Is Your Agency Missing the B2B Boom While Chasing the B2C Bust?
This blog is written by Rhonda Beckmann the new SVP, Growth at Setup and Business Development Guru | Strategizing & Guiding Growth. This is part two of a previous blog: The Expert’s Irony: Are Agencies Losing Their Own Game?
With nearly two decades in agency growth, I have devoted my career to helping agencies unlock their full growth potential. My journey has involved working with smaller boutique agencies to global leaders, always emphasizing the critical drivers of success: nurturing meaningful relationships, creating custom client solutions, and cultivating high-performing teams. I have learned that agency growth is not solely about acquiring big clients; it's about recognizing an agency's uniqueness and using its strengths to build trust-centered partnerships. This mindset has allowed me to match marketers with the right agencies, ensuring a strategic fit that benefits both parties. I am passionate about helping agencies realize the power of B2B strategies to attract the right clients and foster long-term, sustainable growth. My approach is straightforward: understand your value, align with the clients who need it most, and establish lasting partnerships.
The B2B Blind Spot
Are you overlooking your own growth? Many Agencies often focus heavily on B2C tactics to attract Clients. However, this approach may cause them to miss out on untapped growth potential. While you’re busy boosting your Clients’ success with B2B strategies, are you neglecting to apply those same powerful techniques to your own Agency? This common oversight could be limiting your potential for higher revenue, stronger Client loyalty, and long-term success. It’s time to shift your focus inward and leverage your B2B strengths to drive your Agency’s growth.
At Setup, we’ve long recognized the power of B2B strategies in driving Agency growth. For the past decade, we’ve successfully matched over 1,200 Brands with Agencies, ensuring strategic fit and mutual success. With twenty years of personal experience in growing Agencies—from niche specialists to global leaders—I’ve seen firsthand how embracing a B2B mindset transforms results.
Your Agency’s Hidden Growth Power
Your Agency’s most powerful growth resource lies within your existing Client data. This data is essential for identifying ideal Clients who align perfectly with your services and contribute the most value. By analyzing the common traits of your best Clients—such as industry, size, and specific needs—you can build a precise profile of your ideal Client, ensuring your marketing efforts are targeted and effective.
At Setup, we guide Agencies in defining their Ideal Client Profile (ICP) by focusing on the top 20% to 30% of Clients who contribute the most to revenue and strategic goals. This approach not only helps attract the right Clients, but also fosters long-term relationships that fuel sustained growth.
Diving deeper into this data means evaluating key factors like revenue contribution, profitability, loyalty, and strategic alignment. By understanding these metrics, Agencies can refine their ICP and optimize their marketing strategies to resonate with high-value prospects. Content marketing plays a pivotal role in this process. When aligned with a well-defined ICP, content becomes a powerful tool for connecting with potential Clients and driving meaningful growth.
Crush It With Strategy
Embracing your B2B identity is the bedrock of lasting growth. In the B2B landscape, success hinges on trust, long-term value, and strategic alignment. Agencies prioritizing these principles thrive, building robust pipelines that sustain long-term success.
Content marketing is now a cornerstone of B2B strategies. Forbes projects that the industry will reach $600 billion in 2024, highlighting its undeniable role in fostering relationships and driving growth. Agencies that leverage content marketing effectively, guided by a well-defined Ideal Client Profile (ICP), are better positioned to engage high-value prospects and sustain growth.
Including content in marketing strategies is no longer optional, with 90% of marketers incorporating it into their approach. Forbes indicates that this high adoption rate reflects content marketing’s essential role in connecting with audiences, building Brand identity, and enhancing online visibility.
Take, for example, an Agency that masters the art of content marketing tailored to its ICP. By delivering targeted, value-driven content, this Agency attracts top-tier Clients’ attention and stands out among Brands making significant investments in their marketing strategies. These Brands recognize the Agency’s ability to connect with their specific needs and invest in long-term partnerships, knowing they’ve found a partner who understands the nuances of B2B success.
Pioneer the Future
In the ever-evolving B2B landscape, staying ahead of trends is crucial. As generic, AI-generated content floods the market, original insights and expert-driven material will become critical differentiators.
Forbes reports that case studies, customer stories, and videos are the most effective content marketing formats for B2B. They all see significant use at 53%. Their effectiveness lies in their ability to engage and provide tangible examples.
Another significant trend uncovered by Forbes is the role of organic search. With 51% of content interactions stemming from organic search, strong SEO strategies make it a crucial element of B2B content marketing.
Account-based marketing (ABM) is also becoming vital for fostering deep, meaningful relationships by aligning marketing efforts with the needs of high-value clients and prospects. At Setup, we know that understanding your audience’s values and needs is crucial for creating personalized, impactful messaging that drives engagement and supports long-term goals. This is why we conduct comprehensive Agency Assessments—to give our partners a clear picture of their strengths and areas for growth. Using these insights, agencies can refine their strategies, connect more effectively with the right clients, and optimize their capabilities for sustainable success.
Future-Proof Your Agency
B2B strategies aren’t just important—they’re essential for the future. Agencies that embrace their B2B identity and invest in targeted strategies like ABM and data-driven decision-making will lead the charge in the coming years.
As the industry continues to evolve, it’s clear that more significant investments in B2B strategies are on the horizon. At Setup, we’re here to guide Agencies through the complexities of B2B marketing, providing the tools, insights, and strategies needed to thrive. The future of B2B is bright—are you ready to embrace it and lead the way?
Ready to unlock your Agency’s growth potential? Start by defining your ideal Client. Download Setup’s Guide to Defining an Ideal Client for Agencies to get started, and let’s explore how we can help your Agency thrive in the B2B space. Contact us today for a personalized consultation.
The marketing world is always changing, but the core principles of great leadership stay the same. To help you navigate this evolving landscape, we’ve gathered insights from some of the top CMOs in the business from our featured 2024 CMO Spotlight interviews. These ten lessons are just as relevant now as they’ll be in 2025, offering practical advice on leading with impact and staying adaptable in a fast-moving marketplace.