Digital Marketing Agency, the new Podcasting?

[MJ DeMarco]

I run a digital marketing agency.

Seems like everyone is doing it now...

Two, three years ago everyone was talking about starting a podcast.

Now it seems the rage is "digital marketing agencies".

Is this what happens any time a guru promotes these businesses as a great business to start?

Suddenly they're on every street corner?

IMO, If some top-tier guru/influencer is selling you a course on "how to start a [blank] business" it's probably not a business you want to start.

 

Dislike ads? Remove them and support the forum: Subscribe to Fastlane Insiders.

[Fox]

Tricky to say.

There are for sure a lot of people moving in on this type of stuff.
But then I think so many are doing it all wrong that there is still tons of room for people with a better approach.

First I think the reason for the increase in popularity is a few things:

- The tech is getting super easy to use on a coding level. People can literally make a basic website within a few hours of picking up a coding course. So for anyone who wants to qualify as a self-proclaimed "agency" they are only one Udemy course away from that.

- On top of that social media + software has made it a lot easier to seem like you are selling. Few want to do the real work so Jimmy-Newbie sends out 1,000 spam emails using Mega-mail and calls it a day.

- Also other hot topics like Amazon and Bitcoin have cooled down and some of the marketing bro's have moved over. These were never web design folk - they just can't peddle their old courses, already have a laptop, thumbnail BMW, and a webcam so they switched niches.

- On top of that the industry itself seems to love giving annoying/geeky sounding titles to stuff. "Digital agency owner" is a pretty annoying term imo. I wouldn't like to go see a doctor and they call themselves a "Health Professional Clinic Owner". I need help, not a massive self-created title on your desk.

"Agency" is a word that is way overplayed and sounds super pretentious.

---

Here is my theory on where things are going...

The top folk are getting really good at crossover skills and creating systems with several parts. For them it isn't just a website - it's a powerful tool that gets big results for businesses. They are picking up a bunch of skills and using them wisely. Business owners get tons of value and everyone wins.

Then you have others who are getting to that stage and are motivated but not quite there yet. They lack the experience or are still perfecting the different areas they need.

But then... you got folk who just don't care. They expect that since they blasted off 1,000 emails or rang everyone starting with "C" in the phone book that they are entitled to work. "I have been prospecting all week - what is it with these clients?". They come in with a "scorched earth" approach and don't care the ruckus they create for everyone else who is legit.

This last group is the nosiest, most visible, and most aggressive. It is also the percentage I see growing the fastest as more and more move in.

For those with the right approach though it is a totally different game. So many industries and businesses are dying for real expert input on the online side of their business. Better systems to generate sales, manage clients, market, help current clients, deal with daily tasks, schedule client meetings, customer support etc.

So its 50/50.

One half is for sure going to have a bubble, but others are doing great high-value work there is no shortage for. It is hard to know how it will end up but I don't think there is much concern for those who have the right mentaility/approach.

 

[MJ DeMarco]

Who knows how long it will take before it's oversaturated - but I think it's a great place for someone to start making income to quit their slowlane jobs and transition into another fastlane business (or even scale their agency into something fastlane).

I agree, starting on ANYTHING is a great place, trend or not. I'm sure if I was 20 with no money it would be something I'd look into. Gotta get the feet wet.

 

Dislike ads? Remove them and support the forum: Subscribe to Fastlane Insiders.

[Andy Black]

Btw... the second podcast in the OP here might interest those growing a digital marketing agency. (Actually, I found both podcasts valuable.)

• Services vs Products

To answer MJ. Yes, “I run a digital marketing agency” is one of those gold rushes. It’s one of the main “digital nomad” laptop-and-hammock lifestyle business vehicles.

I’m a copywriter.

I’m a web designer.

I’m building an app.

I’m building a digital marketing agency.

...



I think it’s fundamentally legit though... aka isn’t going away overnight.

Businesses need more enquiries and sales. If you can do that for them then your good to go.

If you can even just add a part of what they believe they want, you’re still good to go. You don’t have to sell them on getting ROI. Enough businesses already want a website, Facebook ads, Instagram ads, email sequences, etc.



I think providing a service is the quickest way to work for yourself. I also think it’s a great way to actually find out what the market really wants as you have to engage with it in hand-to-hand combat.

Proving a service to businesses is just a great way to learn business. You have to sell to business owners. You have to deal with business owners. You rub shoulders day in day out with good and bad business owners. Talk about mentoring without paying for it!

As a digital marketer you get paid to manage other businesses ad spend. This accelerates your learning compared to just managing your own spend.

You can then move away from providing a service or building an agency if you want, or go all in like @Tom.V is doing.

And then some will teach it, legitimately like @Fox, or badly like many “gurus” popping up in my Facebook feed.

Me, I’m going MJ’s route a la limos dot com. With maybe a bit of Unbounce thrown in for good measure.

And that’s why I like it. Get some clients and revenue quick, and then follow/blaze your own path.

 

Dislike ads? Remove them and support the forum: Subscribe to Fastlane Insiders.

[Andy Black]

Said it before and will say it again: what you learn in offering digital marketing services are great skills you can use later in every venture later. It's like an entrepreneur bootcamp that gets you paid as well!

This.

I don’t know how to spell it out any plainer:

• You get paid.
• To learn how to generate more website visitors and sales (a useful skill right?).
• Using *their* ad spend.
• In multiple industries (so you get incredible learnings that can transfer across industries).
• Till you find the industry that has your name on it.
• While rubbing shoulders with business owners who will “mentor” you by showing you what they do (rather than telling you what they’d do).
• While building quality and deep relationships with your clients.
• That lends itself to growth by referrals.
• That naturally shows you the productised services to offer your market.
• That could naturally lead to a product or SaaS offering.
• And is a springboard to many different directions if you want to move beyond providing services (such as rank-and-rent, directories, marketplaces, your own eCommerce stores, revenue shares, pay-per-lead, etc.)
• Oh, and did I mention you get paid while doing this?

 

Dislike ads? Remove them and support the forum: Subscribe to Fastlane Insiders.

[Lex DeVille]

It's still a viable business path. I think you need to define what "Digital Marketing Agency" means (not you specifically MJ but anyone who attempts to start one).

- What is your digital marketing focus?

Copywriting, web design, SEO, Paid Ads...they're all part of digital marketing. But I can't really take a company seriously when they offer all of that stuff and claim to be experts in it.

I'm sure some companies are experts in all of the areas. Most of those popping up by solopreneurs aren't. They don't specialize and its hard to get work. They'd probably be better off freelancing solo in a specific area.

 

[Andy Black]

I know plenty of agencies that have been doing well for over a decade, some serving SMEs, others serving big corporate clients.



Too saturated?

Even if there’s more noise now there’s just too many businesses out there that are bad at their digital marketing and *already* want help.

Frankly, I’m not even paying attention to what the gurus or anyone else is saying. I’m getting referrals every single week.


Too hard?

I think it’s fairly easy as a freelance digital marketer to land $250/mth clients.

Getting just one of these can make a big difference for many people.


Once you get your first then it’s quite easy to grow one client at a time.

Getting to 5 clients is straightforward.

Get to 10 clients and beyond and you’ll start experiencing the growing pains all businesses encounter. New problems are good though - they’re a sign of progress.


What I like is the clear (and simple) path for revenue growth in the initial stages.

Imagine you grew by just one $250/mth client each month?

• Month 1 you’re at $250/mth
• Month 2 you’re at $500/mth
• Month 3 you’re at $750/mth
• Month 4 you’re already at $1,000/mth

$1,000/mth for only 4 clients?

$2,000/mth for only 8 clients?

(Don’t forget this is before paying your taxes.)


How many people starting out would like an extra $250/mth?

What would an extra $1k/mth mean to many people starting out?

$2k/mth?

$5k/mth?

(Before tax remember.)



The beauty is you get better at sales as you progress, and better at delivering too. Especially when your niche finds you and you start to focus.

 

[Lex DeVille]

My first web design gig while I was in Rob's group was $8,000. I'm not even in the web design industry. Didn't have a portfolio. Didn't have any proof whatsoever that I could build a website. Couldn't build a website with HTML if my life depended on it (well I'd figure it out, but you get the point).

All these people who "couldn't find clients" don't have a foot in the door problem. They have a mindset problem. $100k isn't a lot of money, yet most people don't earn that much. It isn't a statistical anomaly to earn $100k in web design. It's an anomaly in any industry, because most people have a shit mindset.

Poor mindset = poor results == just plain poor!

Doesn't matter if you're a digital marketer, web designer, copywriter, dropshipper or whatever...

I don't know how many know this, but there are still people successfully panning for gold...the original gold rush.

Simple fact is, you either got the right mindset or you don't, and if you don't, you better find it or else you'll be among those people claiming they "couldn't find clients" despite the fact there's a business on every street and in every home and more potential clients in the market than at any previous point in existence.

This is a general rant, not aimed at you Zeroto100. Your post just happened to be the one I clicked reply to.

 

Dislike ads? Remove them and support the forum: Subscribe to Fastlane Insiders.

[eliquid]

I didn't want to stick my neck on this, but I think I will.

I've been in the web design/marketing area since 1996-1997. I've seen a lot of shit come and go in many of the areas.

I personally feel digital marketing is completely and utterly saturated.

Meaning, I can go on UpWork and find thousands of people with PPC or SEO or Social This and That in their profiles and I can pick any flavor of UpWork contractor I want. It is saturated from a "spin the wheel and win a digital marketing agency today" perspective.

I could probably walk down my street, throw a dart, and it would land and prick someone. And that someone would probably be a "digital marketing agency" person.

Where it is NOT saturated is with quality. Original thinkers, doers, mavericks, people who get performance or care for their clients and actually get their hands dirty with things they didn't hear from a blog.

Also, the hardest thing in digital marketing is not the work or skill, its winning the client. The "foot in the door" that Lex speaks about.

Any of these new digital marketing agencies can walk down their street, enter a club and ask to manager their Instagram profile. But hardly none of these people will research companies that do $100m a year with 100+ employees and gatekeepers in a skyrise and try to pitch them.

The easy shit is walking into a club during the day where the manager is right there wiping down tables in the off hours. The hard shit is going after bigger catches that require more work upfront or getting clients that aren't just "on the street" and require a bit more crowbar.

So yes, it is saturated from a number of people's game.. BUT its not saturated in the quality/value/thinking/bigger fish game.

If you can distance yourself away from the "numbers" people, you will have it made.

This is one reason I don't price myself low. Nothing against people who do, but I try to find reasons to stay out of the same pool the numbers people are in even if it means pricing myself out of certain clients, niches, industries, verticals, etc

.

 

[Kyle T]

GOLD! - CHECKLIST: How to Start a Digital Marketing Agency & Hit $5K in Less than 90 Days

EDIT: Running into some riff-raff from this post: MARKETPLACE - Digital / Social Media Marketing For Hire ?

I followed that thread and am building my own "agency". In regards to the market being saturated, I would agree that there are a lot of people jumping into the space. I also think that it may feel a bit more saturated to us entrepreneurs because

1. We are immersed in the internet & social media every day
2. Marketers are loud

But... As with anything, execution is key. In order to replace my income with this small business, I only need to secure 10 clients. In my talks with people, I have zero reasons to believe that the market is so saturated that I can't be successful in achieving that. Selling is still going to separate winners from losers.

I view it as a land grab. It is a growing field and I would rather compete in a growing field than one that has been established for decades.

 

[Fox]

we all know what probably happened...

We all KNOW what PROBABLY happened...?

You do see how that makes zero sense ya.

Most don't make it in any niche or endeavour.

- Most quit a gym after they join
- Most don't keep with a diet
- Most people never get past the early stages of learning a language

To keep it business:
- Most Amazon businesses don't make it
- Most e-commerce businesses don't make it
- Most brick and mortar businesses don't make it

Joining my course doesn't change human nature.

I have had people ask for a refund after over a year who never once watched a single video and have now moved on to the next thing - it is the nature of teaching courses.

I don't guarantee success - I teach what I know and have experienced to save you the time and effort to learn yourself.

"He made 700 calls over 3 months and made 1 sale...." < well he should have stopped and switched up his approach. I can quote 100s of posts where I say not to do this.


Anyway, this thread isn't about my course - it is about the whole industry.

Web design with a good approach isn't saturated.
Web design with a cookie cutter "Ill make you a responsive website" x 2,000 phone calls is DEAD.

The problem with web design is most people copy a copy of a copy of a successful business.
Very few think for themselves, bring real value to the table, and stick at it long term.

I am sorry you didn't make it work but don't come at me with your failure either.

"Designers earned a median salary of $52,000 per year or $26 per hour. With additional compensation of $3,000, which included bonuses and commissions, final compensation reached $55,000. The 25th percentile made $60,000 annually or $22.50 per hour, and the 75th percentile received $65,000 per year or $32.50 per hour."

Making a $100k a year in web design is a statistical anomaly. Most will never get there. Much like playing online poker, most are break even players, many will not win millions of dollars a year.

Average people make average wages.

Pull up the stats for crypto, e-commerce, dropshipping, saas, affiliate marketing, running a restaurant - they will be the same or worse.

When you look at an industry with millions of people the average is... average.

If the stat that matters most to you is a high average wage for everyone go become a doctor or a dentist. Otherwise, accept that being an entrepreneur carries risks, and no matter how good the course/book/coaching - most are going to fall below the average line. That is how a bell curve/averages work.

 

[rpeck90]

I run a digital marketing agency.

Seems like everyone is doing it now...

Two, three years ago everyone was talking about starting a podcast.

Now it seems the rage is "digital marketing agencies".

Is this what happens any time a guru promotes these businesses as a great business to start?

Suddenly they're on every street corner?

IMO, If some top-tier guru/influencer is selling you a course on "how to start a [blank] business" it's probably not a business you want to start.

It's because it's an entry-level business; no money-down, no risk and maximum upside. No qualifications needed, no track-record, no certifications etc. Just a simple site, 5k Twitter followers from spewing hollow platitudes and you're good to go.

The model has been around for a while (it used to be SEO). The most recent iteration revolves around FB ads and "copywriting". I don't understand the demand for copy, but whatever - people are getting paid to do it. FB ads will be a dead horse in 2 years; either it'll be too expensive or the market will be saturated.

I don't know who's promoted the model but I do know several of the runaway "dropshipping" success stories I follow on Twitter are transitioning into FB ad management, so this is probably the reason why. Either way, it's a total waste of time for most people.

And yes, if an influencer is selling you a course - it may have worked for them, but likely won't for you. Some may call it cynical but it's true.

Hey MJ, I've actually been learning and have been creating the foundations for my own. Do you think that it's not viable? Or just indicators from gurus that what they're teaching might not be it?

The best way to gauge its viability is to treat it like a hobby. If you weren't getting paid to do it, would you? If not, it's probably not a good business to get into because you're dependent on the money.

 

Dislike ads? Remove them and support the forum: Subscribe to Fastlane Insiders.

[Andy Black]

I totally agree. There’s a LOT of people selling shovels to folks on Facebook and Instagram.

There’s lots of annoying ads on Facebook about running Facebook agencies, and ads on Instagram about running Instagram Agencies.

It’s kinda clever though. It’s not too hard to persuade people who live on those platforms that they know more about that platform than the average local business owner.

Sounds a bit like “follow your passion” again.

There’s a genuine need by many businesses to nail “traffic generation”. I can’t see it getting saturated. Not if you’re good.

I already see businesses getting fed up with the spam or who’ve been burnt. I love talking to those guys and bringing them a breath of fresh air.

I don’t think you have to spend thousands on courses to figure this stuff out. You just follow Mother Theresa’s advice in my signature and then you’re off and running.


Once people are freelancing, then their next challenge is to build a business. Most will fall over at that hurdle.

It’s like @Fox and the web design stuff. It’s not about web design, it about sales, adding value, getting paid, building a team, generating MRR, etc.


Will add more thoughts later.

 

[GuitarManDan]

Love how people expect things to be easy, from the sales process to the learning curve. The only thing that is easy is how quickly one will quit when their first, second, and third swing misses.

For those citing the engineering dude who can't close, this guy quit his NY investment banking to start a web design firm. He's doing pretty good and he start posting before any first sales. @GuitarManDan

GOLD! - Moved to Scottsdale, Growing a Web Design Firm

Again, I don't have any dog in the fight except for the dogs that want to say it's all about luck and randomness, and not process. Standard economics apply -- the more crowded something is, the more you have to be better at it -- bigger crowds = lower probabilities.

Thanks for the shoutout MJ - haven't had a chance to go through the full post yet but I'll check it out tonight.

Based on the response and the title though I can imagine what this is about. I'll be the first to say of course I knew going into this business that it's highly competitive and highly saturated, which like MJ said means you have to go above and beyond to make it work.

I was working in an absolutely miserable work environment in investment banking in NYC and it was so stressful and toxic I was actually beginning to get random stress-induced health issues when I was only 26/27 years old.

What I absolutely loved about web design and starting this business is that you don't need crazy overhead and if you work smart and take action (I can't even begin to tell you how many times I failed with sales calls, spammy cold emails, terrible sales meetings, missing out on huge opportunities), you can make it work and start making high-profit sales.

I'm definitely not at a point now where I can just sit around and drink margaritas on the beach all day, but it's been an amazing learning experience and that's the other main reason I took this step forward.

In the beginning, I didn't focus on web design, I religiously read and learned from those who knew how to sell because I knew I could be the best coder in the world and if I wasn't making sales, I'd fall on my face.

I've learned so much from these forums and @Fox 's groups it's been crazy. I also went into this with realistic expectations that I would need to adapt as the way tech moves, the way I'm doing things now could be obsolete in a few years.

However, I've honed my skills with closing sales, sales meetings, and just learning the fundamentals of starting a business and that is absolutely crucial to whatever business I end up doing after this is I go after another opportunity. It makes me feel confident that no matter what I do, I'll be successful at it with how much I've learned this past year or so with this business.

For now, my plan is to continue to build this business up for the next 2-4 years or so, really specializing in web design and SEO and constantly reevaluate and adjust accordingly.

 

Dislike ads? Remove them and support the forum: Subscribe to Fastlane Insiders.

[Kyle T]

So I sent a single video today using the LinkedIn strategy from Crushing B2B sales with LinkedIn.

I sent a video where I spent 4 minutes providing VALUE in the form of tips for a guy's website. The person messaged me back and within 10-minutes we were on the phone. We talked for 45 minutes and I focused on learning about his business. During the convo, I qualified him and scheduled a sales to call for Monday.

So why am I putting it in this thread? The guy told me that he has been messaged by over 50 people in the last month regarding his website!!!

Yes, the market is saturated but it doesn't mean that you can't be successful.

He ignored all of the others because:

1. They didn't provide enough value.
2. They didn't cut through the noise
3. They weren't focused on helping.

This is a first-hand example of what we have discussed in this thread.

 

[Choate]

It's a timely thread, as a few of my recent jobs (even one I'm even working on now) involves providing copywriting and helping to build these digital marketing agencies' websites. Typically cookie cutter brands, has that "agency" feel, and more. Like hey, if you can't do this stuff yourself how are you going to provide it for others, especially with the guarantees on ROI you're claiming?

That's alright with me though, I'll keep selling them the shovels.

 

[Fox]

I was part of Fox’s group and many people are quitting or leaving the group since they can’t sell.

That ain’t true - the group has more active members than ever and is growing the same it always has.



Wow - look at all those people leaving.

Also your “survey” isn’t exactly the best way to gauge that. You are referring to a public survey on FB with their name is attached right beside it. Most people who are doing successfully don’t want to advertise it loudly for 1000s of others to see... "Hey everyone I am making 100k plus a year". These surveys attract the people doing the worst cause they are keen for help.

Run that same survey in any group of business people and see how it goes... “hey how much is everyone making? - just leave your full name here and FB details here too ”.

I’m definitely open to debate about the industry but what you said is highly cherry picked/false.

---

I recently started learning video production and loved the fact there were courses that save me years of learning by myself. I could see that as "these courses promote video production too much and now everyone will do it" or I could see it as "wow it is possible to learn directly from the best".

One guy selling a video course I bought has 6,000 students x $799 (do the math on that). But so what? His course just saved me $100,000 to get this same level of instruction from film school. I see the availability of courses/free Youtube content as a great thing - third level education and hundreds of thousands of dollars of debt don't have to be the main option for people to learn skills anymore. I don't know how I would learn this stuff in Mexico by myself without people like him helping others.

---

I do think Web Design has a lot of people who are not approaching it right who are not needed nor adding any value. At the same time, there is no shortage of work for those who can do things right.

If you get into web design without any unique approach or above average value offer and think it will be a brand new blue ocean you are only deluding yourself.

When I was a telemarketer in my youth selling cred cards, the conversion rate was around 1-3%. The goal was to get 6-7 sales per 3-400 calls daily to qualify for bonus (very achievable). In digital marketing you will be GOD if you hit those numbers and that doesn’t include the hours you spend building your prospect list.

So you used to make around 2,000 calls a week but are complaining that same approach doesn't work any more for web design?

I have always recommended people DONT do this. That they work through building a tight network, producing great results, and leveraging that network in a smart way to get more projects. There is some cold prospecting here and there but its calculated and done with a high-value approach.

 

[Fox]

---



---



Again I think this is more about some other factors:

- A few muppets using highly spammy methods that make the whole industry seem way over saturated.

- Better ad targetting. You are getting hit with courses because your online activity shows you are an ideal customer. So you think those courses are everywhere.

- These forums have higher than average numbers of web designers.


If you compare web design to some other niches you will see that the web design craze peaked a long time ago...



"Start a web design business" was hottest back in the early 2000's. While it is certainly busy the amount of opportunity has risen with it.

 

[Fox]

Thanks for the shoutout MJ - haven't had a chance to go through the full post yet but I'll check it out tonight.

Based on the response and the title though I can imagine what this is about. I'll be the first to say of course I knew going into this business that it's highly competitive and highly saturated, which like MJ said means you have to go above and beyond to make it work.

I was working in an absolutely miserable work environment in investment banking in NYC and it was so stressful and toxic I was actually beginning to get random stress-induced health issues when I was only 26/27 years old.

What I absolutely loved about web design and starting this business is that you don't need crazy overhead and if you work smart and take action (I can't even begin to tell you how many times I failed with sales calls, spammy cold emails, terrible sales meetings, missing out on huge opportunities), you can make it work and start making high-profit sales.

I'm definitely not at a point now where I can just sit around and drink margaritas on the beach all day, but it's been an amazing learning experience and that's the other main reason I took this step forward.

In the beginning, I didn't focus on web design, I religiously read and learned from those who knew how to sell because I knew I could be the best coder in the world and if I wasn't making sales, I'd fall on my face.

I've learned so much from these forums and @Fox 's groups it's been crazy. I also went into this with realistic expectations that I would need to adapt as the way tech moves, the way I'm doing things now could be obsolete in a few years.

However, I've honed my skills with closing sales, sales meetings, and just learning the fundamentals of starting a business and that is absolutely crucial to whatever business I end up doing after this is I go after another opportunity. It makes me feel confident that no matter what I do, I'll be successful at it with how much I've learned this past year or so with this business.

For now, my plan is to continue to build this business up for the next 2-4 years or so, really specializing in web design and SEO and constantly reevaluate and adjust accordingly.

As a side note on the "mindset for success" look at the language used in this post compared to other not so successful people.

This post:
"if you work smart and take action"
"I'm definitely not at a point now where I can just sit around"
"I religiously read and learned from those who knew how to sell"
"I also went into this with realistic expectations that I would need to adapt"

A course is just a course. A book is just a book.
99% of where you are and what you will become is on your own shoulders.

I would say 100% but someone will have a crazy outliner example that I got to account for

 

[Johnny boy]

I was supposed to meet some chick for a date but she flaked so I had 3 hours and bought a domain, created a catchy brand with a logo and name, posted some craigslist ads in top metropolitan areas in the US for marketing consulting, and in a day I got some accounting firm to reach out. I hopped on the phone and had a great conversation with them for 2 hours about their business and goals and they said "how much do I owe you"? and I said "a thousand dollars". They said "thats it"??? and sent me a thousand dollars via paypal.

Maybe that's rare...idk. The less F*cks you give the better I guess.

Plus I even enjoyed the conversation. I talked about systems, how she can strategically market her business. How she needs to delegate certain tasks and which to do herself. The best programs and sites and apps to use for the different parts of her business. What to post in order to build a local following and how that ties in with her personality.

So now she's sending me a grand. I was chilling in some shorts at home. F*ck, if I could do this shit while on vacation or something...GOLDEN haha.

Here's the logo I made

Media mousetrap (catch more customers)

I think there's lots of opportunities out there. Just use some creativity. It's more fun that way anyways.

 

[Kyle T]

20 years ago, small & medium sized businesses had near ZERO opportunity to market at scale. They had zero ability to target their audiences based on anything but geography.

We are talking about over 28 MILLION businesses that now have an opportunity to market & advertise using the internet

That is a massive market that has opened up and these businesses are realizing that their competitors who are successful, are the ones marketing online.

With a massive number of businesses that have a need, there is going to be a massive rise in problem solvers.

I would much rather be competing in a sector that is growing (15% this decade) than to compete in a sector that already established.

(Web Designers: 162,900 in US (2016)
Job Outlook, 2016-26 15% (Much faster than average)
source: data.bls.org)

It obviously isn't Fastlane, but good digital marketers will be able to grow a solid business regardless.

Just because people are selling shovels doesn't mean that you can't find some gold...

 

[Lex DeVille]

I don't understand the demand for copy, but whatever

The demand is veiled. Clients think they want/need copy. What they actually want and need is clean writing by someone who doesn't suck. In some spaces they care about direct response. Most of the time clients don't even know wtf copywriting is. If you can write a sentence with proper capitals and punctuation they'll pay you and call you an awesome copywriter!

 

Dislike ads? Remove them and support the forum: Subscribe to Fastlane Insiders.

[ZeroTo100]

Digital marketing is already dead with %5 taking %90 of the market. As I said previously in other threads, business owners are getting hammered daily with emails, cold calls and networking events.

Every month a digital marketing agency opens up in my city. One big firm left for greener pastures.

I was part of Fox’s group and many people are quitting or leaving the group since they can’t sell. The AVERAGE person will be lucky to make $2k/month. A poll was conducted and 90% made 0-40k/year. Only a handful made the mythical 6 figures/year. A lot were starving and made no sales for the month. There are plenty of new members signing up to “try” web design. Add those to the new spam emails and cold calls business owners will get.

When I was a telemarketer in my youth selling cred cards, the conversion rate was around 1-3%. The goal was to get 6-7 sales per 3-400 calls daily to qualify for bonus (very achievable). In digital marketing you will be GOD if you hit those numbers and that doesn’t include the hours you spend building your prospect list.

I can smell an amateur from a mile away. I'm not saying you're an amateur, I'm just calling the failures out.

The problem with this picture is that people think they can just throw a website up and call themselves an agency. The real issue is that maybe they were taught how to start an agency, however; they have absolutely no experience in it.

Why does everyone want to jump the gun and start a company? Why not put in some work for a company and learn a little about the market they are in.

The market is not dead. I'll explain..

I live in a city with hundreds of businesses. I can literally walk down from block to block pitching businesses on my social media management company, or my adsense management company, or whatever it is you consider a "digital marketing agency.'

My pitch would be - Hey, I ran a marketing business for 7 years while I was in my 20s. We handled nightclubs, restaurants, and some of our events did over 5,000 people. We know how to market both online and off. I'm launching a new service and would love to sit down and show you what we can do for you.

Maybe I'd research their company first and then go in and say "hey, this is what we can do for you.'

The point is, I would definitely be able to get at least 10 companies on board for $500-$1,000 a month. My offer would be very unique and I have a history to back it up.

If you want to be successful in an industry like this, why not just work someone for 6 months. Learn what you can, network, get out there.

Would that require too much work from you?

 

[MJ DeMarco]

Love how people expect things to be easy, from the sales process to the learning curve. The only thing that is easy is how quickly one will quit when their first, second, and third swing misses.

For those citing the engineering dude who can't close, this guy quit his NY investment banking to start a web design firm. He's doing pretty good and he start posting before any first sales. @GuitarManDan

GOLD! - Moved to Scottsdale, Growing a Web Design Firm

Again, I don't have any dog in the fight except for the dogs that want to say it's all about luck and randomness, and not process. Standard economics apply -- the more crowded something is, the more you have to be better at it -- bigger crowds = lower probabilities.

 

[Andy Black]

Because the people that have the credentials to create and sell are course are too busy running a successful agency.

Not many people who do can teach. (In your face those who keep spouting “Those who can, do; those who can’t, teach.”)

Not many who can teach WANT to teach.

Not many that want to do both have the time/mental bandwidth to serve their current market (the DFY business owners), at the same time as serving their DIY market.

Fewer yet can put together a course that actually helps their students.



Did anyone spot that @Fox spent a chunk of time and money improving his video skills so he could better serve his students?

Did anyone spot that he is still in the trenches building a DFY business while using that journey to help his DIY students?

That’s a super hard line to walk, and I think his content and courses are a steal for what he charges.


Me? I decided this year to firmly close the door on new course creation, my own fledgling forum/Facebook group, and training/coaching. Splitting my focus between serving my DFY and DIY markets wasn’t serving both as well as I wanted.

Hats off to those who can pull it off.

Hats off to those whose business is to help beginners all day every day.


EDIT: Hats off to all the business owners in here who spend their time, for free, helping people get started.

 

[BlackMagician]

“A market is never saturated with a good product, but it is very quickly saturated with a bad one. ~ Henry Ford”
― M.J. DeMarco, The Millionaire Fastlane

BOOM!! Truth Revealed!

Same applies to Digital Marketing/Web design

 

[MJ DeMarco]

What constitutes a digital marketing agency?

I'm just reflecting on what I keep hearing here and around the web. I run a digital marketing agency doesn't come from my mouth, it comes from theirs.

EDIT: Running into some riff-raff from this post: MARKETPLACE - Digital / Social Media Marketing For Hire ?

Not sure your point, I don't deny there's a solid demand for it. My question is more on the lines of "is it the new next hot thing?"

History repeats.

When Dumas and Flynn started selling their podcasting courses, that's when you knew it was only a matter of time before saturation and that there was a shark ready to be jumped. Is this the same?

Not looking to be right or wrong, just curious to other people's thoughts.

 

Dislike ads? Remove them and support the forum: Subscribe to Fastlane Insiders.

[MrYoshi]

To anyone running a digital agency in this thread - Alex Berman can help you get in front of any person you want with cold emailing.

View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KmV95PBTsqY


I saw his videos a couple years ago, but he helped me a ton with cold-emailing when I was in a sales role.

I'm now able to get in front of almost any enterprise-level client because of his work and some of the tweaks I've made to my outreach process.

 

Dislike ads? Remove them and support the forum: Subscribe to Fastlane Insiders.

[Charnell]

GOLD! - CHECKLIST: How to Start a Digital Marketing Agency & Hit $5K in Less than 90 Days

EDIT: Running into some riff-raff from this post: MARKETPLACE - Digital / Social Media Marketing For Hire ?

 

[Charnell]

You are getting hit with courses because your online activity shows you are an ideal customer. So you think those courses are everywhere.

Zing.

There's a huge eye-opening moment, similar to an FTE, where you go "the market is not saturated, I'm just in this market and am aware of all the movers and shakers."

I'm sure if we took any industry and saw the number of people selling courses just on the first 10 pages of Google, the results would be interesting. I'm guessing 20 landing pages and 80 blog posts doing their best to launchjack those courses for affiliate commissions.