How To Start A Digital Marketing Agency Business (He Actually Did It)

Thinking about starting a digital marketing agency but not sure where to begin?

You’re in the right place.

In this guide, I've shared my conversation with Tin from Fuel Your Digital, where he opened up about his journey and gave practical advice on launching and scaling an agency business.

It’s an honest breakdown packed with insights that can save you from common mistakes and help speed up your progress.

So, let's begin!

Mention My Name, Vova Even, To Get The Best Discounts

Hey, just a heads-up! Fuel Your Digital is an incredible YouTube and TikTok marketing agency. I’ve personally worked with them and reviewed their services. Check it out here: Fuel Your Digital Review. I highly recommend them.

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How to Start a Digital Marketing Agency (Step-by-Step Overview)

Vova: Hey Tin, I've got a question for you.

For those who are just getting started with the agency model, what should they actually have before diving in?

I mean, let's say I want to launch a digital marketing agency right now, do I need to already have some specific skills?

Is it about knowledge?

Or, is it more about having money to invest?

I know, there’s a lot of different opinions out there, but I’d love to hear your take for those just starting from scratch.

Tin: That’s actually a really great question, and honestly, it comes up all the time.

We see it a lot in our coaching program.

Tin: Some people come in with skills, like they know how to run ads or edit videos, but they have no idea how to get clients or close a deal.

Others have zero experience across the board; they’re just starting completely fresh.

So, the answer really depends on where you’re coming from personally.

Define What You Want to Offer

Tin: But, in general, here's what I always recommend: If you're just starting out, whether you have some experience or not, I think the most important thing is to know the skill or service you're planning to offer.

For example, if your idea is to sell Facebook ads to dentists or plastic surgeons, then first off, you need to understand why those businesses would even need Facebook ads in the first place.

Understand Why You’re Offering It

Tin: And second, why are you choosing that niche?

Is it something you're passionate about?

Do you know that industry better than most people?

Those are questions you need to ask yourself.

Let’s take my own journey as an example.

I was already familiar with YouTubers and influencers.

I understood what they struggled with, especially when it came to content and getting visibility.

Since I had some background in video editing, I could spot quality work and eventually build a service around that.

That’s how I ended up offering full-service video editing solutions tailored specifically for YouTubers.

-: Gentle Reminder :-

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Build Confidence in Your Offer

Tin: So the key takeaway is: Know the skill you’re offering, and be able to talk about it with confidence; even if you're outsourcing the actual work later.

Then, an equally important factor is to know your niche.

This part is huge and often overlooked.

When you deeply understand the industry you're targeting, it becomes much easier to figure out where your potential clients spend their time and how to reach them.

For example, real estate agents tend to hang out on platforms like LinkedIn, that’s where you’d want to start messaging and building relationships.

On the flip side, if your target is influencers or business entrepreneurs, you’re more likely to find them on Instagram or YouTube.

So it's not just about having a skill, it’s about aligning that skill with a specific audience and understanding how to connect with them in the right places.

In short, starting and running an agency comes with a lot of moving parts.

It's not just a one-step process.

First, like we talked about, you need to know your niche.

That’s the foundation.

But after that, you’ve got to think about how you're going to position yourself so that people in that niche actually notice you.

Capturing their attention in a crowded space is a real challenge.

Then there's the delivery side; how do you actually fulfill the service you’re offering?

But honestly, I believe that part can evolve as you go.

How Tin Built His Own Agency from Scratch

Tin: Take my own experience, for example.

When I first got started, I didn’t have everything mapped out.

I didn’t even fully understand how I’d eventually scale my agency.

My mindset at the time was really simple: just get one client first.

To do that, I set a daily goal.

Every day, I reached out to about 20 people, mostly through LinkedIn or cold emails.

Cold email, by the way, has been incredibly effective for our agency.

It’s seriously one of the most underrated outreach methods.

Anyways, from those 20 messages a day, over the course of a week or two, I’d usually get about 3 to 5 discovery calls.

And out of those calls, I’d close at least one client.

Once that happened, I’d shift into service delivery mode.

In my case, I started with video editing.

That made things a bit easier because video editing, at its core, is pretty straightforward.

I’d delegate the editing to a trusted team member; they’d take care of the client’s content, and before you know it, the service would be done and delivered.

Effective, but not very simple.

There’s still a lot going on behind the scenes.

That's why I can’t stress enough how important it is to learn how to position yourself, market your service, and handle outreach.

Sharpen Your Sales and Hiring Skills

Tin: More importantly, you've got to develop your sales skills.

If you know how to sell; like, really communicate the value of your service in a way that makes sense to your client; you’re already ahead of the game.

That skill alone can be a game-changer.

Personally, I had to work on that one.

I started out as a pretty introverted, creative person, so sales didn’t come naturally.

But I knew I had to improve if I wanted to grow.

That said, you can absolutely outsource sales if it’s not your thing.

Not everyone is going to be a great closer, and that’s okay.

Focus on building a system that works for you.

If I had to narrow it down, the two most critical skills for starting and scaling an agency are: sales and hiring the right people.

If you ask about the third one, it would be common sense.

You’d be surprised how often that gets overlooked.

Like, if you’re offering video editing, you don’t need to hire five editors right away.

Start with one.

Build smart, not fast.

That’s pretty much the foundation right there.

I know it's a lot to consider, but that’s the nature of the agency world.

For more tips from Tin, read: How To Scale A Digital Marketing Agency To 10K$ A Month

Vova: Yeah, I totally get what you’re saying, man.

You touched on a lot of important things, especially for beginners.

Position Yourself and Your Skills in the Right Industry

Vova: One thing you mentioned earlier was positioning, and I think that’s something that can be really confusing when you’re just starting out.

Like, how do you know who you’re supposed to be talking to?

What’s the right way to approach them?

How are you even being seen?

That whole process, figuring out where to find potential clients and how to connect with them, can feel like a maze.

But you actually covered that really well.

For example, you said if someone has some skill in video editing, YouTubers are a perfect audience to target.

And that makes a lot of sense, they’re always in need of help with content, especially editing.

And reaching out to them is more doable than people think.

If you go to a YouTuber’s channel, you can scroll to their “About” section, and most of the time, there’s a button to reveal their business email.

It’s totally free and public.

You just click it, solve a simple CAPTCHA, and boom, you’ve got a direct way to reach them.

So that’s one simple, practical strategy.

And it’s a good one to remember, especially because a lot of people ask, “Where do I actually find clients?”

It's really just about understanding where your ideal audience hangs out, what they need help with, and how you can offer a real solution.

And I can relate to what you’re saying.

-: Gentle Reminder :-

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How I Started My Agency

Vova: Not sure if you knew this, but I actually had an agency myself.

Tin: Oh, really?

Vova: Yeah, man; back in the day, around 2018 or 2019, I ran an agency that focused on Amazon sellers.

We specialized in creating high-quality product images and copywriting for Amazon listings.

At the time, I was living in Thailand, and Amazon selling was my first steady income stream.

But over time, I started branching out into other things like consulting, affiliate marketing, and eventually course creation, which I still do today, though now my courses are free.

That agency actually came out of a natural evolution.

I was already active in Facebook groups for Amazon sellers, sharing advice and connecting with people.

Because we had good results ourselves; solid conversion rates, well-optimized listings; it wasn’t long before others started noticing.

We knew how to present products well with images and compelling copy, and that turned into an actual service people wanted.

I remember getting our first clients through those Facebook groups.

We didn’t even advertise, people just started reaching out.

Over time, as I got more active on YouTube and became known in the Amazon space, I’d get messages asking, “Hey, do you offer services? Do you do consulting?” And that’s when things shifted.

At first, you're the one doing all the work, you are the agency.

Sometimes you even deliver the service yourself.

But if you stick with it and deliver real value, things change.

Eventually, the momentum builds and people start coming to you.

That’s when things really start to click.

Tin: Exactly, man. That’s really cool to hear.

I had no idea you used to run an agency too, but it makes a lot of sense, especially considering how involved you were with Amazon and online communities back then.

And what you mentioned about using Facebook groups and building a personal brand on YouTube, that’s huge.

Honestly, it's one of the smartest ways to create warm leads for your business.

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This Might Interest You: How To Scale A Digital Marketing Agency From 10k to 100k Dollars A Month.

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How to Get Clients for Your Agency

Tin: So, when you’re starting an agency, there are basically two main paths for getting clients: cold outreach and warm inbound traffic.

Use Cold Outreach to Get Your First Clients

Tin: Cold outreach is when you go out and contact people directly.

It involves sending emails, messaging on LinkedIn, or reaching out through other platforms to introduce yourself, your product, or your service.

It’s proactive, and it definitely works, especially when you're just getting started and trying to get your first few clients.

But then there’s the other way, warm leads, where people come to you.

Build Warm Leads Through Content and Personal Branding

Tin: That’s where building a personal brand really comes into play.

One of the best platforms for this is YouTube.

That’s actually what I’m doing right now for my coaching business.

I create helpful videos that show people how I can assist them, whether it’s growing their agency, improving their content, or solving other business-related challenges.

Those videos show up in YouTube search results because of the SEO, basically, the keywords people are typing in.

Even if a video only gets a few views, it’s still valuable.

All you really need is one of those viewers to book a call with you.

That one call could turn into a client, and that client could even refer others.

So even a small channel with low views can drive serious results, if you’re targeting the right people with the right message.

And that’s the key!

YouTube becomes a kind of passive lead generation engine over time.

People can discover you while you sleep.

They watch your videos, hear how you solve specific problems, and if it resonates, they reach out.

It’s a slower approach compared to cold outreach, but for long-term growth and scaling your agency, I think this method is actually one of the best.

Don’t Overlook Referrals; They’re Gold

Tin: On top of everything, there’s another channel a lot of people overlook: referrals.

I'd say around 50% of our agency clients actually came from referrals.

That’s massive.

And honestly, a lot of people don’t even think to ask for them.

But here’s something I always say: If you don’t ask, the answer is automatically no.

So you’ve got to get comfortable asking happy clients, “Hey, do you know anyone else who could use our service?”

You’d be surprised how many will say yes.

So, between warm inbound traffic like YouTube, cold outreach to start building momentum, and referral systems as you grow, you can create a really solid foundation for your agency.

It’s not one-size-fits-all, but if you combine these approaches and stay consistent, you’ll start to see results.

-: Gentle Reminder :-

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Final Thoughts

Starting a digital marketing agency can feel overwhelming, but Tin’s advice makes it clear that it’s all about taking it step by step.

First, focus on your niche and the service you can offer with confidence.

Then, whether you go for cold outreach or build a personal brand through platforms like YouTube, the key is to stay consistent and keep improving.

Don’t forget the power of referrals; they can bring in clients when you least expect it.

If you stick to these principles, your agency can grow steadily and sustainably.

Ready to take the first step?

The journey starts now!