If you wanted to create a SEO agency, the barrier to entry was colossal. With a primitive digital landscape, the overhead to create such an operation was daunting and nearly impossible without initial investment. On top of the startup costs, you were limited to physical and traditional media and the headaches associated with all but fabricating something that resembled ROI for your clients. Being “in the red” for a very, very long time was inevitable.
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Times have changed.
It’s not impossible to think that a skilled individual or small team could create a fully operational marketing agency from scratch within a few months (with a little help, of course). Check out buy SEO backlinks.
If you’re a narcissistic Gen Z with grandiose visions of becoming Neil Patel right after you accept your diploma, chances are you’re going to fail miserably.
You can be as creative and intelligent as anyone in the game, but if you’re not prepared and experienced enough to deal with the many nuances of managing accounts and client relationships, you’ll be looking for another gig real quick. It may take years for some to build the skills necessary, it may take others less. Regardless, I believe you need to actually hold down a real job for some time before you venture out on your own.
Work environments are a lot more complex than we realize while we’re grinding within them. Above the actual work you produce there’s a multitude of expectations, verbal and nonverbal communication gymnastics, and politics.
Prior to mastering your digital marketing skills, you need to experience what it’s like to work where your clients may work. This will inevitably make you a more understanding and well-rounded professional.
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That being said, it’s important to understand that soft skills are only 50% of the final product that is you. You need to get good at what you’re going to be offering as “professional” services. No matter how slick your sales game is, a client will discover sooner or later that they’ve been sold snake oil. You have to be able to drive results. If you begin your career managing clients for larger agencies, I would encourage you to actually start working on a marketing team or pick up a handful of small clients to learn the channels and skills you’ll execute.
Get experience (one way or another)
First, you’ll want to gain experience. As a marketing agency CEO with virtually no marketing experience, you’d be hard-pressed to make insightful recommendations to your clients.
The most common path is to earn this experience for yourself. Start as a freelancer, providing small-scale marketing services to a limited number of clients. Or develop your abilities by working for an already established marketing agency.
Practice what you preach
As a marketing agency, it’s important to practice what you preach. For example, let’s say your agency formally recommends search engine optimization (SEO) to its clients. If your clients conduct a few basic searches for your agency’s website and are unable to find it, this is a sign of your agency’s incompetence, hypocrisy, or both.
