RFM165 – Don't underestimate the value of local clients

RetainFM – Build your Digital Agency on Recurring Revenue

Main talking points include:

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The Importance of Local Clients:

1. Understanding the Market:

Local clients operate in a market you’re inherently familiar with. As a part of the same community, you can understand their target audience better, as you share the same environment, culture, and trends.

As a Digital Agency, you often need to target marketing campaigns to specific local audiences. Being in the same locality as a client can provide invaluable insights into the tastes, preferences, and behaviours of local customers. This can be crucial for crafting effective SEO strategies, creating locally relevant content, or running targeted ad campaigns.

2. Face-to-Face Interactions:

With local clients, you have the opportunity for face-to-face meetings, which can foster stronger relationships. These meetings can often lead to a deeper understanding of the client’s needs, more effective communication, and ultimately, more successful projects.

While its easy for digital agencies can work remotely with clients, face-to-face interactions can still be beneficial. Meeting in person can foster better understanding and collaboration, particularly during initial project scoping or strategy development phases where nuanced discussions can be more effectively held in person.

3. Building Trust:

It’s often easier to build trust with local clients. Being part of the same community or area creates a sense of shared identity and mutual understanding, making it easier to establish credibility.

Trust is crucial for any client-agency relationship, but it’s especially important in the digital sphere where clients often need to entrust sensitive data and crucial aspects of their business to their agency. Being locally present can enhance a sense of trust and reliability.

4. Local Networking:

Working with local clients often leads to better networking opportunities within your community. Local clients are more likely to refer you to other local businesses, increasing your client base.

Local networking is an excellent source of business for digital agencies. Attending local business events or joining local business associations can result in referrals and partnerships. A good reputation in local circles can significantly enhance an agency's client base. There does need to be a hint of caution with this, however. Some local networking events can become stagnant (essentially the same people meeting in the same room each meeting). Unless there is an active referral practice in place, be wary if networking groups don't contribute to your business within a few months – it might be time to move on.

5. Community Impact:

Working with local clients often means you’re helping local businesses grow, which can have a positive impact on your community. This can enhance your agency’s reputation and lead to more local work.

Helping local businesses grow can elevate the reputation of a digital agency within a local area. Success stories can be more tangibly demonstrated and can serve as strong social proof for the effectiveness of an agency's digital strategies.

This can either be through some form or partnership or shared community effort with some of your clients, or by tapping in to a local need and contributing individually.

6. Faster Decision Making:

In many cases, working with local clients can lead to quicker decision-making processes. Face-to-face meetings, shared working hours, and easier scheduling can speed up approvals and make project management more efficient. This is true for non-local clients too… sometimes a trip or a dedicated call can lead to faster decisions than leaving communications up to email. (There is a thought about never emailing a proposal – always present it, for example).

For a digital agency, project timelines can be crucial, especially when dealing with aspects like time-sensitive ad campaigns or fast-evolving digital trends. Faster decision-making with local clients can help agencies to be more responsive and agile.

7. Understanding Local Regulations:

(Possibly more of a US consideration) – Being in the same locality, you would have a better understanding of any regional or local regulations that might impact a client’s business or marketing efforts.

This is particularly relevant in areas such as data protection and privacy, local SEO, or location-based advertising where local or regional regulations might significantly impact a digital marketing strategy.

Shout Out Episodes:

• Clients are more than Contracts
• The Power of Networking

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