Smart Agency Masterclass with Jason Swenk: Podcast for Digital Marketing Agencies

If you're looking for a unique, innovative and low-cost lead gen strategy check out this story. Live events can go far but one agency is using Meetup to find new prospects and turn them into leads while building the know-like-trust factor. Best part is, it's totally FREE.

In this episode, we'll cover:

• What is Meetup and how does it work?
• 6 Steps to creating your own Meetups for lead gen.
• Using Meetup to capture the attention of big brands.

Our guest today is Ali Salman, co-founder of Rapid Boost, a lead gen agency in western Canada. He's here to share a unique lead generation strategy that generated over $165K in just a few months and continues to keep their pipeline full with new prospects.

What is Meetup and Why Use It?

Meetup is a social network that facilitates in-person group meetings in various locations worldwide. It's primarily used to connect people with common interests so they can idea-share, network and help one another. Meetup groups get together in their specific geographic location for social gatherings as well as educational and workshop-style events.

Meetup members join for free and find groups that align with their personal areas of interest, spanning everything from politics to pets to careers. By entering their postal code the Meetup system suggests events and groups and helps find place/time to meet.

There are a bunch of benefits to using Meetup but the biggest one is that you're it's an innovative way to build your list. As members join your group(s) you're essentially creating a list of warm prospects who have an interest in or need for the services you provide.

[clickToTweet tweet="With Meetup, you can build relationships with people who are already interested in your topic." quote="With Meetup, you can build relationships with people who are already interested in your topic."]

6 Steps to Using Meetup for Lead Gen

1- Create a regional group. First, determine what type of group you want to create (this is an example of why niching is so important!). You'll also have to decide on the purpose your group - is it a mastermind, workshop, etc.?

2- Name your group. Start by researching what groups already exist in your city. The group name should be creative but also specific to your target audience. Think about what type of group they'll search for and what types of events they'll attend.

3- Join groups and attend events. Ali suggests getting a feel for what's out there by attending some local events. Get your toes wet first before jumping in! Look at groups and events both in and outside of your niche.

4- Plan and schedule your first event. Consider the topic(s) that will be of most interest to the attendees. Ali says he gets 30-40 people to attend his events, of those 4-5 have serious potential. The key is to provide value at the event. Try different styles to see what works for your group - presentations, workshops, partners/guest speakers, casual mingling, or a mix of any/all styles.

5- Promote your events. Use social media channels to promote your events in advance. You can also promote your event for free using Eventbrite and creating a Facebook event. Post photos from the event during/after for added emphasis and to gain interest in future events.

6- Be patient while your group gains momentum. Ali says it takes patience and lots of practice. But, it does take awhile to build momentum and he cautions us to stay patient and focused. Like anything else, consistency is crucial to success. The whole point is that you're putting yourself out there and it takes time to get it right.

7- Work smarter, not harder. You can do the same presentation in multiple cities. This will help your lead gen efforts grow exponentially.

Don't Start by Pitching!

Ali says he's hosted dozens of Meetup events and learns a little more each time. The #1 most important lesson is not to sell right off the bat. The people who are in attendance are not there for your agency's infomercial. Ali suggests preparing a couple of different presentations that provide value to your target audience by helping them with a common problem. Whether they're interested right away or not, you are building a relationship.

Instead of pitching - what you can do is follow up after the Meetup by pulling the group member list. You can send an email with more information - like a cheat sheet or other takeaways from the event. Or, you can introduce a Foot in the Door offer to this select target.

You Can Target Big Brands Using Meetup

Ali says often times younger Marketing Coordinators or similar will join Meetup groups and attend events looking for the next big thing to show their boss. They want to learn new strategies and innovative ways to solve their problems. That's where you come in and save the day! Remember, big brands aren't just a logo - they're people too. Be specific in who you're targeting, and be authentic and genuine at the event. Provide enormous value without selling or pitching. Then you will stand out against the "me too" agencies and land bigger brands.

Ready to Discover the Best Agency Strategies Working Today?

Most agency owners struggle to scale. We've developed an amazing mastermind to guide you through the journey of implementing the right systems so you can scale your agency — instead of feeling overwhelmed by it.

We do this by bringing together successful agency leaders to share strategies, offer advice, and reveal what's working (and what's not working) in their agency. The truth is, whatever you want to accomplish in life, nothing will help you go further, faster than getting the right adviser in the context of motivated peers. If you want to GROW fast and smart, Digital Agency Elite mastermind will help.

Keep Improving

Creating a strategy for lead gen for your agency can bring in more clients, particularly big brand clients and bring your digital agency to a whole new level but this can be a recipe for disaster if you don't work on the other challenges you have within your business. Don't worry, I can help you get through all of it.

I can give you advice on recognising new client opportunities to different ways of building authority to improve your agency.

If you are having issues with growing your agency, I've the different phases of growth within your agency and how performance based pricing can be the best pricing strategy for your business as well as the three questions you need to ask yourself to sell more!

Learn all about my career and different experiences as well as lots of tips, tricks and insights by checking out my blogs that cover a wide variety of topics.

Check out more from my Ask Swenk series and more of my videos on my Youtube channel. There you will find advice from myself and other agency experts.

Top 5 Tips to Accelerate Agency Growth

If you have your sights set on your agency breaking 8-figures this episode is a must. Do you want to know how you can accelerate agency growth? Today's guest is an agency owner who's gone from $0 to over 8-figures and he shares his top 5 tips so you can grow too.

In this episode, we'll cover:

• Why you must niche down to accelerate agency growth.
• How to reward key employees without giving them ownership.
• Ways to stop doing all the agency stuff you hate.

Our guest today is Chris Spears, co-founder of Arke Systems the agency he started in 2006. Eleven years into the business he's seeing steady growth, has 80+ employees and loves his job! Chris and I go way back to my digital agency days when we were working as strategic partners. His agency has crushed the 8-figured ceiling and he's on the show to share how you can do it too.

1- The More Niched, the Faster the Growth

Chris attributes a lot of his agency's growth to an early appreciation of niching down. If he could do it all again, he'd specialize even sooner. Once Arke became #1 in a specific technology and marketed themselves as the pros in that arena, they had a full pipeline with tons of inbound prospects.

A lot of agency owners are afraid to become too specialized because there's a fear of "losing" clients or "turning off" prospects. However, Chris believes buyers are much more sophisticated than we give them credit for. They won't be your guinea pig for a project you've never done - they want an agency that's proficient in a specific skill or experts in an industry.

2- Get the Right People in the Right Seats

Surround yourself with people smarter than you and you will grow. Most entrepreneurs don't think any one can do it (whatever "it" might be) any better so they end up being control freaks about everything. But when you get the right people in the right positions their skills and experience will help your agency grow beyond what you could do alone. When you have key people in the right roles, you can stop doing the things you suck at and spend time on your business, instead of in it.

Equally important to having the right people, is empowering them to do their good job. First, make sure they understand their role within the agency. Next, make sure they're educated on all facets of the business so there are no missed opportunities for up selling, cross selling or obtaining referrals.

3- Keep Your Team Motivated

Once you're surrounded by all the right people it's important to keep them motivated. Chris says it goes beyond just having fun together at happy hour. An engaging culture plays a big part in keeping a team motivated. And a motivated team produces efficient, effective work yielding faster agency growth.

In terms of employee incentives, Arke Systems has a Stock Appreciation Rights Program. This program protects both the agency and the employee with built in contingencies if either party terminates the relationship. It's also a great way to publicly recognize stellar employees without offering regular equity in the agency. (That's a BIG no no!)

4- Stop Doing Things You Hate

How many hours do you spend doing things you hate? Invoicing, chasing payments, scheduling meetings, etc. Whatever those things are - eliminate them by delegating to your team or outsourcing. And if it's something you can automate, even better! Chris also says not to build things from scratch if they already exist. Don't make more work creating a solution for a problem if a solution already exists elsewhere. Things like this are a distraction and derails your focus from the important things. You can't grow your agency when you're spending time reinventing the wheel.

5- Know Your Exit Plan

Getting focused and staying focused is important. What does your end game looks like? If you know your long term goals and avoid distractions while trying to achieve them, you can grow your agency much faster. I like to tell my clients: build your business to sell, but treat it like you never will.

Need Guidance and Support to Grow Your Agency Faster?

Most agency owners struggle to scale. We've developed an amazing mastermind to guide you through the journey of implementing the right systems so you can scale your agency — instead of feeling overwhelmed by it.

We do this by bringing together successful agency leaders to share strategies, offer advice, and reveal what's working (and what's not working) in their agency. The truth is, whatever you want to accomplish in life, nothing will help you go further, faster than getting the right adviser in the context of motivated peers. If you want to GROW fast and smart, Digital Agency Elite mastermind will help.

What Happens After You Accelerate Agency Growth?

With these tips, you should be able to make changes and accelerate agency growth for your business. However with this increase in growth, unless you are prepared it can cause more issues for your agency. This is why reviewing your agency consistently for areas of weakness or improvement will allow you to become a better agency owner and run a better business.

During my time in the industry, I have had my own experience running my own digital agency and helping other digital agency owners so there are many topics where I can offer guidance. Whether you are experiencing challenges as an established agency or a new agency unsure of what the different phases of growth you will experience will look like, I've got you covered.

As you continue to grow your agency team, I can show how to recognise when it's time to hire a sales manager or expand your sales team to perfecting your business strategy with creating a process for performance based pricing and how to keep your big name clients happy.

Are you ready to create something cool and want more advice? Learn about my career and different experiences as well as tips, tricks and insights by checking out my blogs that cover a wide variety of topics.

Check out more from my Ask Swenk series and more of my videos on my Youtube channel. There you will find advice from myself and other agency experts.

Facebook Live is one of the hottest ways to generate new agency business. You can spend tons of time and resources sending a hundred emails to your perfect prospects but you'll earn more trust in just one live video than all those emails combined. Live streaming video is where it's at... and your competition is not doing it yet, so you will stand out from all the "me too" agencies. So what are you waiting for?

In this episode, we'll cover:

• Why you need to be on Facebook Live.
• 6 Steps for starting live video.
• Tips to set you up for successful live videos.

Today's guest is THE expert on Facebook marketing, Amy Porterfield - an entrepreneur, bestselling author, and social media marketing trainer. Following an amazing career at Harley-Davidson and working with Tony Robbins, Amy decided to give it a try on her own. After overcoming tons of obstacles, she's become one of the most well-respected Facebook marketers today. She's on the show to tell us all about why Facebook Live is one of the hottest new ways to generate new agency business.

Why You Need to Be on Facebook Live

When you put yourself out there in video format, you build trust with your clients so much faster than with the written word. You'll get more traction with 1 video than in 100 emails or blog posts.

But recorded video can be overwhelming, stressful - the equipment, scripting, lighting, editing. Ugh! The difference with live streaming video is most of the overwhelm and stress is eliminated. It is what it is - no script, no editing. And your viewers get to know the real you. Sure, it opens you up to vulnerability and criticism but the more you practice the better you get.

There aren't many people who love seeing themselves on video but still, Amy says you've got to embrace it. Social media channels like Snapchat, Instagram Stories, Facebook Stories, Facebook Live, etc. are not going away anytime soon!

And, your competition isn't there yet so now's the time to jump in and build your following!

The best part is, Facebook prefers video right now. Your live videos will jump to the top of your prospect's news feed and you'll be seen far more than regular social posts by your competition.

BONUS - When you are doing Facebook Live videos, you're also creating amazing audiences for Facebook retargeting. You can segment your audience based on the percentage of videos watched and then market to them accordingly. There is a super low barrier to entry and the rewards are huge!

6 Steps to Starting Live Video:

1. Go live from your business page, not your personal profile. (A typical rookie mistake!) That's where your prospects will be watching you and where you want the videos to live forever.
2. Do some prep work in advance by creating a rough outline of what you're going to talk about. This will prevent you from losing your train of thought or rambling :)
3. Give the post a descriptive title so your audience knows why they need to watch. Name it something like: "How to Do {something cool} Without Doing {something that sucks}
4. Take your time. Facebook seems to prefer longer videos, like 20-30 mins. It might seem long, but it's easy to do if you prepare in advance. Just share a few nuggets of advice, a story and answer questions/comments. If questions aren't posted by viewers, just ask and answer typical ones yourself!
5. Be patient while you build an audience. Don't worry about the number of people who are watching the live stream… just act like people are watching and eventually they will.
6. Go live on a predictable schedule and at least weekly. Promote your live videos in advance with social posts so people know when to tune in. Going live regularly will help create a watching habit for your audience.

Tips to Set You Up for Live Video Success

Facebook Live is for everyone - no fancy software or equipment is necessary! Here are Amy's tips for success:

• Go live from your desktop through your web browser, instead of your smartphone.
• Use your smartphone or tablet to read questions/comments that pop up during your live video.
• Have someone on your team give you a signal (like text or PM a thumbs up) when the audio and video is up.
• Use a window for natural lighting instead of messing with artificial light.
• Technology glitches are going to happen. Keep your emotions in check and handle it with grace. Don't let tech issues hold you back from trying again.
• When you're ready to go pro - Amy uses a Logitech webcam and subscribes to Wirecast screen sharing software.

Need Guidance and Support to Grow Your Agency Faster?

Most agency owners struggle to scale. We've developed an amazing mastermind to guide you through the journey of implementing the right systems so you can scale your agency — instead of feeling overwhelmed by it.

We do this by bringing together successful agency leaders to share strategies, offer advice, and reveal what's working (and what's not working) in their agency. The truth is, whatever you want to accomplish in life, nothing will help you go further, faster than getting the right adviser in the context of motivated peers. If you want to GROW fast and smart, Digital Agency Elite mastermind will help.

How Can You Improve Your Agency Further?

So using Facebook Live for your agency is now ticked off your list of promoting your business on social media buy what's next? How can you improve further to take it to the next level?

Take a step back, look for weak spots in your business and then think of how you can fix them. No matter what challenges your agency is facing, I can help you get through all of it.

From my experience in the industry, there are many topics I can offer guidance from the different phases of growth you will experience to how you can build authority for your agency.

Growing your agency can be a major struggle for any agency owner and I can show from knowing when it's time to hire a sales manager or expand your sales team, creating a process for performance-based pricing which can be the best pricing strategy for your business and learning how to keep your big name clients happy.

Are you ready to create something cool and want more advice? Learn about my career and different experiences as well as tips, tricks and insights by checking out my blogs that cover a wide variety of topics.

Check out more from my Ask Swenk series and more of my videos on my Youtube channel. There you will find advice from myself and other agency experts.

We have all gotten them. The bad cold email that makes you feel better about yourself :)

Here's a fun interview I did with a buddy of mine from Proposify about the WORST and the BEST email he has ever received when it comes to lead generation.

In this episode, we'll cover:

• Mistakes to avoid making in your cold sales emails.
• How to write an amazing cold email.
• 4 Tips to crafting an effective cold email.

Today's guest is Kyle Racki co-founder of Provposify, a SaaS product for helping agencies streamline proposal writing, get approvals faster and close deals quickly. He tells us how to improve the effectiveness of cold emails in order to keep the conversation alive.

Mistakes to Avoid in Cold Sales Emails

We've all been on the receiving end of some pretty terrible sales emails, right? Whether in your inbox, LinkedIn mail, or similar space they tend put us off. Here's one from Julie, which Kyle shared as a typical bad sales example…

This is one of the WORST cold emails because:

• It's too vague. The email says they were referred by a digital agency but doesn't mention which one. It says it's from a tech company but doesn't mention which one. It also says doing business together could "...create a significant revenue stream…" but what's the measure of "significant"? This email contains too much generic information with no regard to the intended recipient.
• It's irrelevant. Kyle received this email and he runs a SaaS company for agencies, yet the email mentions the company's positioning with attorneys and schools. This information is immaterial and has no bearing on the sales decision.
• It's too presumptuous. The closing in this email assumes the recipient has learned enough and is interested in a phone call. It's a giant leap to go from introduction to a phone meeting in one email. The purpose of a cold email is to see if there's a fit, not close a deal. Making assumptions like that can be a real turn off.

How to Write an Amazing Cold Email

Here's another example Kyle shared in comparison. This one has all the attributes of a great cold sales email….

This is one of the BEST cold emails because:

• It's direct. There's no guesswork - you know exactly who sent the email and what they want you to do. The next steps are clear and there's a specific call-to-action. (It's the opposite of vague!)
• It's personalized. The sender did their research and . The email is not only targeted but Notice the thumbnail of the video? That's Proposify's site embedded into the customized video.
• It's short and to the point. Just four sentences is all FullStory needed. This email says in just 30 words what the other one takes 102 words to say.

4 Tips to Crafting an Effective Cold Emails

1. Know who you're targeting. Be narrow and specific instead of broad and generic. You'll get more traction by sending custom emails to 10 solid leads rather than form letters to 100 cold leads.
2. Do your homework to pull data and research on your target. You can use tools such as Rapportive to determine a business' size, revenue, etc. and then import it into your CRM.
3. Create an intriguing email or lead magnet provides unique or innovative information. What clients really want is for you to bring something new to the table. So, create a custom report or branded email. (Hint: you can use Proposify templates to do this!
4. Use your CRM to monitor your leads' engagement with your email. Then circle back to follow-up based on their level of interest and/or to handle objections.

Need Guidance and Support to Grow Your Agency Faster?

Most agency owners struggle to scale. We've developed an amazing mastermind to guide you through the journey of implementing the right systems so you can scale your agency — instead of feeling overwhelmed by it.

We do this by bringing together successful agency leaders to share strategies, offer advice, and reveal what's working (and what's not working) in their agency. The truth is, whatever you want to accomplish in life, nothing will help you go further, faster than getting the right adviser in the context of motivated peers. If you want to GROW fast and smart, Digital Agency Elite mastermind will help.

How Can I Help You Grow Your Digital Agency?

If you have more questions about how you can improve your agency, I have covered topics including how to start an agency from scratch to reasons you should sell your agency.

Have other topics you want advice on? Check out all my tips, tricks, and everything you need to know in my blogs. I have covered a wide variety of topics as well as answered your questions in more from my AskSwenk series.

Are videos more your thing? You can check out my Ask Swenk series and more of my videos on my YouTube channel for advice from myself and other agency experts.

Are you worried that defining a niche will limit your agency's potential? Don't be. Check out one agency's story about how they grew past 7 figures in a very specific horizontal and vertical niche. Think: if you got paid on performance alone, what's the ONE THING you do best to get you paid the most?

In this episode, we'll cover:

• Why your agency needs a vertical or horizontal niche, or both.
• When and how to expand your niche.
• How to get bigger clients and retainers.

Today's guest is Chris Dreyer, founder of Rankings.io (formerly Attorney Rankings). He's a client of mine who did a private, full day workshop with me. We were able to supercharge his agency business and since then he's had amazing growth! Agency leads have increased to 50-60 per day and they broke the 7-figure mark! Chris shares some of the strategies that helped his agency grow easier and faster.

Why Choose a Vertical and Horizontal Niche?

Chris is a school teacher by trade and was doing some SEO on the side. After a couple years of side jobs helping small businesses with SEO he quit teaching. He says it was an easy decision to choose a specific vertical niche because he knew he already had success stories, would build authority quicker, and stand out from the competition. To Chris, it seemed like an easy and logical decision.

Focusing on a horizontal was a more difficult decision. Chris says they are awesome at SEO and their happy clients would requests other services, like social media, PPC, email marketing, etc. He says they were "OK" at these types of projects and were profitable. However they made the difficult decision to focus only on their core service of SEO - and it paid off! Zeroing in on a horizontal makes you super searchable, and your ideal clients can find you right when they need you.

[clickToTweet tweet="When you make the decision to be the best at one thing, other decisions become easier to make." quote="When you make the decision to be the best at one thing, other decisions become easier to make."]

When and How to Expand Your Agency's Niche

It was their goal to provide the best SEO for law practices - staying true to the goal was key. It wasn't easy though. Naturally, law firms have relationships with a lot of medical providers. So, Chris's agency's satisfied law clients would often refer physicians to them. As tempting as it was, he often turned down those projects because he was so committed to the original goal in his vertical niche.

In fact, it wasn't until just recently that Chris's agency, formerly AttorneyRankings.io, rebranded to Rankings.io in order to draw a broader client base. The rebrand comes after 3.5 years of establishing their vertical niche. They've found a lot of their strategies easily transferred from legal to medical practices. However, 90% of their business still comes from attorneys.

How to Get Bigger Clients and Retainers

Not to pat myself on the back… but I'm gonna :) Chris said he attributes a lot of their success to implementing my Foot in the Door strategy. That's when they saw conversion rates explode! Once they started offering a $995 SEO audit, it became so much easier for clients to commit to bigger projects.

The Foot in the Door allows Rankings.io to showcase their knowledge and educate their clients based on research and fact. It also allows the agency to qualify their prospects by working on a smaller project before signing on for a higher value, long term project. It serves as a vetting process and helps avoid potential headaches. (Translation: weed out the bad prospects before they become bad clients!)

From One Agency Owner to Another

Chris is a big fan of educating yourself and always trying to improve. His best advice to any agency owner no matter what stage they're in, is to take action. Learning means nothing if you don't put it into action.

Need Guidance and Support to Grow Your Agency Faster?

Most agency owners struggle to scale. We've developed an amazing mastermind to guide you through the journey of implementing the right systems so you can scale your agency — instead of feeling overwhelmed by it.

We do this by bringing together successful agency leaders to share strategies, offer advice, and reveal what's working (and what's not working) in their agency. The truth is, whatever you want to accomplish in life, nothing will help you go further, faster than getting the right adviser in the context of motivated peers. If you want to GROW fast and smart, Digital Agency Elite mastermind will help.

How Can You Improve Further?

Do you still have more questions to improve your business? I can help.

It doesn't matter if you have been an agency owner for a while now or have just taken the leap and started a new agency, I have covered topics from the struggles you may face within your agency to leveraging YouTube in your marketing for your agency marketing strategy.

Learn more about me or you can check out all my tips, tricks, and everything you need to know in my blogs. I have covered a wide variety of topics as well as answering your questions and more from my Ask Swenk series.

Are videos more your thing? Don't worry! You can check out my Ask Swenk series and more of my videos on my YouTube channel for advice from myself and other agency experts.

Growing your agency means hiring great people to help you get there. And hiring top talent shouldn't be limited by geographic boundaries. On today's show, one agency owner tells us why his agency's increased productivity and sales are the result of having a remote team.

In this episode, we'll cover:

• Is it time to get an office for your agency?
• How to be productive with a remote team.
• Must-have technology for a remote team.
• Balancing a remote team business model.
• How to hire remote employees.

Tim Cameron-Kitchen is the founder and Head Ninja at Exposure Ninja, the UK-based digital agency he started four years ago. In addition to growing an amazing business in a very short time, Tim has also written four bestselling books on digital marketing. Today, Tim's here to tell us why his agency's office space has been vacant for three years and how that has increased productivity and helped him scale his agency.

Is It Time to Get Office Space?

Starting as a freelancer and occasionally farming out work to other freelancers, it was a no-brainer for Tim to work 100% at home. However, as he grew to a network for 15+ he was getting nudged by others into working from a "real office." So he signed a 5 year lease and started commuting to it every day. The result was disastrous…

Tim hated his commute, he hated interruptions, and he hated being pulled into office politics. In addition, he had hired some local talent which turned out to be convenient but not awesome in terms of skill-level and effectiveness. Creativity, productivity, and sales were all down which Tim attributes to the new mandate of working in the office.

So naturally, Tim chucked the office… after only 6 months. As a result, productivity increased in the first month and sales increased the next.

How to Be Productive with a Remote Team

When you're working remotely you can work around your lifestyle, which ultimately optimizes productivity. More work gets done in less time when there are fewer interruptions and distractions. It means working smarter, not harder. (It doesn't necessarily mean you're laying on a beach working… but you could :) )

Thanks to technology, we can work collaboratively without being in the same physical location. Advanced technology allows us to work differently now than just 5 years ago. The software tools Tim and his team love to use are:

• Hubstaff - time tracking and accountability
• Teamwork - project management software
• Slack - communications, messaging and archiving software
• Email ticket system - filters, organizes and assigns tasks based on incoming emails

Even weekly department meetings are held remotely. Tim says internal meetings are done via Skype audio and meeting notes are posted to Slack. They've found it to be the most efficient way to keep each department on the same page.

Creating Culture with a Remote Team

It's not an easy thing to create culture among a group of people who've never met. But, Exposure Ninja has a pretty strong culture, nonetheless. It can get lonely working from home full time, so they've found ways to alleviate that problem. Tim explained how they turned typical "water cooler talk" about TV shows, hobbies and pets into Slack channels. Co-workers can get more personal by sharing and communicating in group-chats on topics that interest them. They also do an annual holiday party or meet-up in order to socialize in person.

Balancing a Remote Team Business Model

Some love it, some hate it. There are people who thrive from working on their own terms and there are some who just can't do it. Typically introverts like to work in solitude. Those with different personality types usually miss interacting with others during their work day, or aren't self-motivated enough to work independently. This work style doesn't suit everyone.

I actually once interview another agency that offered a hybrid of the traditional office/remote business model. The team has the option of work remotely or working in one of their multiple, global "creative spaces." Using this business model, this other agency grew to $3 Million Agency with NO Employees.

Conversely, the remote business model doesn't work for all clients, either. Some can't handle having a remote agency. They want face-to-face meetings and personal contact. The remote business model can become an issue. But, if/when that's the case then they weren't the right client anyway.

Hiring a Remote Team

People are amazed that Tim has hired people he's never met or even talked to… But their hiring process works and maintains productivity.

The formula for a successful remote employee = self-motivated + organized + think independently + work with very little management

So when it's time to hire Tim doesn't waste a bunch of time on rounds of interviews. Instead, they assign candidates an open-ended demo task. This helps filter out people who don't fit the criteria, which is usually about 95%. There are lots of people who cannot demonstrate the necessary criteria, don't handle the task as expected, don't communicate as required, etc. Once they have it narrowed down then they'll talk specifics on hiring.

Need Guidance and Support to Grow Your Agency Faster?

Most agency owners struggle to scale. We've developed an amazing mastermind to guide you through the journey of implementing the right systems so you can scale your agency — instead of feeling overwhelmed by it.

We do this by bringing together successful agency leaders to share strategies, offer advice, and reveal what's working (and what's not working) in their agency. The truth is, whatever you want to accomplish in life, nothing will help you go further, faster than getting the right adviser in the context of motivated peers. If you want to GROW fast and smart, Digital Agency Elite mastermind will help.

Building Your Digital Agency

When you are in the early stages of working with a remote team, you may be concerned with the levels of productivity but there are many benefits from remote teams and it's also good to ensure a high level of productivity overall.

Through my experience running my own digital agency and helping other digital agency owners, there are many topics I can offer guidance on whether you are experiencing challenges as an established agency or a new agency unsure of what the different phases of growth you will experience will look like.

As you continue to grow your agency team, I can show you how to recognize when it's time to hire a sales manager or expand your sales team to perfecting your business strategy by creating a process for performance-based pricing and how to keep your big-name clients happy.

Are you ready to create something cool and want more advice? Learn about my career and different experiences as well as tips, tricks, and insights by checking out my blogs that cover a wide variety of topics.

Check out more from my Ask Swenk series and more of my videos on my Youtube channel. There you will find advice from myself and other agency experts.

A Full Pipeline Isn't All You Need to Grow Your Agency

Scaling and growth is not just about filling your pipeline. New business won't mean a thing if you don't have the right systems in place to support it. Check out the advice from a white label agency that literally exists to help other agencies scale.

In this episode, we'll cover:

• Why you need more than a full pipeline to grow.
• 2 crucial systems necessary for scaling.
• One mistake agencies make trying to scale.
• How to make decisions for agency longevity.

My guest today is here to share with us a few big secrets about scaling. Ryan Meo founded his agency, Scale Squad, nine years ago. His agency white labels in order to help digital agencies scale. So that pretty much makes him the authority on scaling. He tells us what processes and systems are absolutely crucial for growing and how they are more than just having a full pipeline when looking to scale your agency.

2 Crucial Systems Necessary for Agency Scaling

If Ryan could travel back in time, he says the one piece of advice he'd give his former self is to have the right systems before trying to scale.

1. A solid foundation for the Operational System. Meaning, you have to have a good grasp on your service offering as well as boundaries for them. What do you do? What don't you do? It's also important to know how to guide your clients into your offering without overcomplicating it.
2. A methodic Sales System. It's imperative to have a process for finding, winning and keeping the right clients. Without a repetitive system for prospecting, it's feast or famine with new agency business. Agencies find themselves on a roller coaster instead of a steady stream of work and cash flow.

One Mistake Agencies Make Trying to Scale

A lot of agency websites are too vague, leaving it unclear what they do and who they help. Why is that?

For one thing, they painting broad strokes in the hopes of capturing the attention of more clients. They're afraid to turn off potential clients by being too descriptive when in fact, the opposite is true. Being too general is the turn off!

The solution is selecting a niche. It's critical to know who your best customers are and gear your marketing toward them. The misconception about declaring a niche is that it means turning away anyone outside your niche. But you're not… Declaring a niche is really just a marketing strategy. You are just concentrating your market on a particular niche but you can still work with anyone. And don't worry - there's plenty of business for everyone!

Another common reason for vague websites in the scarcity mentality. Agencies are worried that if they get too specific about a specialty they'll run out of potential clients. There's so much more business out there than we realize. We aren't confined to the local geographic area anymore. So whatever your niche - there's tons of potential out there.

How to Make Decisions for Agency Longevity

Forecasting is everything. It's important for keeping tabs on agency resources as well as goal tracking.

Without forecasting, we end up making dumb decisions (working with the wrong clients, taking on the wrong projects, letting go of the wrong people) in order to save cash flow. Don't let a cash crunch force you into making the wrong decisions.

When you forecast sales and monitoring agency's KPI's you can get a better understanding of agency revenue and profitability. (And you want to know profitability because top line revenue doesn't mean sh*t if you're not profitable:) ) If you're using a CRM it can be super easy to also use it for cash flow projections - here's how.

Need Guidance and Support to Grow Your Agency Faster?

Most agency owners struggle to scale. We've developed an amazing mastermind to guide you through the journey of implementing the right systems so you can scale your agency — instead of feeling overwhelmed by it.

We do this by bringing together successful agency leaders to share strategies, offer advice, and reveal what's working (and what's not working) in their agency. The truth is, whatever you want to accomplish in life, nothing will help you go further, faster than getting the right adviser in the context of motivated peers. If you want to GROW fast and smart, Digital Agency Elite mastermind will help.

Taking Your Digital Agency to the Next Level

So I have now shown you why a full pipeline isn't all you need to grow your agency so what do you need? Are there weaknesses within your agency that are causing everything to break down?

Don't worry, I'm here for all the advice you need.

I have been in the industry for a long time and I have had my own experience running my own digital agency as well as helping other digital agency owners so there are many topics where I can offer guidance. Whether you are experiencing challenges as an established agency or a new agency unsure of what the different phases of growth you will experience will look like, I've got you covered.

As you continue to grow your agency team, I can show you how to recognize when it's time to hire a sales manager or expand your sales team to perfecting your business strategy by creating a process for performance-based pricing and how to keep your big name clients happy.

Are you ready to create something cool and want more advice? Learn about my career and different experiences as well as tips, tricks, and insights by checking out my blogs that cover a wide variety of topics. Or if videos are more your thing, visit my Youtube channel!

8 Figures in 8 Years: Achieve Agency Growth from 0 to 8 Figures

Wonder what it takes to get to your agency to 7- or 8- figures? Today's guest tells us all about how his agency has grown to 8 figures in 8 years, plus the challenges he's faced and how he got over them in order to succeed and grow.

In this episode, we'll cover:

• The challenges/solutions of growing to 7- and 8 figures.
• Healthy agency profit margin ranges.
• Challenges of managing at the 20+ employee level.
• How to stay relevant as your agency grows.

My guest on the show this time is Matt Bertulli, owner of Demac Media, in Canada. Over the last eight years his agency has grown to 95 full-time employees and just crested the 8 figures mark. In Matt's interview, he was very candid about the struggles and challenges they faced getting to various milestones of growth and how he pushed past them in order to success.

What Does Healthy Growth Look Like?

Right off the bat, Matt knew in order to cut through the noise his agency needed to specialize. He took the leap of faith and did it. Rather than competing for a piece of the pie, Matt (an engineer by trade) took a more strategic approach to growth and capitalized on a niche right away. That meant in their early years, Demac Media grew an aggressive 45-50% each year. Today their growth is in the 25-30% range.

Going from Startup to $1 Million Revenue

CHALLENGE: Matt says the getting to the one million mark was super challenging. In the early days of owning his agency he felt like he was faking confidence and stability in order to win clients... His favorite line from back then: "We're a real agency!" He had a lot of doubts and it was a very unsettling time period. Crossing over that $1 million in revenue was shocking and amazing.

SOLUTION: We're in a golden age of agencies and there's never been a better time to to build and grow one. Small and mid-sized agencies can compete with the big guys. We're capable of much more than we give ourselves credit for… The struggle to grow to $1 million is not external - it's the head game you play with yourself.

When you take a step back and look at who you're working with and what you're charging, is it getting you closer to your financial goals? Early on, agencies tend to fall into a trap of spinning their wheels on a pain in the ass client spending $10K on a project. That client sends referrals for similar work at similar budget levels.

[clickToTweet tweet="You can't grow by acquiring business at the same levels ~ scaling requires you to do more and better." quote="You can't grow by acquiring business at the same levels ~ scaling requires you to do more and better."]

Increasing from $1 Million to Multiple Millions

CHALLENGE: According to Matt the journey from $1 to $5 million actually wasn't too hard. It was much more difficult to break the ceiling into the $1+ million than to leap from $1 to $5 million. The hardest part was his own resistance to adopting processes and systems. Despite his background as an engineer, Matt didn't understand how systems would leverage his agency's ability to scale.

SOLUTION: First, it's important to create systems that can help you acquire the clients you want to work with - and you don't need to wait until you're at the $1-$5 million mark. Processes and systems will expedite growth regardless of where you're at now. And, know your numbers. As I like to tell my clients, it just takes some backwards math to figure out your goal and then work backwards using the number of clients and pricing you'll need to reach the goal. An especially important figure is your agency's profitability.

What's a Good Target for Profitability?

In a service business, profitability can be really good but you have to work at it and focus on it. As they were reaching the $5 million revenue milestone, Demac Media's profit margin was anywhere between 35-40%. Few realize it, but that's exactly where it should be!

Profitability within this range means:

• Pricing is right where it should be.
• The agency is working efficiently.
• The agency is not over-delivering or allow scope creep.
• The right people are in key roles at the agency.

Profitability is the best measure of financial success. Top line revenue doesn't matter if your profit margins aren't healthy.

Hiring as Your Agency Grows

I have had a lot of agency owners tell me they don't want to grow too big because they having upwards of 20+ employees creates more work. And Matt says that is partially true… but probably not for the reasons you think.

From the beginning, Matt had his mind set on not having an org chart. He felt like defined lines of responsibility would stifle creativity. So he just had everyone report to him. (Uh, oh! If that's your approach then sure, having more than 20+ employees definitely will be a nightmare.) Matt explained that when he realized the need for agency management and structure, growing the team was much less of a burden.

As you grow it's imperative to hire a management team. Now at 95 employees Matt only has 5 direct reports, which is the leadership team. He says having the right people in place has freed him up to spend time where he wants and work on what he enjoys.

Cresting the 8 Figures Revenue Mark

CHALLENGE: The road from $5 to $10+ million is the toughest; Matt even calls it Death Valley. It can be lonely and isolating - it was a really challenging time for my agency too. At that level, you feel sort of stuck and might even want out. The demands for your time lessens and your inbox shrinks. You've grown your team with all the right people and they can run things without you, which can be really depressing!

SOLUTION: This is the time to redefine your role within the agency. It takes clarity and self-awareness to find your new role. You aren't needed for the daily operations, it's more about creating and communicating the vision to support your team as well as these other four roles of a Founder/CEO. When you do an awesome job of communicating the agency vision you will earn your employees buy-in. When they believe in it, your clients will too. And when employees and clients all believe in the agency vision the financial success follows.

Another great solution is to find peer groups or a mastermind. I might even know a good one you can check out :) In a group setting you can problem solve and idea share with like-minded entrepreneurs. You can make connections, receive input and advice from people who've been (or are) in your shoes.

Matt's final piece of advice is to keep trying new things and taking risks. He says no matter what growth level you reach, it's key to stay a little uncomfortable. Getting too comfortable makes us complacent and complacency causes insignificance.

Don't be the next the Blockbuster… adapt, change, and innovate - especially when it's a little scary - in order to avoid becoming irrelevant.

Avoid getting left in the dust! Check out the Agency Playbook, the online video training to help you acquire your ideal clients, increase your profit, and grow your agency.

Build Your Agency

Now you know how to build your agency and go from zero to 8 figures, you need to look at your agency in the bigger picture to find your strong areas as well as weak spots and then think of how you can fix them. No matter what challenge your agency is facing, I can help you get through all of it.

Through my experience running my own digital agency and helping other digital agency owners, there are many topics I can offer guidance whether you are an established agency facing struggles to new agencies unsure of what the different phases of growth you will experience will look like.

Growing your agency team can also be a major struggle for any agency owner and I can show from knowing when it's time to hire a sales manager or expand your sales team to perfecting your business strategy with creating a process for performance based pricing and how to keep your big name clients happy.

Are you ready to create something cool and want more advice? Learn about my career and different experiences as well as tips, tricks and insights by checking out my blogs that cover a wide variety of topics.

Check out more from my Ask Swenk series and more of my videos on my Youtube channel. There you will find advice from myself and other agency experts.

If you're not using video in your own agency marketing, or if you aren't getting any traction from your videos check out this episode. Today's guest tells us why video is one of the best lead generators out there - and how to set yourself up for successful video marketing campaigns.

In this episode, we'll cover:

• 4 benefits of using video in your agency marketing.
• #1 mistake agencies make in video marketing.
• The equipment and pre-planning you need for making great videos.

My guest today is Dee Dee deKenessey, Agency Partner Program Manager at Wistia. If you don't already know about Wistia - it's time to get out from under that rock. Wistia provides professional video hosting with amazing viewer analytics to help you achieve your video marketing goals. Dee Dee tells us how you can set yourself up for success by weaving video into your marketing.

In just one year, Wistia's Agency Partner Program has grown to 700 agencies with varying levels of experience, from beginner to seasoned veteran. Dee Dee also manages a private partner online community where everyone can collaborate, idea-share, and help one another.

4 Big Benefits of Using Video Marketing

1. There's an over saturation of emails, blogs, and social posts. Your prospects are on information overload. Video breaks through the rest of the noise.
2. Video is easier to consume and digest. A lot of people prefer watching over reading because it's usually faster and simpler.
3. Viewers feel like they can relate to you in video. It's more authentic than written content, and it allows your personality to come through.
4. Every video is unique and hard to duplicate. Your video content is all yours - blog posts can be stolen but no one can imitate you on camera.

Not convinced yet? There's tons of other reasons you should be using rich media in your agency marketing.

#1 Mistake in Video Marketing

Sure there's rookie mistakes like lighting, scripting, etc. but those issues are easily solved over time and with experience. But no matter what the level of experience, Dee Dee says there's one huge mistake people make in their video marketing, and it's totally preventable. The biggest mistake is jumping right into production without a plan or goal in mind.

[clickToTweet tweet="Make sure you have a single goal in mind; then determine how video can help achieve the goal." quote="Make sure you have a single goal in mind; then determine how video can help achieve the goal."]

How to Set Yourself Up for Successful Video Marketing

Before you film anything, ask yourself these questions:

• Who is watching this video? Where are they within the sales funnel?
• What's the context around the video?
• How will the viewer engage with the video?
• What is the next step or call-to-action?
• Where will the video live - and why?

Then based on your goals for the video, decide where it will live. House your video…

• On Facebook... if you goal is to promote your brand or entertain without sending traffic back to your site.
• On YouTube... if your goal is to make the video searchable, or if your video solves a problem.
• On your website... if your goal is to educate or increase sales.
• In an email... if your goal is to drive traffic or promote a service.

INSIDER TIP: You don't need fancy equipment to produce great videos. I do all mine on my iPhone or iPad, and I have one O-ring light. Check out Wistia's resource library for more tips.

Plus, if you use Wistia's hosting you receive analytics that show you how each video is performing. You'll be able to find out who's been watching your videos, how much they've watched and which videos are providing the most value.

What's Next for Your Agency?

After generating leads using video marketing for your agency, you need to ensure you have strong processes in place. This will allow you to provide high quality work, save time on projects and build your authority as an agency. Take a step back and look at other processes that need attention. No matter what challenge your agency is facing, I can help you get through all of it.

There are many topics I can give advice on from what to do when you want to speed up sales processes to how you can build authority for your agency.

Growing your agency can be a major struggle for any agency owner and I can show you the different phases of growth you will experience, how placing a process for performance based pricing can be the best pricing strategy for your business and the three questions you need to ask yourself to sell more!

Want more? Learn about my career and different experiences as well as tips, tricks and insights by checking out my blogs that cover a wide variety of topics.

Check out more from my Ask Swenk series and more of my videos on my Youtube channel. There you will find advice from myself and other agency experts.

Are you finding you agency growth moving to fast that you are worried of it burning out or do you think it's moving too slow? In an ever-changing agency environment, does sustainable growth really exist? One of the main questions should be if should agencies concentrate on growing as much and as fast as possible, dealing with the fallout as it occurs?

In this episode of Ask Swenk, I take a closer look into what you need to do to achieve and maintain sustainable agency growth and cover all your questions to give you a peace of mind and more...

Christian asked:

"Do you think there is such a thing as sustainable growth, or should you just aim for as much/fast growth as possible and deal with the new business/onboarding of staff?​"​ ​

Discover the best Digital Agency Strategies today. Get Online Training to help you setup the right systems and strategies to help you grow faster.

What Do You Need to Know to Maintain a Sustainable Business?

I hope you found this installment of Ask Swenk beneficial and it helps you with any of your business worries.

As well as ensuring that you create a sustainable business, as your agency grows, you may come across challenges and knowing how to adapt will ensure a successful agency. From who you should hire for your agency or how to bring your agency to the next level, I can help. I hope you found this helpful and can put it into action.

Have other topics you want advice on? You can check out all my tips, tricks and insights in my blog covering a wide variety of topics as well as answering your questions in more from my Ask Swenk series.

Are videos more your thing? You can check out my Ask Swenk series and more of my videos on my Youtube channel for advice from myself and other agency experts.