Ad agency clients: which ones fit and where to find them
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Ad agency clients are the businesses that pay an agency to plan, make or run their ads. The ones that fit have something people already buy, money set aside to test ads and a way to tell which ads led to a sale. You find them through the people who know your work and in the places where their kind of business looks for help.
Where do ad agencies find new clients?
Ad agencies find new clients through people who already know their work, and through the groups, events and partners that serve one kind of business. The work goes faster when you know which kind of business you're looking for.
Common places to look include:
- Your current clients. Ask happy clients who else they know with the same need.
- Firms that sell to the same clients. Web designers, printers and sales trainers meet the businesses you want, and they don't sell ads.
- Trade groups and events in one industry. Owners in one field gather at the same shows and meetings.
- Online groups where owners talk shop. Answer questions there with care, and skip the hard sell.
- Your own ads. Ads that reach the kind of business you serve also show how you work.
- Search. Pages on your site that answer the questions your clients ask can bring in owners who are looking.
In our view, you pick one group of clients and master one lead source that reaches them before you add more. Trying every place at once spreads your time thin, and none of them gets steady.
Before you choose where to look, answer these questions:
- Which of your current clients would you like more of?
- Where did each of those clients first find you?
- Where do businesses like them meet, read or ask for advice?
- Who else sells to them, and would those firms trade introductions with you?
- What result could you show them from the work you've done?
The answers point to one place to start. When that place brings in clients, you can add the next. For adding client channels in order, see getting more clients for a marketing agency.
Owners at stages 1 to 4 of agency growth can sign up for the growth course at no cost, using an email address.
What kinds of clients suit an agency best?
The clients that suit an agency are the ones whose needs match what it does well, who can pay for the work over time and who can tell when the work is paying off. For an ad agency, it helps when a client can track a sale back to an ad.
In our view, the clients who suit you sit in a group you've narrowed until few other agencies serve it.
| Kind of client | What makes it a fit for an ad agency | Where to look for it |
|---|---|---|
| Local service businesses, such as plumbers or dentists | They need a steady flow of new customers in one area | Local business groups, trade suppliers and chambers of commerce |
| Online stores | A sale made online can be tied to the ad behind it when tracking is set up | Groups and events for store owners, and the firms that build their shops |
| Businesses with a long sale, such as software or business services | One new customer is worth a lot to them, so each lead matters | Industry events, trade groups and partners who sell to the same buyers |
| Businesses that open new locations | Each new location starts with no local customers, so it needs a way to find them | Franchise events, and the property agents who lease to them |
| Brands that launch new products | Each launch needs a campaign of its own | Trade shows, product groups and packaging firms |
| Nonprofits with fundraising goals | They need people to give, sign up or show up | Nonprofit networks, local events and fundraising consultants |
Pick the kinds of client you can serve, then test each one with these questions:
- Does the client already spend on ads, or plan to this year?
- Can they track a lead or a sale from an ad?
- Do they sell something people already buy?
- Can they make choices fast enough to run tests?
- Do your past results apply to their field?
Common signs a client won't fit include a demand for results before any testing, no way to track sales, and an ask for work your agency doesn't do. A client like that can take up your time and still leave unhappy.
Picking the kind of client is the same job as picking your niche. For picking who to serve, see how to pick an agency niche.
If your agency sits at stages 1 to 4 of agency growth, you can have the growth course free. Give your email, and it's yours.
More on Niche, positioning and winning clients
- How to pick a niche for your agency, and when to narrow it
- Agency positioning: how to stand apart without a rebrand
- How to get more clients for a marketing agency that already has some
- All guides
Sources
- DeskTeam360's founder, Jeremy Kenerson, on the order to grow an agency, from his own notes (not published).
What changed
- : first version.