Karishhma Ashwin Mago*Brand Partner Content*
The demand has never been more for businesses to have their digital marketing managed, outsourced, and multiplied by maestros of the industry. Considering this surge, some digital agencies have advanced their offerings, accelerated their growth, and stepped forward to attain incredible things. The rest, not so much. So, what is it that distinguishes successful agencies from ordinary ones? One might think it boils down to factors like talented personnel, luck, culture, or good timing; however, the truth is far different from this. The agencies we see who have scaled, grown, and tapped into a high level of success like nobody else tend to have something in common: an ambitious entrepreneur or leader. One such pioneer in the digital space is the Turkey-based digital marketing expert, Kianoush Kouchaksaraei.
As a digital influencer and Kianoush’s digital agency is a full-service digital marketing agency. This young digital marketing expert has a few tips to share in building and growing an agency straightforwardly.
- Develop core competencies
Having started from scratch with no formal qualification, Kouchaksaraei is of the firm opinion that regardless of the business, the objective should always be to solve a client’s problem. In the case of a digital agency, he says, to be successful, it’s important to offer services that nobody else in the market is giving – it needs to be a step further. From his personal experience, he shares that not many clients may know where they are lacking or what the issue is. Here’s where he believes that core competency to map a problem out comes into play. “In this overly-competitive and crowded market, being a traditional agency that provides everything and anything won’t help you. Promise your clients measurable and scalable outcomes, which would strengthen their vision to grow,” adds Kouchaksaraei.
- Go one-way – broad or niche
Much like the thousands of digital agencies in the market, you need to be sure of whether you want to offer a variety of disciplines or consider the option of finding a niche, recommends Kouchaksaraei. In his view, as an agency, if you can perfectly demonstrate the few things you do, instead of everything at half capacity, most of the work is almost done. He adds, “knowing your expertise from the start and as you progress can help maintain clarity in the long run. Don’t worry about offering too much or too little: the idea is to work on things that you’re great at.”
- Network, don’t be dependent
Whether it’s due to lack of confidence, complacency, or budget concerns, laying heavy reliance on referrals instead of personal networks can prove fatal, shares Kouchaksaraei. Having been there before, he says that the agency should be able to represent its results for all kinds of businesses, entrepreneurs, and brands to attract more clients. So, for those looking to expand and grow their agency, he recommends to focus on the offerings and outcomes, and not on referrals – although economical – but extremely limiting.
- Diversify to drive growth
As someone who started with limited services and then eventually diversified into a pool of them, Kouchaksaraei strongly suggests that digital entrepreneurs lay their focus on diversifying their strategies. He believes excellent agencies need to be everywhere. The young entrepreneur has entirely implemented this thought-process himself by expanding to different markets, including Turkey and India. He says co-invest in lead generation, content marketing, sales, and all other corners of the digital landscape. “Through and for your business, try to reach out to as many people and brands as possible. By doing so, you’ll set an example in front of your potential clients that this is what we do, and this is what we can offer to you,” Kouchaksaraei adds.
As a marketer with a strong portfolio of over 100 clients from different sectors and parts of the world, Kouchaksaraei suggests that agency owners should always look inward. Whether it is employees or existing clients – and seek their opinion, guidance, and feedback. Though individual bits of this process may seem uncomfortable, considering the possibility of criticism, he vouches that here’s when you’ll encounter a significant breakthrough that could spur growth and success.
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