How to Differentiate Yourself Against Other Agencies Online
You should always be thinking about how you can be better than other agencies. Your online appearance could be the deciding factor for whether a small business chooses your agency over someone else’s. Your company’s positioning, personality, and image is what will make you unique in the sea of agencies to choose from!
There’s no special secret to being the best; it takes testing, testing, and more testing. Check out 9 different ways you can start differentiating yourself from other agencies online!
1. Offer the Full Marketing Stack
The fuller the stack, the fewer the challenges.
Through reading popular B2B blogs, I’ve seen discrepancies about whether agencies should take their specialty and run with only that, or expand their offerings for future growth. Don’t get it twisted; offering a full-marketing stack is undeniably the route your agency should be taking in order to stand strong against the other marketing agencies that are out there
You may already be great at SEO (for example), but your client wants reputation management help, so what do you do? You want to ensure that you are the person they can come to for all their sales and marketing needs, or else they may start looking elsewhere.
We know that seems like A LOT more work, but with a White-Label Platform to automate these services for your clients, you’ll have all the time to work on your own business.
2. Spend Time Self-Promoting
One mistake that agencies can make is not giving their own business the attention it deserves. Though you are killing it with the clients you already have, your own brand needs to be present and engaging to encourage new client interest. If you offer web design, but your website sucks, prospects aren’t going to trust you with their website. You need to spend time on your own business as well.
Don’t get me wrong, working hard for your clients is a top priority, but don’t forget to set aside time each week for some corporate marketing efforts. If you’re not sure where to start, start by reading some top social media tips!
How you can better self-promote:
- Create informational video content
- Write content for your company blog
- Respond to comments and engagements from your audience
- Share industry leading content
- Share your insights on industry-related news
- Create a podcast
- Discuss industry trends on social
Recommended Reading: 14 Tofu, Mofu, Bofu Content Practices to Nuture Leads
3. AI Chatbots
AI chatbots are the newest advancement in technology that makes connecting with your clients an easier task. This allows clients to ask questions and converse with you to gain early insights about their business needs.
People love people. The more responsive and available you can make yourself to potential clients, the more they will want to do business with you. Make your future clients feel heard from the very first time they enter your website with software such as Drift, Bold 360, or landbot.io !
4. Publish Case Studies
Prove you’re up to the task.
Case studies are undoubtedly the best way to show an example of your work and success with past clients. It shows that you put the work in and gives them realistic expectations that relate to their own business and their own goals. Many businesses are desperate to find a solution that works for their business, and once they see that proof, they will be inclined to choose you over the competition.
Recommended Reading: Family Law Firm Legal Digital Advertising Case Study
Recommended Reading: Optimal Life Medical Center SEO Case Study
5. Show Yourself Off
Lots of people like to see the “behind the scenes” efforts of your agency. Showing off different projects, what your teams are working on, and even daily tasks are all great ways to make clients feel comfortable with you and feel like they know you.
You are more than just your product or service. You are offering helpful solutions to clients who need your expertise to grow. People like buying from people, so show your audience that you are more than just your services.
6. Invest in Your Website: UX/UI
If you are not a UXUI (User Experience/User Interface) expert yourself, you may want to consider hiring someone who is. You don’t have to be an expert in everything, but you will need someone who is. With the number of digital marketing agencies out there for clients to choose from, a clients first glance at your website could be a “judging a book by its cover situation”.
48% of people cited that a website’s design is the No. 1 factor in determining the credibility of a business. Find someone who can make your website easy to navigate for your clients and the best setup to increase your conversion rates. Before digital became as popular as it is, direct customer service was the source of customer satisfaction, whereas now, customer satisfaction is almost entirely derived from UX/UI.
7. Utilize Freelancers
If your blog content seems to be always put on the backlog, there is an endless amount of freelancers who would gladly write for your agency. If you don’t have the budget to hire a full-time writer (or if you are not a writer yourself), hiring freelancers is a great way to get high-quality content faster, while having a wide variety of writing styles in your blog.
Where do I find freelancers?
Easy. A good place to start is by looking on sites like Medium or Quora, which allows you to get a feel for their writing style and if it is a good fit for your agency. Check out LinkedIn for freelancers looking for work, look for their email and/or website, and send them a direct message.
8. Master Your CTA
Your digital ads are going to be a huge component in differentiating your agency from the competition. Your CTA (call-to-action) needs to stand out to your audience more so than your competition.
Two things you need to be thinking about:
What is your star product/service?
And
What do people look at you for?
Remember in some instances, your actual audience viewing your ads may be different from who you think your target market is.
These things you should keep in mind to create an click-worthy ad:
- Expertise in what you’re offering→ why do they need what you are offering?
- Value Added→ what’s the opportunity cost of not using your service?
- Sense of urgency→ Is your client okay with letting the offer pass?
9. Testimonials
Testimonials are a great way to gain a client’s trust without you even speaking to them. Your audience sees a view that is honest and unbiased. It’s a great way to show your skills without having to directly sell yourself.
Essentially clients can sell you better than you can sell yourself. It never hurts to ask your successful clients to say a few words about the hard work you’ve done for them. After you can show real results to your client and they are obviously pleased with the results, it’s time to ask.
How to ask:
“I’m so glad to hear you’re pleased with the results so far! Would you be willing to let me feature your business on my website as a success story so that other people can be inspired by your success?”
In Conclusion
That’s 9 ways you can ensure your presence online is eye-catching to your clients!
Really there are many things you can do to set yourself apart! Your online appearance plays a big factor in differentiating yourself from other digital marketing agencies, but it’s not everything.
Give it a try for yourself— let us know if you have some other great way agencies can excel online!