The short version
- Sell one service first, like SEO or a new website, not “full-service marketing”.
- Pick one kind of business in one place, so one sentence is true for all of them.
- Find businesses with a problem they can check themselves, and write about only that.
- Have a price range, samples and a two-line introduction ready: that's what replies ask for.
- Show proof with dates on it, and prospect every week, not only when work runs out.
Sell one service first
“Full-service digital marketing” asks a stranger to trust you with everything at once. One service, like SEO or a new website, asks them to trust you with one problem they already have. The agencies we work for sell SEO, web design and development, and every reply we publish answered an email about one service: rankings, or a website.
Add the rest once a client trusts you. It's easier to sell a website to someone whose rankings you fixed than to a stranger.
Pick one kind of business in one place
Roofers in Pearland or chiropractors in Brampton, not “small businesses”. A narrow list means one sentence is true for everyone on it, and that one true sentence is what gets a stranger to reply. The replies we publish came from appliance repair, screen printing, chiropractic, roofing, solar, architecture and more, each from a campaign aimed at one trade in one place.
Find businesses with a problem they can see
Owners buy when they can see the problem for themselves. Each service has its own:
| You sell | The problem the owner can check | Where you find it |
|---|---|---|
| SEO | Missing from the map results or page one for “[service] [town]” | A private-window search, like their customers do |
| Web design | No website, or one that breaks on a phone | Map listings, then the site on your own phone |
| Both | A competitor down the road shows up where they don't | The same search |
Step by step for each: getting SEO clients, getting local SEO clients and finding web design clients.
Write about that one problem
- Name the business.
- Name the problem, in a way they can check in ten seconds.
- Offer to send something short: a breakdown, a few fixes, a mock-up.
- Ask one question: “Can I send it over?”
No pitch, no price and no links in the first message. A yes to “Can I send it over?” is a conversation, and that's all the first message has to win.
Be ready for what they ask
Replies ask buying questions, and mostly the same few. In one US web design agency's file of 85 replies to our outreach, 33 ask about price, 10 ask for samples or past work, 8 ask who you are or where you're based, and only 8 ask for a call. SEO replies ask the same things:
Ok, how much will it cost?
I am interested. Tell me about your company and send me a price & proposal of a few options of flooring industry websites.Thank you and we are looking to make a decision in the next 7 days. Have a nice day.
- Price: a range for what they described, and what moves it.
- Samples: two or three pieces of work in their trade, or demos if you're new.
- Who you are: your name, your business, where you're based, in two lines.
- Speed: answer the same day; interest that took an email to spark cools fast.
Show proof a stranger can check
A new client can't see your work from the inside, so give them evidence with dates on it rather than praise:
- Records: one US SEO agency has had 6,045 leads from us in 373 deliveries, never more than 6 days apart.
- Repeat business: 101 numbered orders from one US agency over two years.
- A client on video, unscripted, saying what the work did.
All three are in our case studies. Working from another country? Our guide to getting international clients covers the “where are you based?” question.
Make it a weekly habit
Do it yourself, or buy the replies
Everything above works, and it takes hours every week. If you'd rather spend those hours on the clients who answer, we run the outreach and deliver the business owners who replied, as exclusive leads for SEO, web design and more, at a price per lead.
Questions people ask
How do I get my first client for a digital marketing agency?
Pick one service and one kind of business in one town, find the businesses with a problem they can check, like a missing map listing or a site that breaks on a phone, and offer to send a short breakdown. Have a price and two or three samples ready; if you're new, build demos for that trade.
What is the fastest way to get clients for a marketing agency?
Write directly to businesses with a visible problem and work only the replies, instead of waiting for referrals or content to rank. Answer the same day with what they asked for: in one US agency's file of 85 replies, 33 asked about price and only 8 asked for a call.
Should a new agency offer many services or just one?
One, to start. A single service lets you name one problem a stranger already has, build samples for it and quote a clear price. Add more services once clients trust you; selling a second service to an existing client is usually easier than selling five to a stranger.
Do I need a website to get agency clients?
You need something a stranger can check: a site with your business name, where you're based, your work and how to reach you. Prospects ask who you are and where you work from, so the answer should be one click away from your email signature.