital marketing agency, here are seven steps that could help you on your journey.
- Establish clear goals from the beginning
From day one, you need to have a clear vision of where you want your business to end up and what success would look like. When you have your ultimate goal in mind, you can start to map out what steps you need to take on your journey to success. Each goal you set should be created with SMART elements (specific, measurable, aspirational, realistic, and time).
- Have a strong brand identity
Branding is key when trying to build any new business, but for digital marketing agencies, it is a deal-breaker. There are so many marketing agencies and professionals out there all claiming to be able to transform a business’ fortunes, so how will you stand out from the crowd? When you get branding right, you will also be showcasing your expertise to prospective clients.
- Network regularly, and nurture professional relationships
The old cliché is not far off – it is not what you know, but who you know. All businesses are built on professional relationships and contacts, and a digital marketing agency must always be working on growing their network. Make a conscious effort to attend networking events, enabling you to meet influential people in the digital marketing industry and business owners with whom you want to work. Once there, you should be introducing yourself, developing a rapport, and leaving your business cards with as many people as you can.
- Create an exemplary website and promote it
A digital marketing agency needs a website that is a cut above the rest and then to promote it as you would for future clients. How will clients be able to put their faith in your skills if your website is poor or you struggle to get it noticed? Think of your website and its visibility as the case study, which will convince other businesses to trust you with their digital marketing strategy.
- Keep an eye on your costs
In the early days of your business, you will probably only need a computer, a desk, or a spare room at home. The lower your costs are, the easier it will be to manage your budget, and the sooner you will be able to turn a profit. You do not need to splash out on every software platform or SEO tool as this will drain your capital, so do your research before choosing a few key tools which will get you up and running.
- Widen your skillset
When you start your own marketing agency, you will probably be working on projects and managing clients on your own. While you may have excellent digital marketing skills in some areas, it is unlikely that you will provide all elements of a digital marketing strategy. The key to expanding your business and attracting new clients is to widen the range of services which you provide.
You might decide to hire employees who have different expertise to you, but this can be costly, and you may not be able to guarantee them regular work. Another possible route is to use SEO white label resellers, which means hiring another digital marketing provider to fill in the gaps in your provision so you can offer a full digital marketing service. Visit clickintelligence.co to find out more.
- Build a social media presence
Avoiding social media is no longer an option for businesses, which means it is essential that you offer it as part of your service. The first step is to ensure that you, as a marketing professional, have your own brand and are active across multiple platforms. Your social media strategy should have clearly defined objectives that will help you create relevant content that resonates with your target clientele. Through your activity on social media, you should be establishing and nurturing relationships, as you never know when it will result in a new client.