How To Start Building Your Own Internet Marketing Agency
Digital marketing has now become a
lucrative career path for many young and vibrant marketing professionals. Many
solopreneurs have launched their own ventures and have found themselves going
public within a short time frame. The top 100 web marketers in the UK have
found their average billings increase by 20% annually and have collectively
reached the £2.8 billion mark. For those aspiring minds that want to launch
their entrepreneurial journeys by starting an internet marketing agency, here are some guidelines to make it big.
- Begin With A Word press Agency Site
Wordpress comes to the aid
of those SMEs looking to create web designs on a tight budget. Wordpress solutions not only help in rendering world class web
designs but also makes the process much quicker. It is a best way to learn the
ropes by getting your team to build its own Wordpress site. With amazing themes, extensions and add-ons, a UI
based Wordpress site becomes your virtual
salesman. Get together the blend of compelling graphics, animations, inspiring
content, opt-in forms and live chat, to make your website a launch pad to
growth.
- Do Not Attempt Providing Too Many Services When You Start
When you have chosen digital marketing as
your business goal, a wide range of services are selling like hot cakes. Almost
all business and NGO sectors have gone
digital. From SEO, SEM and mail marketing, to custom web design, online
reputation management and Ecommerce management, you can pick and choose any
number of services. But the wise way to grow is by learning to specialize in a
few key services first and then expand consistently. Providing full-spectrum
may be tempting, but you need strong financial and marketing resources for the
same, which may not be feasible at least till you break-even.
- Networking Is Vital To Grow Your Brand
When you start an internet marketing agency, growing up as a brand is the core challenge that lies
ahead. Competition is intense in the field and every networking opportunity
must be seized upon to create brand awareness. Some ways to network include
participation in various newbie events, crowdsourcing campaigns, social media contests, webinars and online
workshops, guest blogging and subscribing for memberships in relevant
associations, forums and guild, to mention a few.
- Give Away Freebies To Attract Your First Set Of Customers
Till you establish your brand, getting
traffic to your website will be a challenge, no matter how effective you are
with your SEO campaigns. Incentivise people by offering them a little something
that will attract attention. For example, many web agencies provide a free
online consultation or a free audit of customer website and present them with
insights thereof. Free access to white papers and research articles may also be
given.
There is no watertight checklist to get
you rolling and moving ahead with your dream internet marketing agency.
Identify your resources and your weaknesses by doing a simple SWOT or Pestle's
5 forces analysis to understand where you stand in the industry. With a
comprehensive business plan, you are all set to go. As a word of caution, chalk
out a wise exit strategy if anything should go amiss.