Your company has decided to start an in-house digital marketing team, or you’ve decided to branch out on your own and launch your own digital marketing agency, but you aren’t sure where to begin? This guide will help you lay the groundwork and make sure that you don’t miss any crucial steps along the way to success. Whether you want to focus primarily on social media marketing, search engine optimization, or another form of digital marketing, this step-by-step guide will help you take the right steps to launch a successful digital marketing agency from scratch.
Decide on the niche you want to serve
First, you have to decide what niche you want your company to serve. Maybe it’s small business owners or nonprofit organizations. Whatever it is, make sure there’s enough room for you in that space, and that you can differentiate yourself and stand out from competitors.
Know your competition and what makes you different
To succeed in your field, you need to know how others in it operate and how they are different than you. What do your competitors do well that makes them successful? You’ll want to take notes on that, as well as their weaknesses. Once you have an idea of what makes them successful and what hinders them, think about how your business can capitalize on their weaknesses while still utilizing your strengths.
Decide if working with an established company is better than going solo
Before opening your own business, it’s important that you do some research on what your options are. Whether you decide to partner with another company or open your own venture, there are numerous advantages and disadvantages that go along with each decision. Although deciding which is right for you can be tough, understanding what each option entails will make it easier to choose. You should look into who your competitors are and weigh out if going solo would be best for you.
Identify your target audience and focus your content around them
The first step in creating content that resonates with your ideal customers is, obviously, knowing who they are. Who do you want to reach? What job titles, industries, and locations do you want to target? What pain points are they experiencing and what types of offers will resonate with them? With more than 2.3 million business blogs on WordPress alone, it’s easier than ever for bloggers—both newbies and pros—to find their niche audiences.
Hire, train, manage and maintain employees
Even if you’re going into business for yourself, it helps to have help. That might mean hiring an employee or two. In any case, you should always get legal help when hiring employees; you want things done right and legally sound so that everyone involved is covered in case of a dispute down the road. Here are some other tips on how to hire employees.
Choose your pricing models carefully
If you intend to offer professional services as part of your new business, you’ll need to charge fees. This is an area where many startup businesses fail, because they simply set fees without taking into account their competitors or cost of doing business. Here are some factors to consider: How much competition do you face? You’ll want to price competitively, but if there’s already stiff competition in your market, it can be difficult for newcomers to even get noticed by potential clients.
Do not invest in technology before knowing it works
Before starting your own Digital Marketing Agency, you should make sure your website is ready for marketing. You may have come up with an amazing idea, but if your site doesn’t reflect it, you will not be able to attract business. Make sure that all of your calls-to-action are easily identifiable and find out how easy it is for them to get in touch with you.
Invest time, energy and money into digital advertising campaigns
Digital advertising encompasses more than just banner ads—it involves marketing on search engines like Google, Bing and Yahoo; social networks such as Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn; display networks that are delivered via online ad exchanges; online video channels such as YouTube; mobile app-based networks (known as in-app advertising); and even email. Digital advertising is anything you can do to get your business in front of consumers in an interactive medium.
Invest in writing great content before launching your website.
It’s tempting to focus on your website, graphics, and programming when launching a new business. While these factors can make or break your startup (particularly if you’re in tech), they don’t ensure that people will visit your site. To help bring in visitors, create helpful content that will attract people with questions about your company or industry.
