But what do you do if you want to get in on the action, but don’t really have any marketing experience? The good news is that there is a way to provide these services without having to know all the ins and outs of social media management. In fact, many savvy business owners have built successful companies with only limited knowledge.
So how can you do it too? Read on.
Have a business plan
First and foremost you will need an outline of the business you plan to run, in the form of a business plan. Having an idea of the size of business and type of work you intend to offer can keep you on track as you move through the process. It can also help you to identify opportunities and possible pitfalls. A business plan will help to keep you focussed and moving in the right direction as you set up your social media marketing company.
Determine your niche
There are a huge range of companies that will potentially need your social media management services but it always helps to specialise. Positioning yourself and an expert in one or two business sectors can help to set you apart as an expert, and usually means that you can charge premium rates for services. Trying to manage a wide range of business needs can soon become overwhelming so ‘niching down’ can be helpful, especially in the early days.
Know your customer
This can go hand-in-hand with determining your niche, but once you know where you will be selling to, you will need to know who you will be selling to. Buyer personas can help you to identify and recognise your ideal client. Who are they? What are their challenges? And how can you help them overcome their problems. Identifying your buyer in this way can help you pitch services to the people most likely to use them.
Decide on your product offerings
Pick out 2 or 3 areas of focus and stick to them initially. When starting out, the temptation can be to do everything for everybody, but this is seldom sustainable or successful. Putting all of your efforts into just a few product offerings can be more lucrative and far easier to manage. Once you are established you can always add more products or offer add-on or bolt-on services to up your profits.
Set your prices
Determining what you want to charge is important as you will need to pay out all expenses like premises or staff, and leave enough left over for profit. It can be worth doing some research to see what other agencies are charging on the low and high end. This will give you an idea of how to price your own services and what the market will bear. Too high and you may not generate business, too low and you will be without profit so you need to find the pricing ‘sweet-spot’.
Find a white label provider
This will be the crux of your business. If you are setting up a marketing agency with no experience then your white label provider will be the entity that is performing the work and providing the expertise. Research option to find a white label service that is reputable and that offers the services you wish to sell. There are a good amount of providers to choose from, but choosing one whose specialty is SEO is no good if your main product is social media marketing.
Find clients
It goes without saying that without clients, you will have no business. So once you have identified a good white label provider to perform your social media management work, you will need to put your efforts into finding clients. Marketing your own services can be done in a number of ways from word of mouth to email promotion. Many successful agencies use a combination of different marketing methods to attract new business, you may need to try several methods before you find what works best for you.
Get a great website with landing pages
As you are selling online services most people will look for you, – yep, you guessed it – online. Therefore you will need to invest in a professional website that advertises your products, services, skills, specialities, and experience. Landing pages are helpful for targeting geographic areas or people with specific needs. Pages that say ‘ Social marketing for business users’ will convert less visitors than ‘Social marketing for vegan restaurants in New York’. Landing pages can be used to rank organically or to pair with paid ads.
Conclusion
Starting your own agency doesn’t have to be overwhelming as long as you approach it in a strategic manner. Having the right tools, white label providers, and growth plan can help you to chart a successful course and build a solid client base. Establishing your presence in a specific niche or area can bring more clients by word of mouth or reputation alone and service offerings can be expanded by using a good white label provider that can effectively support your agency.