Carole Mahoney on Why You Should Make Your Agency Your #1 Client

When it comes to promoting clients, the best marketing agencies go all out. A/B testing, the latest social media trends, creative content — they’ll do whatever it takes to spread the word. But all too often, they don’t put the same energy into their own agency marketing. 

“One of the biggest mistakes I see with marketing agencies specifically is the classic ‘the potter has no shoes’ scenario,” says Carole Mahoney, founder of Unbound Growth. “The work they do for clients, they don’t do for themselves. They don’t write content or try to attract clients for their own business. These are two common pitfalls I see agency owners fall into.”

Set yourself up for long-term success by taking your agency marketing just as seriously as your clients’. Here’s what’s at stake and how to get started with insights from Carole Mahoney, founder of Unbound Growth. 

What’s the Problem?

It’s easy to put your own marketing on the back burner, especially when you already have plenty of clients. But that neglect can have serious consequences, including:

• Stagnant growth: When you’re not actively marketing your agency, you’re missing opportunities to attract new clients. You also put yourself at risk of serious revenue loss if any of your existing customers cut back or move on.
• Weakened brand presence: Consistency is everything in marketing. If you don’t steadily promote your business, awareness fades, and your content gets buried by the algorithm.
• Lack of strategic direction: Without a marketing strategy, you’re just going with the flow, taking whatever projects come your way. That makes it difficult to specialize or grow your business.

So, what do marketers need to do to remedy this?

The Solution

Effective agency marketing isn’t just about creating the right content or buying the occasional ad. It’s a complete mindset shift. 

“The biggest pitfall I see is that agencies don’t do for themselves what they do for their clients,” Mahoney explains. “They don’t treat their own business as a client.” 

That means putting real effort into promoting your business all the time — not just when you’re between projects or need a side quest for your intern. After all, you wouldn't give any other client a half-developed strategy or months of downtime.

Here are three strategies to help you build your agency’s presence: 

Set Measurable Goals

You would never start marketing a client’s business without a clear end goal in mind. And the same principle applies to your own agency. Goals drive action, not the other way around. 

Start by setting realistic and specific objectives for your campaign, such as:

• Generate at least ten new leads per month through social media marketing.
• Reach a certain number of followers, views, or favorites on TikTok.
• Use search engine optimization (SEO) to appear on the first page of local search results.
• Increase brand recognition by posting two educational social media posts weekly.

Use key performance indicators (KPIs) to see if you’re making progress toward your goals. For example, you might monitor engagement on TikTok to measure growing brand awareness. Or you could track web traffic to see if your SEO tactics are paying off.

Internal tracking dashboards can help you gather this data and see the big picture. Google Analytics, for instance, tracks the behavior and demographics of website visitors. Similarly, Ahrefs monitors backlinks, keyword ranking, and other SEO data.

Of course, setting your goals shouldn’t be a set-it-and-forget-it task. Be sure to review your goals regularly and make adjustments as needed. Check in monthly for short-term objectives, such as gaining 100 Instagram followers. For more ambitious goals, measure your performance at least quarterly or yearly.

Schedule Internal Strategy Sessions

As a marketing agency, you have a unique advantage: you’ve already built your own A-team of promotional whizzes. Put their talents to good use with regular strategy meetings for your agency.

These sessions are a great time to discuss:

• Marketing goals and KPIs
• New content ideas and trends
• Experimental approaches and tools, such as using sentiment analysis to evaluate how people talk about your brand on social media before and after a new ad campaign
• Opportunities for user-generated content, such as interviewing clients about their experiences

Resist the urge to chat about client projects during these meetings. This is dedicated time to strategize for your own business’s growth, so take it seriously.

Assign Ownership and Accountability

Marketing your agency isn’t a one-person job — at least, not if you’re prioritizing it. You need a dedicated team with different specialities, such as:

• A content owner to oversee the whole creation process
• At least one writer (internal or freelance)
• An editor
• A designer

Use a task management tool like Asana or Trello to assign projects and set deadlines. That way, everyone knows exactly what they’re responsible for. It also means you’ll never have to wonder if your social media specialist has finished this week’s Instagram posts — you can just check the software.

Benefits of Being Your Own #1 Client

Focusing on marketing your agency has many advantages, including a few that you might not expect. Here are a few reasons to invest in yourself:

Improves Credibility 

Clients feel more comfortable when they can see your expertise at work. And there’s no better way to prove your effectiveness than by getting results for yourself. 

Just think about it — would you rather hire an agency with successful social media channels and an awesome blog, or one that barely has an online presence? The choice is obvious.

Consistent Lead Generation

Even the most loyal clients can vanish overnight, especially during economic downturns. Agency marketing will help you attract a steady stream of leads, so you always have new clients and projects in the hopper.

Improves Brand Awareness

Savvy marketing builds brand recognition, which can eventually attract new customers. Plus, people are more likely to trust your agency when they know they can count on you for quality content.

More Long-Term Growth

Internal marketing and strategic planning are investments in your agency’s future. They allow you to create focused long-term objectives and improve your brand positioning. These activities can also reveal weaknesses in your business, such as unclear branding.

For example, you might realize that some of your social media posts are sarcastic and filled with slang (“no cap”), while others sound like they’re written by a friendly grandmother. A more consistent brand voice will help you reach the right audience for you.

You’re Your Safest A/B Testing

Along with promoting your business, agency marketing gives your team a sandbox for experimenting with new approaches and tools. For example, you could test out new software without risking your client’s business. If it works out, great! You can add it to your clients’ toolkits. If not, no worries — only your agency is affected.

Internal campaigns also allow your team to truly unleash their creativity. They can innovate to their heart’s content and use what they’ve learned to make your clients’ projects even better.

Become Your Agency’s Biggest Cheerleader

Agency marketing should always be a top priority, not an afterthought. By investing your time and talents in your own business, you can boost your reputation and continue to grow.

Get started by setting goals and focusing on one or two channels at a time, and encourage your team to be bold and creative. After all, if there’s ever a time to experiment and show off your talents, it’s with your own marketing.

About Carole Mahoney, Founder of Unbound Growth

Carole Mahoney, the Founder of Unbound Growth, is a sales coach for the Entrepreneurial MBA program at Harvard Business School, where she’s been called “the Sales Therapist.” She draws on cutting-edge science, statistics, and data from 2.2 million sales professionals to inform her sales coaching work with clients.