As a digital agency owner, it’s crucial to keep your sales on the rise. Profits are the life-force of any business, and making sure they consistently grow over time is key to building a flourishing, sustainable agency. But trying to increase sales isn’t always easy.
There are many obstacles to climb over before your agency can get a foothold in the sales door. And what’s more, sales aren’t always about profits; they’re also about cultivating stronger relationships with clients and maintaining a cycle of movement within your agency.
In this guide, we’ll provide actionable tips and strategies to increase sales and help you find creative ways to inspire confidence, trust, and motion with your target market.
Define Your Target Audience
Identifying your target audience helps in creating an effective marketing plan. You need to understand their pain points, challenges, and goals to tailor your services to their needs.
The more you know about the people you want on your client list, the easier it becomes to provide them with what they want. As such, defining who your target audience is and what their needs look like is a crucial step in the sales-boosting process.
As a digital agency, your target audience is more likely to be a brand than a type of person. That means you need to assert which kinds of brands you are most interested in working with – and which ones you are most likely to make sales from.
By performing deep, ongoing market research on your target audience and preferred niches, you can develop a better strategy for increasing sales.
Leverage Social Media
Social media platforms can help you connect with potential clients and showcase your expertise. They can also stimulate more visibility online and expose your agency to a much broader pool of client options. Don’t underestimate social media as a leveraging tool.
You can utilise social media as a tool by finding out which platforms your target audience spends the most time on, and then creating a strong presence on those channels.
Provide Value-Added Services
Value-added services are special, additional services you offer your clients as a means to sweeten the deal of a potential sale. These services may seem small, but they can make a big difference to interested clients – especially if your competitors aren’t offering them.
If you were a client teetering between two different digital agencies, and one offered a set of “extras” that made your life easier, chances are you’ll choose the one with additional services. It provides a sense of security and improves your perception of the agency’s professionalism.
Some of the best examples of value-added services to add include
- Free consultations – Consultations are important for making an initial connection and laying down the groundwork for a project. Making consultations free shows clients that you are passionate about doing a thorough job and want to connect on a deeper level.
- Audits – An audit is essentially a formal assessment of an organisation’s accounts, previous and current strategies, and project goals. Offering this service to clients communicates a desire for high performance and meticulousness.
- Strategy sessions – Being included in strategy is a very appealing concept to most clients. Naturally, they want to be present for each step of the way. By offering strategy sessions, you demonstrate your willingness to work as a team.
Providing value-added services is one of the best ways to attract new clients. Give them every reason to pick you and provide excellent customer service to retain your existing clients.
Focus on Referrals
Referrals can be a great incentive for boosting your client count and improving profits. Encourage happy clients to refer your agency to their friends and business partners.
By offering valuable services or add-ons in exchange for a successful referral, you can broaden your client network in a much faster, more organic way than with traditional methods. Aim to offer incentives such as discounts or free services for successful referrals.
Optimise Your Website
Your website is the face of your agency and should be optimised for conversions. The majority of your clients will find you online, so make sure your website is prepared and fully equipped to meet them with a high level of professionalism, functionality, and flair.
There are many different aspects of a website worth focusing on, but these three elements should be at the forefront of your design:
- Clear and concise messaging – Self-awareness is a great trait for any agency. Know who you are, what you offer, and how you can help your clients. This kind of brand clarity and consistency makes you a much more competitive choice.
- Easy-to-navigate design – This is extremely important. A simple, intuitive layout means clients are given the fastest route possible to conversion. Make it easy to operate.
- CTAs that encourage users to take action – Your Call To Action statements should be punchy, memorable, and authentic. Go the extra mile to provide your clients with CTAs they can’t help but succumb to.
A great website can differentiate between a sale and a page exit. Don’t skip on website layout or quality. It could be the determining factor in raising your sales rate.
Collaborate with Other Agencies
Collaboration makes the world go around. You can partner with complementary agencies to offer bundled services that cater to your target audience’s needs.
Aligning yourself with other brands and agencies makes you all stronger. It helps you develop stronger industry connections, share resources and information, and tackle larger, more complex clients that would be impossible alone, thus boosting your credibility.
Collaborating with other agencies can also help you reach new clients and increase your agency’s visibility. Don’t be afraid to get out there and make some friends.
Strategise For Success
Trying to increase sales is a constant challenge in any business. But with the right strategies, you can start to make headway in the profits arena and reach your financial (and traction) goals.
Implementing these tips and strategies can help you increase sales and grow your business. Consistency, persistence, and adaptability are key to achieving long-term success in the digital marketing industry.