It is impossible to grow an agency without acquiring new clients. You can’t stay the same size because some clients are going to leave. It’s for this reason that acquiring new clients is a major challenge for agencies.
Finding the right client is even more difficult. You want clients that your agency can help succeed and with whom you enjoy working.
This guide includes tips that will help you not only find new clients but also filter out those who aren’t the best fit for your business (and drain your resources).
Referrals from current and past clients
Referrals are made by happy clients who introduce your agency’s services to new prospects. Referred leads are valuable because they already have some trust in you and your agency.
Ask for Referrals is the first step to generating more. Ask your current clients, and even former ones, if they know anyone who could benefit from what you have done.
Create a referral program.
To get your referral program going:
- Select the offer: Choose an incentive to reward clients who successfully refer new leads.
- Make referrals easy for clients: Create an easy form that they can use.
- Promote the program: Remind your clients of your referral program during regular meetings or via email.
Get reviews
Reviews are like word-of-mouth on blast. One detailed assessment of your service in a place that is highly visible, like Google, can influence hundreds of potential clients. Since 88% of people believe that an online review can be as influential as a recommendation from a friend, considerations are incredibly important to getting clients.
The first step to getting good reviews is providing great service. Once you have done that, you will want to get as many new reviews as you can.
Here are some tactics that you can use.
- Ask directly (here is a template list for asking for reviews via phone, email, and more).
- Add a link to your website with a call-to-action
- Give out physical “Leave Us a Review” cards
- Include customer reviews in satisfaction surveys
Don’t neglect to reply to reviews since most people who read an inspection will also see your response. This is a great opportunity to highlight positive reviews and correct the negative ones.
Join forces with complementary businesses.
It would be best if you found clients for other businesses. Referrals can be traded to help each other.
Say you are a content marketer who focuses on, but one of the clients is looking for help with a PPC campaign. Ask a PPC company you trust to return the favor.
LinkedIn can be a great place to expand your professional network. Let complementary businesses know that you will look out for their interests if they follow suit.
Turn employees into ambassadors.
Each employee has a network and an area of influence. Their influence increases as they continue to work in the field. Help your employees to become ambassadors of your agency and tap into this network.
Ask your team to share important milestones with their social media followers. It could be your 100th customer, 10th anniversary, or company retreat. These posts help you build your brand without promoting a hard sale. Many people wouldn’t do this on their feeds.
Sending employees to conferences is another option. Junior team members will benefit from networking and education. Senior employees can be panelists or speakers. You’ll be able to have your employees out in the field promoting your company.
Share your secrets
Many people prefer to do their marketing before hiring an agency. When it comes time to hire, your agency will be the first on the list if you teach people how to run their marketing.
It may seem counter-intuitive, but many of the largest modern businesses have grown rapidly by using this exact technique.
There are many formats and channels available to teach future clients. Here are ten ideas that don’t require you to be creative.
- Create a blog. (bonus point because it will help your Search Engine Optimization).
- Create a Newsletter
- Attend conferences and events
- Publish guest posts
- Be a podcast guest
- Create (or cohost) a Webinar
- Share educational video via TikTok and YouTube
- Share content on social media, especially LinkedIn!
- Create mini-courses for your website
- Lunch-and-learns in person
You can probably think of more. It’s important to choose platforms that are comfortable for you and will be appealing to your clients.
Fixes for Prospect’s Problems
It is an underrated tactic for attracting new clients. Google companies that are in your niche to see their current ad campaign. List what you would do differently and then send the company your ideas.
This strategy is great for any marketing agency, as advertising, by its nature, is public. You can use tools such as Ahrefs and Moz to find out what is working with your prospects’ marketing efforts.
Some will run with your ideas. Many will ask for your help in order to improve their next campaign.
Price your goods properly.
Agency Pricing doesn’t just mean making a profit. It’s a part of your brand. Let’s take a look at this.
Offer you a true premium service with white glove treatment? Your pricing should be slightly higher than the average. It would be best if you raised your prices to not only cover the cost of the extra service but also to show clients that you are different.
If, on the other hand, your niche is to help fledgling companies get their footing online and you automate it, your pricing could be lower. It’s not all about cost plus profit. This is another way of expressing your brand.
Social media is a great way to stay connected.
The value of time spent using social media cannot be underestimated. You can’t build a community anywhere else or prove your expertise and connect directly with potential clients.
You can’t be a passive lurker. To reap the rewards of social media, you must be active.
Here are some actions you can take to get more clients from social media quickly:
- Join the conversation by searching for hashtags that are relevant to your business.
- Reply to other people’s posts
- You can create new posts by expanding on your previous replies.
- Comment on everyone’s post
- Complete your profile (add links, images, and professional descriptions)