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It’s easy to throw money at hiring and outsourcing to grow. Yeah, it works. But there’s always a smarter way to do things.
That’s what I’m talking about today: how to scale a business without hiring more people.
You see, we have all of the technology at our fingertips to automate and save time.
Instead of interviewing, onboarding, and training, you could be growing just as fast with the right tools and processes.
Keep reading if you want to learn four ways to do just that.
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1. Tighten up collaboration
Project management is a common obstacle for companies trying to scale their operations.
If team members aren’t communicating and working together well, projects get delayed and deadlines are missed.
That’s why 77% of high-performing projects use project management software of some sort. It doesn’t have to be fancy or high-end. You just need something.
I suggest using a tool like Slack to streamline collaboration and get projects done faster.
Sign up for a free account here.
Go through the setup wizard and create an account for your company.
Then, invite people by clicking “Invite people” from the sidebar and entering their email. Click “Send Invitations” when you’re finished.
Create channels via the plus button based on different topics.
Tag team members in comments when you require their input, share files by dragging them into Slack and try out the call feature for on-the-fly conferencing.
Better yet, don’t miss out on Slack’s workflow automation with their paid plans. This will help you automate onboarding, client questionnaires, and other tasks. (More on that later!)
Make sure to read my previous post on Slack vs Basecamp if you’re interested in other tools for this purpose.
2. Outsource the little things
…Checking Google Analytics.
…Time-consuming split tests.
We’ve all been there. That’s the daily life of a marketer, right?
It doesn’t have to be.
In fact, in our report surveying 301 digital agency leaders, we found that 43.52% of companies are spending 6–10 hours per week monitoring campaigns.
Many of these activities can be completely automated thanks to technology, though.
Doing so frees up your time which can be put back into nurturing client relationships, marketing, advertising, and what really matters.
The first thing I recommend automating is optimization and testing.
All of those little tweaks you’re looking for as little wins don’t have to be done by you. They shouldn’t. Computers are better for that.
Check out how our marketing security platform Morphio does this or my guide on automating keyword research for more inspiration.
Furthermore, optimizations include finding search terms, content ideas, the best sales copy, etc. Artificial intelligence is one way to automate all of those things and more.
Secondly, security. There’s no need to act like a club bouncer for your website or assets. Technology can automate that, too.
It will find all of the flaws within your business, learn from them, and package it as a nice report. (Some will even fix the issues automatically!)
Thirdly, I recommend automating social media. There’s no need to post all of the time when content can be scheduled ahead of time.
Try out Hootsuite to do this.
Sign up for an account and connect any networks like Facebook or Twitter.
Then, click the “New Post” button from the top right navigation.
Edit the post and click “Schedule for later” to have it automatically publish on another date.
3. Raise your rates
One of the easiest ways to scale a business is to simply charge more.
Let’s imagine that you have 15 accounts open in your agency.
If you’re charging them all $3,000/month on average, that’s $45,000/month.
Increase that to $4,000 and suddenly you’ve jumped to $60,000!
You get my point.
However, don’t do it for the sake of doing it.
Rates should be increased based on the performance, value, and return you’re generating for clients.
Think of it as an ROI.
Additionally, it’s common to increase pricing as one skill and portfolio grows to match it.
According to Credo, the average digital agency rate is approximately $101–$150/hour.
Use this as a benchmark for your own services.
4. Reduce churn and boost retention
This is a simple concept. Think about it. If you reduce how many clients you churn, that keeps more money in your pocket over the long term.
Easier said than done, but doable.
How?
Firstly, nothing beats excellent customer service.
I’m sure you still remember the last time you were annoyed on the phone with a sales rep. Bad service sticks out like a sore thumb but so does good.
That’s why 80% of customers say customer service and the product they’re buying is equally important.
Be positive, professional, and go out of your way to help clients solve any problem. Always assume they’re right.
Then, work on your craft. Improve the return you create for clients and the reporting you give to measure results.
Continually take their feedback and integrate it into your company to gradually enhance the customer experience, as well.
Final thoughts on growing without hiring
Traditionally, it’s always been a go-to strategy to hire more and more if you want to scale.
It makes sense. More manpower equals more output.
However, there’s a smarter way to approach all of this.
The first way is to improve collaboration and communication between teams. If members can share files, work on projects, and conference, more things get done.
Then, automate the small things. I’m talking about security, optimizations, email, and the works. Whether it’s hiring a VA or investing in AI software, there are many approaches that can be taken.
Thirdly, don’t be afraid to charge more! If you produce a clear return and offer mountains of value, charge what you’re worth. Build this up as you grow and you’ll need fewer accounts to drive significant revenue.
Last but not least, take care of client churn. It’s deadly. You work so hard to acquire clients and they disappear just as fast. Smoothing our customer service is a guaranteed way to boost retention.
There’s one last way you can scale faster and that’s by trying Morphio today for free. Our marketing security software will protect your business and prevent errors without the need to be at the wheel.
