Six Ways To Ensure Success For Your Digital Marketing Agency

Whether you’re leading a social-driven startup or a long-running full-service firm, your agency needs to be digitally connected. It takes more than luck to succeed in today’s competitive market, and reaching potential consumers on social media isn’t limited to placing ads across social platforms and boosting them with a large budget.

These six tips can help to lead your digital marketing agency on the path to success, whether your agency is a growing digital pioneer or you’re just getting started.

1. Stay more than a step ahead. Innovation is more than a buzzword; it’s a state of mind. Anticipate trends and evolve your agency to stay equipped for the future. When I launched Ideas That Evoke in 2009, social media was barely on the horizon for marketing and advertising. Since then, Evoke has grown more than 1,000% and our capabilities have followed suit. Implementing a scalable process from the beginning allowed us to keep up within a fast-paced market as we acquired new clientele. Integrating a hyper-awareness of scale into your infrastructure makes room for growth you may not have even anticipated. As your team expands, it’s invaluable to hire employees who demonstrate the ability to grow with the direction of your company.
2. Get serious about getting digital. Stay aware of your digital presence and treat your agency like you would a client. At times, this can prove challenging because the agency as a brand isn't a source of revenue generation in the short term. The long term, however, is a different story. Your agency’s digital presence is worth the investment. It also pays to provide employees with the right tools, from up-to-date devices to educational training. A well-equipped, adaptable team can navigate new social platforms, and anticipate and capitalize on upcoming trends in the ever-changing digital landscape.
3. Never outgrow your flexibility. Entrepreneurs know the value of flexibility while building a business, but the ability to pivot and deliver remains important at any stage in your agency’s development. Creative problem-solving is essential in a workplace where strategies may shift based on client feedback or the constantly changing marketplace. Stretch those adaptability muscles to stay in the game.
4. Don’t waste your data. Analytics can explain why that amazing campaign your team launched isn’t performing as expected. With increasing resources that can target audiences and identify the impact of your agency’s work, it’s invaluable to have trained staff who can read and strategically respond to the digital data produced by each social post. Monitoring key performance indicators for a data-driven strategy can be the difference between speculating about the subjective quality of content versus identifying the objective reasons behind a post’s performance.
5. Let your clients know you’re listening. Because digital marketing may be new to many clients, transparency about where their investment is going is essential. Show clients that your agency can provide a return on investment at a fraction of the costs they would accrue with an in-house team or through traditional media. One way of communicating this is by preemptively setting up weekly calls or emails to provide clients with updates, establishing an opportunity to both anticipate their potential needs and offer solutions. Recognizing the differences in each client’s communication style will dictate the most effective way to reach them. Whether you make time to sit in on an unexpected call or send a bouquet after a client referral, these gestures extend your presence and let clients know you are invested in their partnership
6. Rally for your team. At Evoke, we’re about people first. Keeping employees motivated at all levels makes for a better workplace environment and the best work. We take horizontal leadership seriously, offering one-on-ones and a true open-door policy on communication. I believe all team members should see a future for themselves at the company and feel ownership over an element of their day-to-day job. It’s possible to position all team members as leaders by gradually building and rewarding opportunities to successfully take on new responsibilities. From our website to our social channels to events in the community, Evoke employees have a strong presence online and offline. I’m proud of my team, and they take pride in their work.

Every digital marketing agency wants to create impactful content that will keep your agency ahead, but sustainable success is all about the details. From keeping your company scalable to maintaining a cohesive team, your agency’s infrastructure requires attention to detail to lay a strong foundation. By cultivating an adaptable and well-equipped team, you can then focus your attention where it is most valuable — from developing lasting client relationships that grow into new partnerships to expanding in-house capabilities that will keep your agency moving toward the future of digital marketing.