Starting a digital marketing agency in the current age is a different prospect to starting one 20 years ago. In the past, the primitive digital landscape meant that barriers to entry were many, budgets for digital marketing were small, and there were strict limits to the media available.
In recent years, advances in technology and consumer expectations have altered this landscape dramatically. Today, it is entirely possible for an individual or small group of individuals with the right knowledge, skills and experience to establish a digital marketing agency and become fully operational within a few short months.
Between 2016 and 2020 alone, a 50% increase was reported in digital marketing budgets by MarketCharts. With more than 63,000 searches performed on Google every single second of every day, having a digital presence is essential for the modern business, which requires digital marketing services.
James Hopkins is a digital marketing expert working to help local business owners grow revenue and profits. James Hopkins’ marketing services from QV-Marketing can help bring new customers to a business using digital marketing strategies.
Navigating the Digital Marketing Landscape
More than half of all modern consumers will always research online before making a purchase, with 53% searching for a product or brand to find out more before committing to a purchase. With so many people using the internet even when they plan to make their actual purchases in brick-and-mortar shops, almost every business today benefits from having a strong online presence. This means there are more potential clients looking for digital marketing services than ever before.
When establishing a new agency, it is often tempting to take on any and all clients that want to come on board. However, finding a niche and sticking to it can not only distinguish your agency from the crowd, but also allow you to offer a more tailored and knowledgeable service to your customer base. Having a clearly defined niche from the get-go facilitates in-depth learning of the target market, which in turn leads to the ability to formulate effective messaging. In an ever-growing market, clients will be looking for agencies that can offer the specialist skillset they require.
Increasing Demand
Demand for digital marketing services has increased exponentially in recent years and will only continue to increase as industries of all shapes and sizes move towards cheaper, more effective digital techniques and away from more cumbersome, expensive conventional marketing strategies. Digital marketing has the capacity to reach a far wider audience base than many other traditional marketing methods, at a fraction of the cost. This rapid expansion into digital widens the market for digital marketing agencies, creating new opportunities for innovative teams to carve their niche and make a name for themselves. Two million new digital jobs were expected to open up in 2020 in the UK alone, creating a situation where people with digital marketing skills are in high demand.
Contracting
Prior to launching a new digital marketing business, it can be highly beneficial to work part-time as a contractor alongside regular employment. This facilitates building the foundations of a successful future business before taking on the bigger risks.
By working as a contractor, you can build a network of professional relationships, start to establish a solid reputation, and gain a lot of the experience that will be relevant and valuable when the time does come to establish your own agency. Once you have started the business, knowing how contracting works can help in other ways. As a new start-up, it is unlikely you will have much to offer to attract the best employees in the early days; yet taking on staff is essential for growth. By bringing in contractors, you can start to scale the business until it reaches a point where it is both sensible and practical to hire full-time employees.
