Feb 28, 2021
How To Start Your Own Digital Marketing Agency
Want to start your own digital marketing agency but not sure how to get started?
Here’s a complete guide how to open your doors and to start taking on new clients.
Working with a lot of digital marketing agencies that use BounceHelp’s agency program, I speak to many that want to learn how to start their own agency.
I find many don’t know where to begin in their online entrepreneur journey, so I want to make a quick guide to help.
Here’s a quick, no B.S. step-by-step guide to help get you started on your path to success.
👉 STEP 1: Learn and develop the needed skills
👉 STEP 3: Structure your business model
👉 STEP 4: Get Digital Agency Clients
👉 STEP 5: Building Long Term Relationships
STEP 1: Learn and develop the needed skills
If you’re someone that thinks you will just be able to put up a website, get some clients automatically and take over the world, well… the chances of your success are not going to be very good.
Let’s get real, you’re going to need to take the time to learn and hone your digital marketing skills.
There are some very good resources online, some paid, some free.
Both have their advantages and disadvantages other than just money.
As a quick side note, If you’re short on money, don’t let that stop you from your dream.
Let’s look at both:
Free Digital Marketing Resources
Digital Marketing Online Communities
There’s some great 100% free online Forums, Facebook groups, Slack communities and more all over the internet.
You can find these with some quick browser search.
When you’re around more experienced digital marketers you will pick up on strategies, tactics and growth hacks much faster.
Make sure to ask questions, you’ll be surprised how helpful people can be.
Free Digital Marketing Courses
Free digital marketing courses, are another great resource you can find online.
Here are some you can signup for free right now:
HOOTSUITE ACADEMY – Social Marketing Certification Course
GOOGLE – Fundamentals of digital marketing
HUBSPOT ACADEMY – Inbound Course
GOOGLE SKILLSHOP – Learn Google Products; Ads, Analytics and more
HUBSPOT ACADEMY – Content Marketing Course
You can also look on Youtube & Udemy for some great free courses.
Udemy has both paid and free courses, some are more quality than others.
There are plenty of paid courses and pay-for resources online, if this is the direction you want to choose then a quick search will easily find you what you’re looking for.
Marketing Influencers
Make sure to follow some marketing influencers on social media and to sign up for their newsletters to learn some great techniques, hacks and current trends.
Here is a list of the Top 100 Marketing Influencers, according to Relevance.com
1. Erik Huberman
Twitter: https://twitter.com/ErikHuberman
Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/erikhuberman/
2. Jason Hennessey
Twitter: https://twitter.com/jasonhennessey
Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jhennessey/
3. Michael Brenner
Twitter: https://twitter.com/BrennerMichael
Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/michaelbrenner/
4. Ann Handley
Twitter: https://twitter.com/annhandley
Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/annhandley
5. Danny Sullivan
Twitter: https://twitter.com/dannysullivan
Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/dannysullivan/
6. Danny Brown
Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/dannybrownca/
7. Rand Fishkin
Twitter: https://twitter.com/randfish
Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/randfishkin
8. Neil Patel
Twitter: https://twitter.com/neilpatel
Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/neilkpatel
9. Jay Baer
Twitter: https://twitter.com/jaybaer
Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jaybaer
10. John Hall
Twitter: https://twitter.com/johnhall
Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/johnhall4
11. Juntae DeLane
Twitter: https://twitter.com/JuntaeDeLane
Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/juntaedelane/
12. Avinash Kaushik
Twitter: https://twitter.com/avinash
Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/akaushik
13. Scott Stratten
Twitter: https://twitter.com/unmarketing
Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/unmarketing/
14. Mark Schaefer
Twitter: https://twitter.com/markwschaefer
Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/markwschaefer
15. Peter Shankman
Twitter: https://twitter.com/petershankman
Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/petershankman
16. Joe Pulizzi
Twitter: https://twitter.com/JoePulizzi
Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/joepulizzi
17. Barry Schwartz
Twitter: https://twitter.com/rustybrick
Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/rustybrick
18. Seth Godin
Twitter: https://twitter.com/ThisIsSethsBlog
Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/seth-godin-7bab7a135
19. Lee Odden
Twitter: https://twitter.com/leeodden
Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/leeodden
20. Renee Blodgett
Twitter: https://twitter.com/magicsaucemedia
Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/reneeblodgett
21. Christopher Penn
Twitter: https://twitter.com/cspenn
Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/cspenn/
22. Ian Cleary
Twitter: https://twitter.com/IanCleary
Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/iancleary/
23. Brian Halligan
Twitter: https://twitter.com/bhalligan
Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/brianhalligan
24. Christoph Trappe
Twitter: https://twitter.com/CTrappe
Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/christophtrappe
25. Aleyda Solis
Twitter: https://twitter.com/aleyda
Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/aleyda/
26. Mitch Joel
Twitter: https://twitter.com/mitchjoel
Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/mitchjoel/
27. Ann Smarty
Twitter: https://twitter.com/seosmarty
Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/annsmarty
28. Chris Ducker
Twitter: https://twitter.com/ChrisDucker
Linkedin: https://ph.linkedin.com/in/chrisducker
29. Robert Rose
Twitter: https://twitter.com/Robert_Rose
Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/robrose
30. Kristi Hines
Twitter: https://twitter.com/kristileilani
Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kristihines
31. Bill Slawski
Twitter: https://twitter.com/bill_slawski
Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/slawski
32. Jeff Bullas
Twitter: https://twitter.com/jeffbullas
Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jeffbullas/
33. Heidi Cohen
Twitter: https://twitter.com/heidicohen
Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/heidicohen
34. Bernie Borges
Twitter: https://twitter.com/bernieborges
Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/bernieborges
35. Todd Wheatland
Twitter: https://twitter.com/toddwheatland
Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/wheatland/
36. Oli Gardner
Twitter: https://twitter.com/oligardner
Linkedin: https://in.linkedin.com/in/oligardner
37. Andy Crestodina
Twitter: https://twitter.com/crestodina
Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/andycrestodina/
38. Chad Pollitt
Twitter: https://twitter.com/ChadPollitt
Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/chadpollitt
39. Jon Loomer
Twitter: https://twitter.com/jonloomer
Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jonloomer
40. Carla Johnson
Twitter: https://twitter.com/CarlaJohnson
Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/carlajohnson
41. Ramon Ray
Twitter: https://twitter.com/ramonray
Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ramon-ray-29856
42. Ardath Albee
Twitter: https://twitter.com/ardath421
Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ardathalbee
43. Justin Cutroni
Twitter: https://twitter.com/justincutroni
Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/akaushik
44. Marcus Sheridan
Twitter: https://twitter.com/TheSalesLion
Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/marcussheridan
45. Nadav Dakner
Twitter: https://twitter.com/nadavdakner
Linkedin: https://il.linkedin.com/in/ndakner
46. AJ Kohn
Twitter: https://twitter.com/ajkohn
Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ajkohn
47. Nadya Khoja
Twitter: https://twitter.com/nadyakhoja
Linkedin: https://ca.linkedin.com/in/nadyakhoja
48. Paul Roetzer
Twitter: https://twitter.com/paulroetzer
Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/paulroetzer
49. Andrew Davis
Twitter: https://twitter.com/drewdavishere
Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/drewdavishere
50. Arnie Kuenn
Twitter: https://twitter.com/ArnieK
Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/arniekuenn
51. David Beebe
Twitter: https://twitter.com/davidbeebe
Linkedin: https://ca.linkedin.com/in/davidbeebe
52. Allen Gannett
Twitter: https://twitter.com/Allen
Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/allengannett
53. Alex Hisaka
Twitter: https://twitter.com/alexhisaka
Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/alexhisaka
54. Julia McCoy
Twitter: https://twitter.com/JuliaEMcCoy
Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/juliaemccoy
55. Michele Linn
Twitter: https://twitter.com/michelelinn
Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/michelelinnlinkedinprofile
56. Pam Didner
Twitter: https://twitter.com/PamDidner
Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/pamdidner
57. Rebecca Lieb
Twitter: https://twitter.com/lieblink
Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/rebeccalieb
58. Deana Goldasich
Twitter: https://twitter.com/goldasich
Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/deanagoldasich
59. Erika Heald
Twitter: https://twitter.com/SFerika
Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/erikaheald/
60. Jon Wuebben
Twitter: https://twitter.com/jonwuebben
Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jonwuebben/
61. Jon Burkhart
Twitter: https://twitter.com/jonburkhart
Linkedin: https://uk.linkedin.com/in/jonburkhart
62. Bert Van Loon
Twitter: https://twitter.com/bertvanloon
Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/bertvanloon/
63. Ahava Leibtag
Twitter: https://twitter.com/ahaval
Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ahavaleibtag
64. Joe Lazauskas
Twitter: https://twitter.com/JoeLazauskas
Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/joe-lazauskas-8b442026
65. David Reimherr
Twitter: https://twitter.com/davidreimherr
Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/davidreimherr
66. Heather Taylor
Twitter: https://twitter.com/heatherataylor
Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/heatherannetaylor/
67. Carmen Hill
Twitter: https://twitter.com/carmenhill
Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/carmenhillpdx/
68. Pamela Muldoon
Twitter: https://twitter.com/pamelamuldoon
Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/pamelamuldoon
69. Barry Feldman
Twitter: https://twitter.com/feldmancreative
Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/feldmancreative
70. Peter Loibl
Twitter: https://twitter.com/peterloibl
Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/peter-loibl-8a8464120
71. Jacquie Chakirelis
Twitter: https://twitter.com/jacquiechak
Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jacquiechakirelis/
72. Tim Ball
Twitter: https://twitter.com/pplonia
73. J K. Kalinowski
Twitter: https://twitter.com/jkkalinowski
Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/joseph-jk-kalinowski-0312886
74. Pam Kozelka
Twitter: https://twitter.com/pamkozelka
Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/pamkozelka
75. Russell Sparkman
Twitter: https://twitter.com/fusionspark
Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/russellsparkman
76. Ehsan Jahandarpour
Twitter: https://twitter.com/jahandarpour
Linkedin: https://au.linkedin.com/in/ehsanjahandarpour
77. Brian Sooy
Twitter: https://twitter.com/briansooy
Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/briansooy
78. Paul Aitken
Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/paulaitkenuk
79. Brody Dorland
Twitter: https://twitter.com/brodydorland
Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/bdorland
80. Craig Coffey
Twitter: https://twitter.com/CraigCoffeyNow
Linkedin: https://ie.linkedin.com/in/craig-coffey-31ba2418
81. Jesper Laursen
Twitter: https://twitter.com/jesperlaursen
82. Brock Stechman
Twitter: https://twitter.com/brockstechman
Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/brockstechman
83. Lisa Murton Beets
Twitter: https://twitter.com/lisabeets
Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/lisabeets/
84. Mike Murray
Twitter: https://twitter.com/mikeonlinecoach
Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/mikemitchellmurray/
85. Jason Stewart
Twitter: https://twitter.com/jstewart_1
Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jason-stewart-09a970/
86. Michael Kolowich
Twitter: https://twitter.com/michaelkolowich
Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kolowich/
87. Gina Czark
Twitter: https://twitter.com/gczark
Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/gczark/
88. Martin Sumichrast
Twitter: https://twitter.com/martysumichrast
Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/martinsumichrast
89. Anuja Lath
Twitter: https://twitter.com/anujalg
Linkedin: https://in.linkedin.com/in/anujalath
90. Jeannine Rossignol
Twitter: https://twitter.com/j9rossignol
Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jeanninerossignol
91. James D’Orazio
Twitter: https://twitter.com/jimdorazio
Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jimdorazio
92. Laura Kozak
Twitter: https://twitter.com/lalakoz
Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/laura-kozak-a633922a
93. Vince Giorgi
Twitter: https://twitter.com/vgiorgi
Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/vincegiorgi
94. Michael Marzec
Twitter: https://twitter.com/michaelmarzec
Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/michaelmarzec
95. Clare McDermott
Twitter: https://twitter.com/soloportfolio
Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/claremcdermott
96. Colleen Weston
Twitter: https://twitter.com/clean_216
Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/colleenweston/
97. Kelley Whetsell
Twitter: https://twitter.com/meetingdemands
linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kelleywhetsell/
98. David Drickhamer
Twitter: https://twitter.com/biznotboring
Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ddrickhamer/
99. Christina Hoffman
Twitter: https://twitter.com/xthoffman
Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/christinarhoffman/
100. Jonathan Kranz
Twitter: https://twitter.com/jonkranz
Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jonathankranz/
STEP 2: Choose your niche
When you’re first starting out one of the best things you can do is to decide on your niche.
Decide on a target audience and what services you are going to offer.
Make a goal to become an expert for that specific industry.
When you decide on an industry and stick with it, you become more of an expert for that specific niche and over time will find word of mouth will send you more clients.
Trying to take on every client from every industry is one of the biggest mistakes a startup agency founder can make.
Take the time to learn everything you can about that industry.
Read books, find industry influencers, ask questions, learn the “Lingo” of that industry, absorb any material you can find.
What works for one industry will not work for another, once you learn the “in’s” and “outs” of your niche then you can add a second, then a third and so on.
You’ll also find it easier to get clients if you know their pain points that are specific to them.
STEP 3: Structure your business model
You’ll need to think about how you’re going to bill your clients, what services you are going to offer among other details.
Some consultants will charge their clients hourly due to the amount of time they spend on the phone and one-on-one meetings they have but this model can become confusing and complicated for both the client and the agency.
Hours spent on different clients can vary greatly depending on the amount of work and communication between parties.
This model can end up costing you business as some clients can become untrusting of the amount of hours you are billing them, especially if they are not seeing results as fast as they would like.
The simplest pricing model is a flat monthly fee for the recurring services your provide.
Now the business relationship is more based on services delivered that the client can easily see, which can be more reassuring for the long term relationship you are building.
What services are you going to provide?
Are you going to do SEO (Search Engine Optimization), PPC (Pay Per Click), Paid Ads, Facebook Ads, Google Ads, SMM (Social Media Marketing, etc?
While you may think you need to provide everything under the sun, the reality is most agencies concentrate on specific types of digital marketing.
If just starting out it could be a good idea just to start with one.
But, you’re asking what if a client wants other digital marketing services?
You can always hire someone from a freelancer site or even another digital agency.
Don’t downplay the power of networking with other agencies especially in your local area.
Let’s say you only provide paid Google Ads services and your client is requesting some SEO work to be done.
Reach out to some local SEO agencies that only provide this service, you’ll also find these agencies get requests for services they do not provide that you can help with.
Register Your Business
You’ll need to decide on your business name and register your business for tax reasons.
Plus having a registered business will build trust with your potential clients, otherwise you’re just another freelancer.
Decide on which business type will work for you before you register, make sure to look into all local and state laws for the state you live in.
The business types you will need to choose from are below:
- Sole Proprietorship
- Partnership
- Limited Liability Company (LLC)
- Corporation
Each state has it’s own offices for business registrations.
Below is a list of each states business corporate regulations office:
Alabama
Business Services
Alaska
Corporations, Business, and Professional Licensing
Arkansas
Business / Commercial Services
Arizona
Corporation Commission
California
Business Portal
Colorado
Business Center
Connecticut
Commercial Recording Division
Delaware
Division of Corporations
Florida
Division of Corporations
Georgia
Corporations Division
Hawaii
Business Registration Division
Idaho
Business Entities Division
Illinois
Business Services Department
Indiana
Corporations Division
Iowa
Business Services Division
Kansas
Business Entities
Kentucky
Business Services
Louisiana
Business Services
Maryland
Businesses – Taxpayer Services
Massachusetts
Corporations Divisions
Michigan
Business Portal
Minnesota
Business Services
Mississippi
Business Services
Missouri
Business Portal
Montana
Business Services
Nebraska
Business Services
Nevada
Commercial Recordings Division
New Hampshire
Corporation Division
New Jersey
Business Gateway
New Mexico
Corporations Bureau
New York
Division of Corporations
North Carolina
Division of Corporations, State Records and Uniform Commercial Code
North Dakota
Business Registrations
Oklahoma
Business Services
Oregon
Corporation Division
Pennsylvania
Corporation Bureau
Rhode Island
Corporations Division
South Carolina
Business Filings
South Dakota
Corporations
Tennessee
Division of Business Services
Texas
Corporations Section
Utah
Division of Corporations and Commercial Code
Vermont
Corporations
Virginia
Business Information Center
West Virginia
Business Organizations
Washington
Corporations Division
Wisconsin
Corporations
Wyoming
Corporations Division
STEP 4: Get Digital Agency Clients
Finding digital agency clients is the step a lot of new founders get stuck on and sometimes just plain give up on.
There are so many ways to onboard new clients it would be impossible to cover them all here so let’s just stay on the basics.
There is no magic solution and every marketer has found their own unique way that works for them, don’t worry eventually you’ll find yours.
To start your going to need to decide if your sales strategy is going to be inbound or outbound.
My advice would be to do a little of both.
The idea of jumping on the phone and making 20 to 100 calls a day to find clients is a scary prospect for many new startup founders, no worries there is plenty of other options if this is not your thing.
Inbound Marketing vs. Outbound Marketing
Inbound marketing would consist of some of the following examples:
- Blog Posts
- Webinars
- Social Media
- Infographics
- SEO
- Referrals
- Podcasts
- Email Marketing
- Video Marketing
Outbound marketing examples would be some of the following:
- Print Ads
- Flyers
- Door-to-door (or Business Door-to-Business Door in our case)
- Cold Calling
- Banner Ads
- Cold Emails
- Social Media Outreaching
- Direct Mail
No matter what you decide on for your main client acquisition process, you will still want content to share with your clients,
Your main target for content should be based on your target audience choice, your “niche”.
Create content that show you specialize and are an expert for a certain industry, on your blog, your social media and of course your website.
Set up your social media account to not only show off your knowledge but to follow and network with people in your chosen niche.
Webinars and “Lives” on social media platforms are great ways to build up your following and networking tribe, let people see you and you’ll find potential clients coming to you for advice.
Again there is no “right” or “wrong” here, there is only “what works” and “what doesn’t” for you, everyone is different.
STEP 5: Building Long Term Relationships
Let’s face it, without clients, you don’t have an agency, so you’ll want to make sure your doing everything you can on retaining your best clients.
Clients will come and go, not every project you take will be the best fit for you or your client, focus your energy on your best clients and a strong ongoing relationship.
Here are some tips on how to help with this:
- Expectations should be set in the beginning of the relationship to avoid any miscommunication.
- Set up clear methods of communication, you’ll build trust faster when your client knows you are always there for them.
- Ask for feedback, consider this your scorecard from your client. Are they happy with your work, is there something they think you can do better on to help them out, etc?
- Being proactive with your clients goes a long ways on building trust.
STEP 6: Take Action
A lot of people will spend a lot of time deciding on things like choosing a cool business name and finding a domain, deciding how to get clients among other thoughts.
My best advice is… STOP IT!
Don’t spend a lot of time on these things, you can always change business names and domains as well as strategies as you’re going.
Take action and get started, everything else will fall into place.
