How to Optimize Your Agency For Growth
As the CEO of The Campfire Circle, an agency that grows and optimizes agencies, I live and breathe the agency world, giving me a ton of insights to share with you.
I’m a firm believer in agencies having all of their ducks in a row to capitalize on growth strategies. So, in this post, I’ll discuss all the ways that you need to optimize your agency so you can handle immense growth this year.
All of these are strategies I implement for my own agency and my clients’ agencies, so they’re all extracted from my experience and have been proven to help agencies be more successful. So, let’s dive in!
A Plan For Lead Gen
I don’t have to tell you how important it is to have a healthy and consistent supply of leads.
Having assets gated with lead capture forms and promoting those assets is the strongest way to generate leads that convert.
Some tried and true ways that agencies go about lead gen include:
Lead magnets
LinkedIn ad campaign
PPC
Google ads
Email marketing
Capturing Information
Jumping from having a lead gen plan, it’s also important that you have an asset gated with a lead capture form, aka a lead magnet, so that you can capture information and add people who download your lead magnet to a strategic email follow-up campaign.
A Grasp on Strategic Lead Nurturing
You have leads coming in, and you’re capturing their information. A lot of agencies drop the ball on lead nurturing.
No matter how great your resources are, a lead is not going to convert or reach out on its own. It’s crucial to stay top-of-mind when it comes to your leads, and this is done with lead nurturing.
My rule of thumb is sending out 2 thought leadership emails per week. Though the theme of your emails is thought leadership, add a CTA to the end of all your emails inviting the lead to book a call with your agency.
Implement a Referral Program
The number one way that agencies land clients is through referrals.
However, it shocks me how many agencies don’t have an actual referral program; they are too passive about it.
With a little organization and strategy, your agency's referrals will skyrocket. I’m passionate about this, so I wrote a guide for agencies to implement a referral program, which you can read here.
Embrace Directories
When brands are choosing an agency, they often consult directories. This means your agency needs to be listed in these directories with examples of awesome work you’ve done. It also helps if you ask happy clients to leave reviews in the directories you are listed in.
I put together a list of agency directories, which you can read here.
With reviews making your directory listings more impactful, I recommend incentivizing your clients with gift cards to write a review of your agency in these directories.
Identify the Right Publishing Partner
Marketing is very content-driven, so getting content in high-profile publications adds a lot of credibility for agencies.
This can be guest posts or agency features. There are many places to place content for mid-level publications. But for high-profile publications, you need someone who can place content on your behalf in publications like Forbes and Entrepreneur.
Luckily, I have access to write for over 200 high-profile publications, so featuring agencies and sometimes their clients in these publications is one of my most popular services.
If you don’t want to work with me, no problem! You can post on UpWork that you’re looking for someone who can get your content placed in high-profile publications.
Final Thoughts: I Need Help Optimizing My Agency!
I hope I didn’t overwhelm you with all the things that you need to do to optimize your agency so that you can handle growth.
I know that agency owners are often short on time because they do awesome client work. Therefore, I offer each of these optimization strategies to my clients. If you need help in any of these areas, you can contact me here.
Which optimization strategy is the most effective for your agency? I’d love to read your insights in the comments below!
