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In this video, Andy Strote, a successful digital marketing agency owner and author, shares his best tips for how to get clients for your digital marketing agency.

We extensively focus on these 2 topics:

1. Identifying and finding professional clients, and how to avoid the amateurs

2. Going after the clients you really want, I.e. not waiting for random clients to contact you

More about Andy:

I have been a copywriter, creative director and founder of three creative agencies in Toronto.

Before I started my agencies, I wrote for six Toronto ad agencies, large and small. My clients included Canon, Colgate, Canadian Tire, Delta Hotels and New Brunswick Tourism.

In my first agency, I worked solo with other freelancers. By the mid-’90s, my billing was over $120,000 a year, but I couldn’t grow because there are only 24 hours in a day.

I knew I needed more resources and decided to start a larger creative agency. I found a compatible graphic designer who became my business partner. Together, we founded Fireworks Creative, one of Canada’s first truly integrated creative agencies. We built websites for some of Canada’s leading utilities, the first website where you could buy movie tickets, and many hotel sites. We also created major print and direct mail campaigns for some of Canada’s most prominent corporate and government clients.

In five years, we grew Fireworks Creative from two to 30 people. We were on the radar of two companies interested in buying our firm—a global advertising network and Cognicase, a multi-national IT company. We chose to sell to Cognicase for $3 million.

Six months later, I was asked to leave (typical for those kinds of deals), and after a summer of thinking about the next steps, I started the next agency, Context Creative, with one partner and one employee. We grew that company to 28 people.

After 15 years, I sold my shares to my partners.

Today, I write for a select group of clients and I wrote this book. I’ve been lucky to work with great designers, art directors, photographers, filmmakers, animators, illustrators and programmers. I’ve also been fortunate to have had the guidance of two incredibly helpful accountants—you’ll read about it in the book.

I’ve hired people, fired people and had to let go of good people during a business downturn.

Through all of this, I’ve learned the nitty-gritty of running a business, how to find the best clients and the most practical ways to work with staff and partners. Some of this I learned the easy way, and some the painful way.

You can find Andy's book here: https://www.creativeagencybook.com/

Follow Andy on Twitter: https://twitter.com/StroteBook