Easy Lead Generation Tactics for Agencies to Scale Client Growth

Marketing and lead generation can be especially challenging for B2B agencies. They need to find smart ways to get in front of their potential customers before they can attempt to convert them into a client.

In this blog post, I’m going to share 10 digital marketing strategies that agencies can leverage to generate leads and win more agency clients.

Plus, we’ll take a look at some real world lead generation tactics for agencies to see what works in practice.

What is lead generation for agency owners?

Anyone running digital marketing agencies is looking for leads to sell their services to. Depending on the type of agency, they focus on B2B (selling to businesses), or B2C (selling to consumers). The goal is to find high-quality leads while spending the least amount possible.

In order to achieve this goal, agency owners can use a variety of strategies that I will talk about in more detail below. The most important thing about the lead generation process is to use marketing automation because it not only reduces the amount of human work, it can also cut down on time.

1. Get involved in your local community

In the digital era, it’s easy to neglect your home turf, but getting involved in your local community can be a great way to connect with your target audience.

Look for opportunities to sponsor local events, host workshops, or get involved with local charities. You can also join relevant trade organizations and chambers of commerce.

By putting yourself out there, you’re more likely to be top-of-mind when potential clients like small business owners are ready to make a purchase. A nice side benefit is that you can PR for your agency in the process.

Showing your customers and employees you care about your local community by employing some strategic philanthropy is also a good way of getting your name out there.

Remember, this isn’t about hiding self-serving activities under the guise of good intentions or promoting a cause just to push your service offering! It’s about doing a good deed and leveraging the good will those results.

Citrus: a case study

Peter Levitan understood this with his ad agency, Citrus, when he aligned with Oregon’s Make-A-Wish Foundation to offer free branding strategies and marketing collateral to boost awareness.

He later leveraged his agency’s association with Make-A-Wish and shared relevant marketing work to close new clients. Peter also had his name on the Make-A-Wish board, which was great exposure for his company.

Citrus went on to serve clients like Nike, Oregon State University, and the United Nations.

2. Engage on social media and online communities

Most agencies have a social media profile, but they’re not using it to its full potential.

Social media marketing should be one of your top lead generation tools because it gives you an opportunity to connect with prospects on a personal level.

Here’s how you can perform lead generation via social media:

• share your agency’s work

• showcase your team’s personality

• engage in relevant conversations.

• build partnerships with other agencies

Don’t forget to add social sharing buttons to your website so that others can share your content and help promote your agency.

Let’s take a closer look at some of the most popular social media platforms that allow agencies to find qualified leads.

• LinkedIn: Considering that 4 out 5 LinkedIn users are decision-makers for their business, the platform is a great place to catch the attention of professionals who can say “YES” to your services. Pro tip: don’t make potential leads travel to a lead forms page. Instead, use the Lead Gen Forms tool to autofill a user’s information, making the sign-up process for your offer as easy as possible.

• Twitter: Here’s where you can engage and build lead-generating relationships with fellow founders one-on-one by replying to tweets under relevant posts and threads. Twitter is also a great B2B content marketing tool. A study by Buffer showed that Twitter threads get 63% more impressions and 54% more engagement than simple tweets with links. If you want to see the power of the Twitter thread, head over to DonYe Taylor’s account, where she leverages the power of social media threads by sharing how to market yourself without actually marketing yourself.

• Facebook: You can use Ads or Groups to get in touch with potential clients on Facebook. If you want to target a specific group of people, create an Ad and use “Custom Audiences” to upload a contact list so that only those leads will see your ad. For a more organic approach, post your content in relevant Facebook Groups and get involved in the discussion—just make sure to read the rules first so that you don’t get kicked out.

• Reddit: There are a number of ways you can use Reddit for marketing, but one way agencies can use it for lead generation is by posting agency case studies in relevant subreddits (r/entrepreneur, r/startups, r/marketing, etc.). Only use your best case studies and offer value to the Reddit community; poor Reddit content will quickly get downvoted.

Reddit: a case study 

Reddit user u/malchik23 leverages the power of the platform for his agency Apollo Digital. Every now and then, he holds a website roast session, critiquing the SEO implementations on websites owned by fellow entrepreneurs on r/entreprenuer. At the end of his post, he plugs his own sub-Reddit, r/seogrowth. This freebie strategy generates inbound leads while strengthening his position as an expert—all without the need of a dedicated sales team.

3. Leverage digital marketing

While social media platforms are a solid choice for B2B lead generation, you should also focus on ranking on the first page of Google for relevant keywords in your agency’s niche. In fact, SEO drives 1,000% more traffic than organic social media.

When it comes to SEO, you’ll want to focus on two main areas:

• Content marketing: Create high-quality content like blog posts based on high-level keyword research to meet users at every step of the funnel. Also, build trust and familiarity, and ultimately gain quality leads.

• Backlinks: Build domain authority by earning (or negotiating) high-quality backlinks from relevant websites—a popular way is guest-posting. The more trustworthy you are, the more the leads will roll in.

Many successful agencies hire SEO specialists to handle every aspect of their lead generation via SEO, as it can be rather time-consuming task. The investment pays off in the long-term, though. With the help of automated lead generation, specifically built landing pages, as well as email drip campaigns, you can nurture your leads slowly until they are ready to make the purchase.

4. Productize your agency

Productization is overlooked by many companies in the service industry. That being said, do productized services really work? The truth is, if you’re in the B2B service-based business, you should have a good idea of who your ideal customers are, what they’re looking for, and how to satisfy that need.

This is why productization makes getting leads easier, resulting in a high conversion rate. By offering standardized services based on what works, you eliminate a lot of the back-and-forth and guesswork that comes with starting from scratch. You don’t need to test several marketing campaigns and different sales funnels as you have a good understanding of where to focus your efforts. Clients also know exactly what they’re in for. The prices are transparent and your services are more concrete—the certainty element helps close deals.

5. Host live webinars for free

You can generate leads by hosting a live webinar and requiring potential attendees to sign up with their contact information to watch. This is a great way to show off your expertise, build trust, all while providing value upfront.

You should market your webinars to people who might want to use your service. For instance, if you’re a web design agency serving SaaS businesses, you’ll want to promote your upcoming event where the store owners hang out: online communities, LinkedIn, Twitter, and email.

Consider recording your webinars and using repurposing the footage later. You could post snippets on social media or embed the full video on your website. An alternative is to create an evergreen webinar (a pre-recorded webinar that can be watched at any time). Use it as a lead magnet to get people to sign up for your email list, and nurture them slowly with drip campaigns.

Pro tip: Be sure to hold live Q&A sessions at the end—82% of people prefer this because it helps them get more personalized information regarding the product or service.

6. Take on some speaking gigs and podcasts

Similar to webinars, public speaking and taking part in podcasts are excellent ways to showcase your expertise and provide value. You also get to reach a new audience that may not have heard of you before. These can help you expand your reach and, in turn, generate more leads.

To find speaking gigs, start by searching online directories such as HeySummit or by contacting the organizers of local events in your field. When it comes to being a guest on a podcast, such as this one Chris attended, make a list of a couple that has an audience you want to attract – then reach out via email or LinkedIn.

A few things to keep in mind:

1. When reaching out, be clear about what value you can provide and how you can help the podcast host or event organizer.

2. Don’t be afraid to start small—there are plenty of opportunities to work your way up to bigger platforms.

3. Prepare, prepare, prepare! This is your chance to make a great impression, so you’ll want to come across as confident and professional.

7. Set up a referral program

A referral program is a great way to get your current clients talking about you to people in their network.

Here, you offer an incentive (usually a discount or free service) for every new client they refer to you. When those referred customers come in, be sure to give them the VIP treatment so they have a positive experience and are more likely to use your services again in the future.

Convert your clients into brand ambassadors with our affiliates feature

Pro tip: Make it easy for people to refer to your agency by creating a custom URL they can share, providing referral cards or flyers, and/or adding a “Refer-a-Friend” button on your website.

The great thing about tools like SPP is that they allow you to create affiliate and reseller programs with ease—no need for external tools.

8. Offer an ebook

One of the best ways to generate leads is by offering something of value in exchange for contact information. This could be an ebook, checklist, white paper, or even a free trial of your product or service. SPP, for instance, has created the Epic Guide to Productizing ebook.

With your lead magnet, target a specific audience and provide them with information that has a high level of insight, knowledge, and authority. While blog posts, videos, and infographics may be used to meet top-of-the-funnel brand awareness and visibility, ebooks allow you to go a lot deeper into a particular topic. This makes them very attractive to decision-makers.

Once you’ve won new clients you’ll want to make sure they stick with you. Read our blog post for tips on how to retain customers.

9. Partner up with influencers

The influencer market has reached $16.4 billion in 2022, according to The State of Influencer Marketing 2022: Benchmark Report. But the market has been tainted by Instagram influencer fraud that made many businesses vary of influencers altogether.

A missed opportunity because real professionals can bring in qualified leads for your business. According to a study published in Harvard Business Review that analyzed the Chinese influencer market, here’s what agencies should watch out for when partnering up with an influencer:

1. The follower count should be larger than average, but not too big compared to the agency’s account.

2. When it comes to posting frequency, influencers should post neither too often nor too infrequently.

3. Brand-fit needs to exist as prospects won’t trust an influencer that doesn’t fit the agency’s brand.

4. Influencers who post original content stand out more, generating higher ROI.

5. Too much positivity can bring the opposite effect of an influencer campaign.

6. Links to the brand’s social channel or website are seen positively due to them providing more information.

7. Announcing new products or services through influencers does not yield the desired ROI brands expect.

10. Use marketing automation tools

Lead generation campaigns run largely automated these days, and luckily, there are many tools you can use to help you out. From email marketing software to automation tools such as Zapier, all work together to help you find and convert leads.

By making use of lead generation software, you can generate leads in-house with the help of your team. However, it requires a lot of trial and error to figure out which tools are truly of help and how to use them effectively. This process takes time, costs money, and doesn’t bring the best results.

11. Work with a lead generation agency

If you’re over your head when in comes to lead generation, don’t worry—you’re not alone. It’s a tricky topic that requires a lot of budget, time, and the willingness to experiment. Even then, you might fail.

If you don’t want to risk it, or simply don’t have the time/knowledge to find the best lead generation channels for B2B, you can let an agency handle it. If you’re not sure where to look for a good one, Clutch.co has a directory with award-winning lead generation agencies.

Lead generation for agencies FAQ

Kickstart your lead generation efforts

Closing a new lead is exciting for any agency. It proves that all the hard work you’ve put into your email marketing, PPC campaigns, and other ways of generating leads have been successful. With the ten strategies mentioned in this blog post, you should be able to improve lead generation efforts in your agency.