12 Proven Ways to Get Clients for a Digital Marketing Agency

Here is a harsh truth about running a digital marketing agency: “Doing great work alone will not get you high-quality clients.”

Most agencies get so caught up in client delivery that they forget to grow their own business. And wait for referrals or depend on luck.

But honestly, that does not work out.

Getting great clients is all about having the right setup, reaching out to the right people, and knowing how to position your agency clearly.

I have seen these methods work for agencies of every size, and they can work for you as well.

In this blog, we will look at 12 proven ways to get clients for your digital marketing agency, practical strategies that help you attract clients who pay, stay, and refer others.

Let us get started.

12 Lead Generation Strategies for Digital Marketing Agencies to Get New Clients

Here is my list of the agency lead generation strategies that can help you find and convert prospects into customers: 

1. Reaching Out With Cold Emailing
2. Connecting With Prospects Through LinkedIn Outreach
3. Starting Conversations Through Cold Calling
4. Using Digital Marketing Channels To Attract Clients
5. Winning Trust Through Networking and Partnerships
6. Offering Lead Magnets Like Free Audits, etc
7. Showing Proof Through Case Studies and Testimonials
8. Running Paid Ads to Get Quick Visibility
9. Teaching Your Expertise Through Webinars and Events
10. Getting Discovered on Platforms and Directories
11. Packaging Your Services So Clients Buy Faster
12. Leveraging Your Existing Client Network

1. Reaching Out With Cold Emailing

Cold emailing is hands down the best way to get digital marketing leads. 

Why?

Because instead of waiting for a client to come to you, you are actively reaching out to them with a personalized offer for services they actually need! 

Why It Works

Cold emailing can benefit you in many ways →

• It is a low-cost method for finding new potential clients and generating leads compared to traditional advertising or paid marketing campaigns.
• You can research and reach out directly to decision-makers and specific individuals who fit your ideal customer profile.
• With the right automation tools, you can personalize and send emails to a large number of prospects at once, allowing you to expand your business reach and sales pipeline efficiently.

How To Do It

Let’s face it, sending cold emails manually can be a lot of work. 

That’s why I recommend using email automation tools like Saleshandy.

It is an advanced all-in-one cold outreach platform that helps you find the right leads, send personalized emails, and maintain the best deliverability rate for maximum results.

• First, use the lead finder tool to search for prospects that match your ICP. It will display A-grade email addresses with a 95%+ deliverability rate. 
• Write a cold email (check out these templates for inspiration) and then use AI variables to generate variants and A/B test them to see which one works best. I also suggest adding merge tags and spintax to personalize your cold email.
• Next, create automated sequences to follow up on your first cold email. These emails will act as polite nudges and help you increase your reply rate.
• Use advanced deliverability features like email warmup, sender rotation, and inbox placement tests to ensure that your emails land in primary inboxes.
• Get notified the moment one of your recipients replies, so you can book a meeting and close the deal quickly.

Here is a cold email template you can use 👇🏼

2. Connecting With Prospects Through LinkedIn Outreach

After cold emailing, the next best channel to reach potential clients is LinkedIn. It is where business owners, founders, and marketing heads spend time networking and finding solutions to grow their companies.

Why It Works

LinkedIn gives you access to 1B+ professionals. Plus, you can use filters to find your targeted customers by industry, role, or company size to find your ideal prospects.

Once you identify them, you can reach out to them through a connection request or an InMail message. 

Plus, Posting case studies, results, and marketing tips positions your agency as credible and trustworthy. When prospects check your profile, they already see proof of what you can do.

How To Do It

Here is everything you need to do to get digital marketing leads via LinkedIn: 

• Create a Professional Profile: Add information about the services you provide and where prospects can reach you (email, phone, etc.). Here’s an example of how you can position your LinkedIn heading: “Helped 50+ startups scale from 0 to 10K monthly visitors through SEO and Ads.”
• Post Regularly: If you are going to send someone an InMail message, they might click on your profile. So, be sure to post videos, short tips, or photo stories regularly. 
• Use Paid Ads: Always use ad copies that showcase your success stories, client testimonials, or short before-and-after results.
  Write something like this: “We helped an e-Commerce brand 3X its ROAS in 60 days. Want to know how?”
• Build Relationships: You can also use LinkedIn Search or Sales Navigator to find close-fit prospects in your target market.
  Then, send a genuine connection request with a short, clear note instead of trying to pitch anything. Once they respond, move the conversation to email or schedule a call to understand their challenges and suggest solutions.

To find out more about how to get leads for your agency using LinkedIn, check out this blog on effective LinkedIn marketing strategies!

3. Starting Conversations Through Cold Calling

You might be surprised to see cold calling on my list of ways to generate leads for marketing agencies (many people think it is dead). 

But the truth is, if you follow the right approach, it still works!

Why It Works

I have always believed that cold calling still has its place, especially in industries where personal trust matters a lot.

In these industries, cold calling works precisely because a call feels personal. You can talk to someone directly, understand their concerns, and build a genuine connection in real time.

So, if you are targeting traditional sectors like manufacturing, logistics, or family-run businesses, cold calling can be the perfect way to get clients for digital marketing. 

Many of these owners are not active online, but they will appreciate a conversation where you take the time to understand their goals and offer help in achieving them!

How To Do It

Here is a simple, 4-step guide you can follow to use cold calling for marketing agency lead generation: 

• First, find niche prospects who don’t have an existing online presence. For this, I recommend using company research tools and local business directories. It will help you find prospects who might have a huge business without the digital presence to match it. 
• Next, use a phone number lookup tool to find their correct phone number
• Third, create a personalized cold calling pitch in the form of a script that tells the prospect how you can help them.
• Lastly, don’t try to convert the prospect with a cold call. Instead, just focus on landing a meeting with them, so you can show them the benefits of your digital marketing services.

Remember, you might only get 30-odd seconds to speak to the prospect via a call. 

So, keep a script ready. And if they are not available for too long over a call, ask them when you can call back or meet them!

Here’s an example of a script you can use when cold calling a prospect👇🏼

4. Using Digital Marketing Channels To Attract Clients

What better way to test your digital marketing services than to use them to get your first clients?

Digital marketing will help you create an organic reputation for your services and attract inbound leads at the same time. 

Why It Works

Digital marketing can be very effective primarily because it will give you multiple ways to convert clients across different channels.

So, you will be able to distribute your lead sources and increase the chances of landing clients. 

This will also give you a chance to see which channels work best for different ICPs and buyer personas. 

How To Do It

To do this, I first suggest creating segments of customers and then creating segment-wise marketing plans for different ICPs. 

Here’s an example of how you can do this: 

• ICP: Small and mid-sized shipping or logistics companies with little or no online presence.
• Buyer Persona: Business owners, operations heads, or sales directors.
• Targeting Channels: Cold emailing, LinkedIn outreach, and Google Ads.
• Services to Highlight: Website development to build a professional online presence, PPC campaigns to generate quick leads, and basic SEO to ensure long-term visibility.

5. Winning Trust Through Networking and Partnerships

B2B networking and leveraging partnerships are still two of the most effective ways to build trust and generate quality leads.

Networking is a great way to get your first clients: all you have to do is ask people in your professional or personal circle to connect you with potential clients.

Plus, you can also network via in-person events like conferences or panel discussions to answer common questions that digital marketing clients might have. 

Partnerships usually involve a commission-based relationship between you and another digital marketing agency that offers different services. For example, you can offer PPC and content marketing services to another agency that exclusively does web design and development.

Why It Works

Trust is very important for businesses: they want to work with an agency that understands why and how they want to showcase their brand online. 

That’s exactly what you get with networking and partnerships: a chance to understand a prospect’s requirements and tell them first-hand how your services can help them out.

How To Do It

You should attend marketing conferences and events where you can meet prospective clients and pitch your services to them. 

Next, you can also create partnership programs where you pay a small commission to an agency that recommends your digital marketing services to a client.

6. Offering Lead Magnets Like Free Audits

Lead magnets are free previews or samples you share with prospects to show how your services can help them.

They can be free trials of your services (like a free lead list), forever-free tools (like Domain Authority Checkers), or even simple case studies.

Why It Works

Using lead magnets can result in higher conversion rates, as they guide prospects through the sales funnel and encourage them to take the next step.

For example, you can offer a lead magnet like a free SEO and website audit through cold emails, LinkedIn posts, phone calls, networking, or paid ads. 

The main idea is to create lead magnets that fit each stage of the buyer’s journey and help move prospects closer to becoming clients. 

How To Do It

Here is a list of the best lead magnets you can use for agency lead generation:

• Comprehensive SEO Audit: Offer a free audit of a prospect’s digital infrastructure and create a detailed plan showing how you can help them.
• Case Studies: Send case studies to e-prospects to show them how your digital marketing agency has helped clients in similar situations.
• AskMeAnything Sessions: Hold weekly sessions where you share the latest digital marketing trends and tell prospects how they can use them. 

7. Showing Proof Through Case Studies and Testimonials

Creating case studies and testimonials is a way of showing your clients that you have actually delivered results for clients in the past. 

I call them “public referrals,” i.e., they are results that speak for themselves through your website, cold emails, LinkedIn posts, and other channels. 

Why It Works

Case studies and testimonials help you create trust and credibility for your digital marketing services.

They help you address buying objections that prospects might have regarding your services. 

How To Do It

There are three ways I recommend using case studies and testimonials: 

• Add a permanent “Case Study” section on your website. It will help users evaluate your services. 
• Send newsletters with a “Client in Focus” case study every 3 months to build your reputation.
• Share video testimonials on LinkedIn and social profiles with copies like, “How we helped <Client Name> generate 10X leads in less than 3 months!”

8. Running Paid Ads to Get Quick Visibility

Paid ads are a great way to reach high-value clients that might not be aware of your agency but need digital marketing services. 

They can help you create awareness and visibility with prospects on search engines. 

Why It Works

Paid ads help you gain visibility with prospects ahead of your competitors. They can work especially well if you have access to intent data or behavioral signals.

How To Do It

I recommend using a four-step process to run your ad campaign: 

• Define a highly specific target audience, like “manufacturing businesses with websites older than 2 years.”
• Choose an ad platform: Google, Meta, X, LinkedIn, etc., depending on where your buyer personas hang out.
• Create tailored offers that invite a conversation like, “Complimentary Website Audit for <Client Name>.”

9. Teaching Your Expertise Through Webinars and Events

One of the best ways to generate digital marketing leads is to educate your audience through webinars and events. 

For example, taking on a speaking role at an event or hosting weekly open-for-all sessions can help you show your expertise in digital marketing and generate leads in the long run!

Why It Works

Webinars and events work for two reasons: 

• They establish you as an expert with authority in the digital marketing industry.
• You can collect lead data and create a marketing strategy to reach attendees. 

Plus, when you directly engage with prospects, it gives you a chance to create a list of pre-qualified leads. 

How To Do It

Host your own channel-specific webinars like “How LinkedIn is Changing B2B Lead Generation” or “AI Overview: How to Keep Up with Google in 2025.”

When it comes to events, you should try to land speaking roles and use them to build authority by addressing common questions or challenges that your prospective clients have.

10. Getting Discovered on Platforms and Directories

A lot of business owners visit trusted online platforms and directories like Clutch or RightFirms to find digital marketing agencies. 

These platforms maintain detailed listings of agencies in different niches (including their offerings + reviews). 

So, if your agency is listed on such websites, you will gain direct visibility because of the traffic that they generate.

Why It Works

Users trust platforms and directories to provide accurate information and reliable reviews of digital marketing agencies. 

So, if your agency is listed on such a website, that trust is automatically transferred to your services! It can be a great way to diversify your lead generation strategy. 

How To Do It

You will need to do three things to get listed on platforms and directories: 

• Create a small description that details your offerings, expertise, and experience. 
• Ask popular websites like Semrush, Clutch, RightFirms, and  Saleshandy Agency Partners.
• Add client testimonials and reviews to your listing. 

11. Packaging Your Services So Clients Buy Faster

Digital marketing is one of those industries where clients like a bundled product. 

After all, they are not going to work with one agency for PPC, another for SEO, and a third for social media. They will prefer an agency that offers everything in one place.

Why It Works

Packaging multiple services offers you a competitive edge over other agencies. 

If you do PPC + social media and your competitor only offers PPC, your prospects are likely to choose your agency, just in case prospects want to expand their marketing strategy to different channels!

How To Do It

The best way to offer packaged digital marketing services is to offer discounts with them.

For example, you can offer a 10% discount on monthly invoices or overall project cost if your web development client also asks you to market the website once the website is live. 

12. Leveraging Your Existing Client Network

They give you authentic and free marketing through referrals and positive reviews. And honestly, a prospect is more likely to trust an existing client compared to traditional ads.

Why It Works

A happy client is your most valuable marketing resource. They will give you great reviews and sometimes even go out of their way to suggest your services.

That’s why leveraging your existing client network is the best way to get pre-qualified leads without spending thousands on expensive campaigns.

How To Do It

Keeping your existing clients happy is a non-negotiable requirement for generating leads through marketing and partnerships.

And this does not mean just delivering on your work. It means communicating regularly with them, anticipating problems they might face, and solving them before they do. 

Once you have done this, you can confidently ask them to refer your digital marketing agency to anyone they might know who needs digital marketing services. 

Another tactic you can use is creating referral programs for both partners and existing clients. 

Market your program across your website & socials, and use testimonials to showcase the benefits clients can expect from referring your services to others. 

How Agencies Can Overcome Common Client Acquisition Challenges

In this section, I will discuss 4 of the most common problems of digital marketing lead gen & suggest practical solutions you can use to overcome them.

1. Standing Out in a Crowded Market
2. Generating Consistent and Qualified Leads
3. Converting Prospects Into Paying Clients
4. Retaining Clients and Managing Expectations

1. Standing Out in a Crowded Market

The bitter truth is that digital marketing is a competitive industry. So, if you want to stand out, you will need to do something others are not. I suggest:

• Sharing real results and client success stories. 
• Building a personal brand through valuable content.
• Delivering an exceptional client experience.
• Keeping your message and design consistent across platforms. 

2. Generating Consistent and Qualified Leads

If you generate a lot of leads but they are not well-qualified, you will end up wasting time chasing dead ends that don’t lead to conversions. 

To avoid this: 

• Create a highly specific ICP so that you end up with targeted lead lists. 
• Use a lead scoring system. It will help you prioritize your sales efforts. 

3. Converting Prospects Into Paying Clients

The last phase of the sales pipeline is often the hardest to get right: converting prospects into clients. 

One way to convert them is to use lead magnets as freebies to show prospects what they can expect from your digital marketing services. It will also give you a chance to treat them like a customer, bringing them one step closer to conversion.

Another thing you can do is offer discounted packages or service bundles. It might reduce your initial cash flow, but it will get you started.

4. Retaining Clients and Managing Expectations

Once you have signed a client, you need to retain them. This is not just an obvious truth. 

Existing clients are the ones who can give you positive reviews, referrals, and a solid base on which to build a future.

So, it is best to discuss the client’s expectations before you take on a client. Otherwise, you could end up overpromising and underachieving. So, lay it all down in a service contract for more clarity.

Pro Tip: For PPC clients, I suggest periodically sharing detailed reports of all ad campaigns. In the case of content and SEO clients, I suggest managing expectations by asking for 3-6 months before results start snowballing into increased visibility.

Which Strategy Should You Start With?

Through this blog, we have discussed the 12 digital marketing lead generation strategies suited to different ICPs and growth goals. 

But the key to successful lead generation is not to use all 12 at once: it’s about picking 2-3 strategies and combining them into a larger campaign. 

If you are just starting out, I suggest using cold emails and content marketing. They are the perfect combination of scalable outbound and inbound strategies. With content marketing tactics like free magnets, you get a list of prospects and then reach them through cold emails.

The best part? They are budget-friendly strategies that don’t cost thousands of dollars!

Plus, when you combine these strategies with tools like Saleshandy, Semrush, and Google Analytics, you will have a strong plan that will ensure sustained, scalable lead generation over time!

FAQs

1. How to Market a Digital Marketing Agency?

The best way to market a digital marketing agency is to create a highly specific ICP, choose a combination of inbound & outbound techniques, and use lead magnets to show customers how they can benefit from your services. 

2. What Is Lead Generation for Digital Marketing Agencies?

Lead generation for digital marketing agencies is the process of using online channels, in-person events, and inbound marketing to attract prospects searching for the services you offer and capture their contact info.

3. How to Build a Digital Marketing Agency?

To build a digital marketing agency: 

• Make a list of services you want to provide.
• Choose a niche, define your ideal customer, and specify a buyer persona.
• Create a marketing strategy with a combination of inbound + outbound methods.
• Build a strong online presence so people trust your brand.

Pro Tip: Your first customer will likely come from your existing network, so focus on networking to get your first lead and client. 

4. How to Get SEO Clients for Your Digital Marketing Agency?

I recommend four tactics to get SEO clients for your digital marketing agency: 

• Create LinkedIn + SEO content to tell users how search works and how you have mastered it.
• Share case studies and strategy guides to inform prospects how you can help them.
• Audit websites of high-value prospects, send them free samples. 
• Use lead magnets like SEO checks, DA checkers, and AI preparedness audits.