I’ve known this for a long time, a gut-feeling, a lingering thought that haunts me every time we meet with a prospect. It is difficult to not try to close every prospect that comes our way, but the right thing to do is typically the hardest.
This is our mountain to climb.
Our article was inspired by Mark Huber’s piece on why you shouldn’t buy Metadata. It got us thinking.
As a digital services agency, I realize that not every business is a fit to hire Fullmoon Digital (unlike the “other guys ” who sign on every prospect that reaches out!).
So what is our qualification of the right type of client? Is it money? Is it size of their annual revenue? Is it how sexy their brand is? What?!!
In this article, we face our truth.
We’re selective with the clients we partner with. Instead of selling you on the epic results we deliver for our clients, we want to share important information on when it makes sense to join our pack — and when you shouldn’t.
1. You make decisions based on personal (not professional) bias
If you are influenced by your bias when looking to hire an agency, Fullmoon Digital might not be the right fit for you.
Let’s face it.
Many decisions surrounding an agency partner selection is influence by more than just merit. If the decision-maker in your organization favors a particular agency, the likelihood of someone else winning the contract is greatly diminished.
That’s the reality of this business. There’s bias.
Based on several RFPs we’ve been invited to, we can’t help but acknowledge bias in the way things are set up, discussed, and handled.
While our sample size is much smaller than the larger agencies, we’ve understood that when we do not win a bid, it is hardly due to the quality of our work, the expertise of our team, or the experience we bring to the table. We know this because our client retention rate is 95%, and our average client has been with us for over 5 years.
Unlike other digital agencies that promise everything, (in fact, we do the opposite), we look to work with clients who understand that digital marketing is difficult and requires a long-term investment and dynamic strategies to win. Prospects who demand results in 30/60/90 days are not our cup of tea (or coffee).
Based on the results we deliver to our clients every month and year, the Fullmoon Digital team is worth working with, only if you do not make decisions with bias.
2. You’re just looking for free audits or pro bono information
Every time a lead comes through our inbox, we’re excited. Someone raised their hands!
But life isn’t fair, and you don’t always get what you want.
First, we don’t get that many online leads, by design — mainly because of our strategic limitations of taking in only 7 new clients annually. Trust me, this is one of the reasons we have a 95% client retention rate.
“Can I pick your brain, Derek?” NO! I no longer make myself available for free “audits” — not because I’m against sharing or helping, but when you begin to take advantage of my time, we draw the line and close access.
To my inner circle, I still make time to provide pro bono advice. So if you’re in my inner circle, then we’re peachy. Otherwise, if you’re a random person on LinkedIn…well…you get it.
This is a great way for us to maintain a high level of quality clients that sets the stage for long-term relationship. We must be cognizant of how our time is invested. Just like how you wouldn’t waste your time on cold unqualified leads, we feel the same way also.
We deeply engage with prospect who are serious about long-term strategies who align with our mindset. It’s hard to come by, but when When you hire Fullmoon Digital, you are growing your digital team to do great things.
3. You don’t spend at least $25k/month on paid search
Let’s talk about the most uncomfortable topic – money!
As an agency, we work with clients with a wide spectrum of advertising budget.
Over time, one element stands out like a sore thumb. Clients who are willing to take calculated risks in paid ad budgets tend to learn faster and grow.
In fact, if you’re spending less than $25k monthly on paid ads, you’re probably not scaling as well as you can be. Of course, many agencies are happy to stay at cruise altitude with your spend — so they don’t rattle the cage and continue collecting fees from you.
But that’s not innovative! Is it?
As an agency, Fullmoon Digital is obligated to our clients to challenge status quo – all day, every day.
After managing tens of millions of advertising budget, we concluded that brands spending an average of $25k per month are the ones that have an appetite for experiments and learning new things.
Just because our clients allocate $25k per month, doesn’t mean we will spend every single dollar without reason — that’s madness. We achieve 95% client retention rate because we are responsible with our clients advertising budgets like it’s our own money.
We blend technology and technique to make the most out of our clients budget — and our agency fees are justified with the outcome we deliver. Brands hire Fullmoon Digital for our ability to manage ad budgets effectively in every scenario.
4. You avoid content marketing because it’s a long-game
Too many businesses say they understand the need for content, but only a few are strategic and actually invest in content for their organization.
Yes, the price tag for great content is high.
Base on our experience, the costs of avoiding investing in content is much higher. Why?
You may not feel the immediate impact of not working on your content. But after six to twelve months, you will start to see the effects in your site traffic and revenue.
To stay relevant and ahead of your competition, you must be willing to:
- Set budget aside. Work on really compelling content that address the need of your customers. They may not be ready to buy today or tomorrow, but stay in their radar of consideration, and they may become the most loyal customers in the months or years to come. Don’t be short-sighted.
- Social media. Social platforms is a great way to distribute your content so that customers engage with you across channels. Since people spend countless hours daily on social media, you have a large addressable audience pool who are ready to consume your content.
- Audiences. Know who are you writing for. Forget the Google algorithm! Know thy customer. This is such an overlooked aspect of content marketing. Yes, people talk about all over the internet — it’s a great pitch! But writing the best content for the right audience is no easy feat. From updating your existing content to coming up with new angles, your content is only as strong as your team’s understanding of the customer.
5. You’re not ready to challenge your agency partner
Nobody likes to be told they are wrong. Yet, that’s exactly the type of clients we look for — someone who can handle the heat.
Here’s why we like it.
When a client is misinformed, we have an opportunity to recalibrate their mindset and demonstrate our expertise in digital channels and understanding of the landscape. It’s exciting for the client and our team when we solve challenges together — that is a good reason why you would hire Fullmoon Digital.
On the flipside, we expect clients to challenge our work, question our approach, and validate our strategies. Why do we want to put ourselves through this? Why not?! It fosters collaborate at the deepest levels. Healthy debate strengthens relationships.
We are in the services business and we hold ourselves to the highest standards when clients hire us to deliver digital services.
We don’t want to make an easy paycheck. We want to make an honest living. Every dollar our agency make must be earned. We’re not afraid of any challenges that come our way. That is why businesses hire Fullmoon Digital.
