Teams, projects, clients, finances, and your agency’s brand as a whole all need time, resources, and input to thrive. But stretching yourself between all these different extensions of business can get exhausting. Especially if you’re new to the game. That’s why we’re going to tell you what you need to know, right here. We’ll go through all the basics of digital agency management, all the way from providing employee support to implementing future-oriented growth strategies.
Let’s get started.
Team Management
In order to have a high-volume, high-quality work output, your digital agency needs a high-performing team. But people can be difficult to manage, especially as your team grows. New hires need extra support and attention, while more experienced employees still need plenty of direction and feedback.
Developing a strong onboarding system is one of the simplest and most effective ways to build a strong team. With the right groundwork, you’ll prevent a lot of confusion later down the line.
- Create a “welcome” package – Arriving at a new agency can be overwhelming. Put together a comprehensive guide to working with your brand, and include welcoming items such as personalised items, useful tools, and informative paperwork.
- Assign work buddies – Assigning new hires a mentor or buddy to refer to when they need help is a great way to show support for their onboarding process and minimise mistakes on the job.
- Give and receive feedback – This is beneficial for all employees, not just new hires. Providing feedback shows you’re invested in their development and asking for it shows you value them.
Project Management
Project management is the professional art of overseeing projects from concept to fruition. There are so many different tasks, skills, and resources that go into bringing a marketing project to life. And none of them would be possible without the following best practices:
- Pick a workflow system – You don’t have to make your own project management system from scratch. Agile, Kanban, and Scrum workflow systems are all designed to help provide structure to different types of teams and enhance the production process of project execution.
- Clearly establish project goals and scope – Knowing what your project scope and objectives are is essential for working through tasks in an efficient way.
- Have daily kick-off meetings – The more connected your team is, the easier it will be to methodically and cohesively work through task lists. Daily meetings help facilitate that.
You also don’t have to approach project management on manpower alone. There are plenty of project management software tools online that can help automate task delegation, keep track of progress, and serve as a communication centre point for all active team members.
Client Communication
Being able to manage clients effectively while meeting their expectations and calming their anxieties forms a huge part of general digital agency management.
You need to be able to set clear expectations, handle (at times, unpleasant) feedback, and resolve conflict in a productive and empathic way. This can be achieved by making time to listen to client pain points, focusing on solutions, and developing a strong customer service system.
Investing in client retention is another crucial component of agency management. Incentivise your clients to stick around for the long haul by implementing customer loyalty programs, displaying gratitude, asking for honest feedback, and personalising customer experiences.
Financial Management
Stressful as it may be at times, financial management is an inescapable reality for us all – even more so if you run a business. Managing cash flow, facilitating revenue growth, and generally keeping your agency profitable is not easy, but it can be less challenging with these tips:
- Choose the right revenue model – Project-based, retainer-based, performance-based, and hybrid revenue models all have different pros and cons. Pick your model wisely.
- Develop an efficient billing system – Late and unpaid invoices are one of the most common reasons behind slow cash flow. There are many benefits to developing a more efficient billing system, and cash flow is one of the most important ones.
- Keep close tabs on cash flow – Financial management thrives under a watchful eye. Don’t let those finer details escape you – adopt a strict cash flow management system and stick to it.
In addition to these tips, using a financial management software program can be hugely advantageous, especially as your digital agency grows its client base.
Growth Strategies
Once you have all your digital agency management bases covered, all that’s left to focus on is sustainable growth and expansion. Growth of profit, growth of clientele, and growth of the team that you work with. There are lots of strategies you can use to promote growth, but here are four:
- Focus on your niche – Specialising in a set of particular services will help your agency develop stronger roots with clients than if you take on every random job you encounter. It also helps foster exclusivity, which is a great tool for driving financial growth.
- Invest in client retention and loyalty – When it comes to sustainable business growth, establishing a strong client retention system is vital. Invest in client loyalty.
- Elevate your brand identity – Branding is everything these days, and as a digital marketing agency, you should know that better than anyone. Use your skills to uplift your own brand and develop a powerful presence that attracts your target audience for years to come.
- Hire intentionally – Finding and retaining quality staff is one of the most commonly listed challenges for marketing agencies. Finding the right fit may be difficult, but it’s better (and cheaper) to wait a while for the perfect hire than cycle through four in a year.
It is also important to identify new opportunities and expand service offerings over time. This will keep your agency relevant throughout the years and ensure there is consistent demand for your services. Follow industry trends, and network with other digital marketing professionals regularly to ensure you don’t miss out on opportunities.
Management To Move You Forward
From monitoring the small day-to-day activities of your staff to implementing year-long growth strategies, effective digital agency management is integral to long-term success.