How to Find New Clients for Your Marketing Agency for Under $10,000/month

Budgets are a bear, but they’re a necessary part of business. It can be so hard to squeeze all your “must haves” into a space as small as just $10k each month, but it can also yield a lot more results than you might anticipate. In fact, in today’s world of client outreach, $10k can get you a lot further than ever before, thanks to the plethora of affordable and free solutions that you can find online. 

Building your client base is about more than fluffy press and promotional marketing—it’s about taking a tactical marketing approach to ensure that you’re maximizing your exposure and your reach. 

You’ve got a website. You’ve even optimized it for search engines, including for local SEO so that you can snag all those local clients you’ve been eyeing. Your social media profiles are complete, your business profiles are up. What else can you do to improve your marketing and lead generation without breaking the bank? Here are five tactics that should be on your list. 

Tactic #1: Become your own client 

Cost: Free, unless you spend money on analytics and auditing tools 

You’re a marketing agency. Marketing is literally what you do. It only makes sense that the best way to build your client base is to become one of your own clients. When you treat yourself like a client instead of like your own business, you’ll be able to take a more objective approach to your strategy and see what is and isn’t working. For example, your supposedly-stellar lead generation strategy might have dropped the ball somewhere, but without a good look from the other side, you might never notice. 

Put yourself in your clients’ shoes. Do a full audit of your client attraction and retention efforts and make sure that you’re hitting the mark in every way possible. 

Tactic #2: Build your network 

Cost: Free, unless you pay for event tickets, memberships, etc. 

In marketing, knowing the right people and having the right connections is everything. There is a lot that you can do to build a successful business, but without these two elements, all will be lost. You have to have a strong network of not only colleagues and peers, but employees, clients and leads, industry partners, and anyone else who may be relevant to your business. 

Take the time to find marketing trade shows, online conferences and events, and other ways that you can network with those in your industry. Consider attending the biggest “cons” and “expos” that are offered in the marketing realm, even if they’re just the biggest virtual shows so you’re not spending thousands on travel expenses. Flex your networking muscles and watch your client base grow. 

Tactic #3: Update your website 

Cost: $500 to $5,000 or more, depending on the work that needs to be done

As a marketing agency, you’d like to think that you’ve got the most updated, mobile-friendly website design and that it’s doing its job. After all, when you implemented the new platform and the latest upgrades (six months ago), everything was running like a well-oiled machine. But, things change. Information changes. Your website should change. 

Take the time to update your website, improve navigation and choose a mobile-first design that makes getting around easy on any device. Improve your technical SEO and site features, too, so that your site gets better rankings and provides a better end-to-end experience for anyone that happens to come by. Fortunately, since you’re already in the business of marketing, you probably have the means to do this for cheaper than if you had to outsource to someone else. 

Tactic #4: Update your communication tools

Cost: $0 to $5,000 a month or more, depending on which tools you use

Communication is critical to your success in the business world, both with your partners and with your clients. People want to know that they’re valued and that you can deliver the solutions that they need. They also want to reach you in whatever ways are most convenient for them. Take the time to upgrade your communication tools. Add services like Slack to improve internal communications or start a Discord channel to engage marketing newbies and potential leads who want to learn more about the industry. 

Find as many new, innovative ways to communicate with your clients and create a strategy around them that embraces their best features. Take advantage of all of the free tools and resources, but don’t be afraid to pay for a service if the cost is worth what you get for the money. Today’s consumer wants the most effective, diverse range of communication options, so that’s what you have to offer. 

Tactic #5: Outsource busy work, business communications, and more

Cost: $250-$1,000 per month, or more, depending on how much is outsourced

Outsourced services are becoming a standard part of business today. Companies of all kinds, including marketing firms, can benefit from outsourcing. There are several different tasks and areas of your business that you can hire someone else to take care of, starting with the ever-important answering of the phone. That’s right—your first item on the checklist is a 24/7 answering service that will ensure you never miss another opportunity. 

When you partner with Smith.ai, you can outsource marketing, communications, admin tasks, and almost anything that you desire. Plus, we’ll help you create a comprehensive strategy to manage all the details, no matter what those might be. We have a team of dedicated virtual receptionists waiting to deliver support for your marketing agency, including assistance with appointment scheduling, lead intake, live website chat, and even your outreach campaigns. 

Whatever your needs may be, we can help you create a custom strategy to manage them all, giving you the peace of mind that these things are handled so that you can focus on your clients and your business. To learn more, schedule a consultation or drop us a line at hello@smith.ai. 

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