Whether you own a content agency or work for one, scaling is a huge goal that can be achieved by working with others. Assuming you are solid on things like your company mission, target audience, value propositions, here are some tips for scaling a business that will set your plans in motion.
1. Don’t try to do everything
It’s a common mistake for marketers to try to be a jack of all trades. Some people actually do thrive and succeed that way, however, others end up a master of none. Individual marketers or small teams will try to take on social media, PPC, SEO, advertising, and more on their own, and it ends up being a big burden to bear.
The urge to learn it all is partnered with the desire to quickly become a sharp, top-dog company, which many small companies can relate to in the quest to becoming a full-service digital agency. To achieve those goals the smart way, and avoid carrying heavy weights on your shoulders, consider why you want to take on lots of tasks. Is it just a means to an end? Consider targeting the things your smaller team can do really well, and only offering and selling yourself on those. Center your content marketing strategy on your best skills. When it comes time to be scaling a business, you can hire more team members to take on those new services you’d like to offer.
2. Make many connections when scaling a business
When you’re scaling a business, it’s a great idea to solidify those working partnerships and referrals, reach out to other marketers, and reach out to other marketing agencies. You can try doing this instead of cold calling. It’s important to make sure that you are able to help and offer cohesive services to the marketers you call, and you’re not asking them for things.
You’ll want to build mutually beneficial relationships. If you specialize in lead generation and all you do is bring in leads, maybe reach out to companies that do sales. If you’re a web design company and all you do is web design, maybe reach out to companies that specialize in content and copywriting.
Search for those companies that you would connect with really well and offer your services. Offer to help ask the decision maker or manager if they would be willing to sit down with you for 15 minutes to go over what you do and what they do, and what you can do for each other. Everybody’s trying to find a way to move forward, so why not do it together?
3. White labeling
White labeling is when one company produces a product or service and it gets rebranded and distributed by another company for some of the profit. From the consumer’s point of view, the second company made the product. Some companies do this successfully, and others shy away from it if it’s not a good fit.
In the scenario of scaling a business, white labeling makes things easier because all you’d need to worry about is selling, and not producing. When you’re just starting, white labeling can make a lot of sense and make scaling a business a lot breezier. On the flip side, you can be the provider and reach out to companies to white label a product you offer if you’re not getting enough sales. Handing over one of the big responsibilities, selling or production, to another company can help lift burdens for new businesses.
4. Try outsourcing your work
Outsourcing can be a smart plan if your projects are running too large and time-consuming. It can be helpful to hand over some of the work to a freelancer. You can benefit from either side of the coin: if you’re a brand-new agency, you can reach out to other companies and take on extra projects for them to get some more experience.
It’s important to not get super competitive with other companies. We say “competitors” at times, but it shouldn’t mean opponents. There’s room for everybody at the table! Spend time with the companies that share this belief, and are not overly protective of their projects and customers.
One benefit to outsourcing your work is you have a fair amount of control over how the project is done. The freelancer is focused on one project, and you can direct your specific feedback and requests to them until the project is completed how you like it. That’s something you may not get with white labeling.
If your company is the one doing outsourced work for another company, you may get to communicate with their customer. If you do a great job, and the customer knows it was you, you may have a new connection there. It’s smart to try outsourcing as a way of progressing and scaling a business.
If you can do it, reach out to other companies that are targeting the same people, but different parts of the sales cycle. Offer to collaborate if it feels right. You most certainly do not have to have an official partnership and own a part of another business. Start some healthy working partnerships where you agree to share resources, and you’re on the path to scaling a business! 🐢
