Your guide to launching a freelance marketing agency

Starting your very own freelance digital marketing agency can be a difficult feat to take on and it all begins with finding and signing your very first client. As difficult as it might be, however, several businesses, brands, and organizations are in need and actively seeking assistance with their many advertising campaigns.

That’s where you come in to play!

The digital marketing industry is growing rapidly and the opportunities to get a piece of the pie have never been easier. With such a low barrier to entry, it’s now possible for individuals like yourself to break through the noise and become a freelancing digital marketing professional; if you have expertise in the area, of course…

With that said, in what follows, we’ll be detailing several key steps for how YOU can start your very own freelance digital marketing agency. While it begins with skill and ends with finding your first client, there are several steps in between that are just as important.

So, if starting an agency is something you’re interested in pursuing, this article is for you! Let’s get right into it!

Starting a Freelance Digital Marketing Agency

While deciding to become a freelance digital marketing professional is certainly the first step, it doesn’t end there; in fact, that’s just the first decision of many when seeking to begin an agency.

The following are several steps to consider in order to successfully start your very own freelance marketing agency…

Choose a Specialty

Although digital marketing is an industry of its own, it doesn’t come without its own inter-niches. In other words, there are many sub-specialties within the umbrella of digital marketing itself.

While you might want to dip your toes into all subspecialties so as to widen your target audience, it’s likely a smarter idea to choose a niche or two to specialize in. While this may not widen your target audience it will certainly widen your potential for success.

Do you offer web development services, social media management, paid media and advertisements, email marketing, or otherwise? Similarly, do you specialize in a certain industry such as health & medical, business & finance, or non-profit organizations?

These questions and more are what need to be asked when choosing a specialty…

Develop Your Website

Okay, so you have the necessary experience and expertise, and you’ve chosen to hone in on a specialty or two…

Now it’s time to begin promoting your offerings! The first step in doing so is to create your business’s website. Not only is your website a launchpad for all things marketing, promotion, and customer service but it’s also your digital storefront if you will.

It’s here where you can share your portfolio, launch promotional landing pages and paid ads, get in contact with potential leads, and ultimately build credibility, authority, and trust amongst both your peers and target audience.

Ensure that the website is both functional, design-centric, and easy to navigate. As an aspiring digital marketing agency, it’s also important to ensure that the website is SEO optimized!

Register Your Agency as a Business

Before you begin to promote your freelancing services, it’s important to legally register your business so as to avoid any future tax and legal implications.

While many confuse the term “freelance”, thinking it’s different from a standard business, it still requires legal filings like anything else, especially if you plan to hire employees and serve numerous clients.

Withstanding the importance of avoiding tax and legal implications, registering your agency as a business also comes with it some perks, including but not limited to tax deductions and credibility benefits; it’s important for potential clients to take you seriously!

Market Your Services to Generate Leads

Because you’re a freelancer, it’s up to you to market your services and skills in hopes of generating your first client. While as a digital marketing agency you’ll be tasked with similar duties, it’s important that you can prove to be effective in first doing so for yourself.

Once you’ve marketed your services through organic social media content, digital paid media, email marketing, lead generation tactics, and landing pages, all that’s left to do is wait for clients to roll in.

Once they do, the job truly begins…

The Job of a Freelance Digital Marketing Agency

Depending on what you’ve chosen to specialize in, a freelance digital marketing agency is responsible for several components of a client’s digital marketing and advertising strategy.

Whether website development, digital strategy curation, content marketing, email marketing, paid advertising, and/or SEO, it’s imperative to have a robust understanding of the entire suite of digital marketing elements.

Withstanding the tasks themselves, it’s also imperative as a freelance digital marketing agency to track, measure, and report on the data garnered from such activities and campaigns. Not only will this help you as an agency be more successful and deliberate in your actions but it will also give peace of mind to the client that you know what you’re doing.

One such tool that all digital marketing agencies should implement to successfully track, measure, and report on a client’s data is Looker Studio (formerly Google Data Studio)!

By implementing Google Data Studio into your everyday tracking and reporting process, you’ll be best equipped to debrief clients on key performance indicators, inform them of strategic decision-making, and ensure them of progress and successes.

To learn more about Google Data Studio or to set up an appointment to discuss and consult on how YOU can become a freelance digital marketing agency, visit us catchr.io!

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