Research has revealed that almost two-thirds of digital marketing agencies only have between one and 10 employees. As a result, the average agency employs just three or four people. If yours falls into this category, you might be more focused on finding a digital agency mentor than developing your organizational leadership skills.
But your agency won’t stay stuck in this stage for long, especially if you take full advantage of mentoring. It will grow soon enough, requiring you to hire more employees. You will also need to fast-track your leadership development skills — emphasizing ethical decision making, communication, and collaboration — to manage them effectively.
So, why not get a head start on this process now? Check out our guide to managing employees below.
Set Up a Solid Structure
When your agency is still in its infancy, you can get away with not having a clearly defined hierarchy. Initially, it might only have a few employees, so you won’t need to be overly concerned about providing each one with a distinct role.
However, if things go according to plan, a more substantial structure will become necessary, as will a solid organizational chart.
As CEO, you will sit at the top, ready to share your strategic vision and demonstrate organizational leadership. Your COO will sit just beneath you, and the heads of different departments will fall under them.
These departments might include:
- Sales/Marketing
- Operations
- Account Management
- Administration/Finance
You can then create and fill various positions within each department. For example, your operations department might include employees working on web development, search engine optimization, and paid ads.
Structuring your agency will enable you to avoid tackling tasks like account management, freeing you up for big-picture initiatives. It will also assign workers specific roles and hold them more accountable, ultimately making managing employees easier.
Invest in the Right Talent
When your agency is still in the “startup phase” — $0 to $10,000 in monthly recurring revenue — it will probably be a one-person operation. However, as it moves into the “stability phase” — $10,000 to $30,000 in MRR — you must have at least two full-time employees. This will increase to five to 10 full-time employees during the “scale phase” — $30,000 to $50,000 in MRR — and the number will escalate from there.
Hire the right employees by developing a well-thought-out process. It should include:
- Deciding which positions to create
- Figuring out how to create job listings and publish them
- Determining how to vet resumes
It should also include devising creative ways to interview candidates. For example, you may want to invite applicants for operations jobs to tackle test projects and those applying for account management jobs to submit video-based applications.
Building an intense hiring process will take time and require fine-tuning, but it should give you complete confidence in new employees and make them excited to join your team.
Consider making them even more excited by implementing an onboarding process that highlights how much you anticipate their arrival. Doing something as simple as sending them a new employee welcome box might do the trick.
Make Clear Communication a Top Priority
Your new employees will be enthusiastic at the start. To keep them motivated, demonstrate organizational leadership while encouraging them to gel with your team.
Provide them with the proper tools to communicate effectively. Emphasize the importance of using Zoom to hold one-on-one and team meetings and Slack to connect throughout the day.
You should also consider adopting the Entrepreneurial Operating System (EOS). This framework maximizes the effectiveness of meetings by defining the different types you should hold.
Examples include:
- Daily stand-up meetings: Short meetings that involve team members checking in on the progress of projects and pinpointing potential problems
- Level 10 meetings: Longer weekly meetings with leadership teams to discuss important goals with specific agendas
- All-hands meetings: Long monthly meetings featuring all employees sharing wins and developing long-term strategies
These meetings will improve employee engagement and ensure everyone is aligned.
Let Us Take Your Digital Marketing Agency to the Next Level
Organizational leadership isn’t something everyone is born with. Even the best leaders in the digital marketing industry often have to refine their skills.
Seven Figure Agency can help your agency navigate growing pains as it brings on new employees and goes through team building. We can also evaluate its structure and show you how to scale.
Contact us at 866-628-8122 to schedule a meeting, and listen to the Seven Figure Agency Podcast with Josh Nelson for more tips.
Join Our Digital Marketing Agency Success Group on Facebook
Connect with 15,000+ other digital marketing agency owners. Share tips, ideas, and strategies for growing and scaling your Digital Marketing Agency. Click Here To Join The Facebook Group.
