At any given moment, there are plenty of other agencies out there ready to battle for your business and compete for your clients. If your goal is to stay at the top and continue to scale your business, you need to find a way to stand out and be at the front of potential clients’ minds.

Ready to get your agency’s name out there and create hype around your business? Just follow these tips to develop a killer marketing strategy.

Outline your goals and action plan

Determine who your audience is for your marketing efforts, just like you would for a client. Why are you doing this? Who do you want to reach? How can you showcase your skills? From there, your team can outline a strategy, choose their plan of action, and get some creative ideas in motion.

Much like networking and sales, marketing is an all-agency initiative. Besides internal projects, each department should also be working to promote your agency. Have the content team work on article submissions, the design team update your website, the PR team pitch stories to local publications, and the film team create videos that highlight your company objectives.

It is crucial that you make time to prioritize the marketing of your agency. It’s difficult to find time for your own projects when you have clients on the line, but by creating a team of agency pros that are accountable for growing the business, you’ll see a great ROI the minute new clients walk through the door.

Position yourselves as experts

Being cited as an authority on design can transform your agency’s reputation and credibility. Encourage your employees to join local chapters of graphic design or advertising boards (AIGA and AAF are likely the biggest in your community), attend industry events, speak at conferences, or sit on panels.

Chances are that some of your agency staff is well-versed in their fields; if they’re out in public and become recognized as experts in their particular subject matter (design, UX, copywriting, sales, SEO), it’ll give your agency a competitive edge.

Looking for more national recognition? Consider contributing articles to prominent online or print publications or guest blogging on the site of an industry leader. It will provide you with a platform to showcase your creative process, problem-solving abilities, and expertise.

Show, don’t tell

If you’re able to demonstrate that your agency offers creative problem-solving solutions and strategies, you’ll impress any and every future client. Find a way to showcase your work and use this content to promote your agency. Keep in mind that anyone who hires you is looking for a way to differentiate themselves; you need to do the same. Be sure that your marketing gives a clear-cut impression that you don’t sell canned solutions or the same products again and again.

Don’t be afraid to be transparent with your process and create a detailed list of what a business can expect in return for their investment. It’ll demonstrate not only your results but also the creative methodology and resources that bring your promises of a beautiful design to life.

The most important aspect of marketing your agency is making sure that your website is a shining example of your work. You wouldn’t go to a mechanic who couldn’t fix his own car, so don’t expect your design agency to attract potential clients if your own site is anything less than stunning.

Craft a content strategy

That’s right—not only do your clients want one, but you need one. Without it, there’s a void in your agency’s digital presence that leads to infrequent/inconsistent social media posts, irrelevant articles, and a lack of cohesive brand messaging.

Inject strategic content into your agency culture. Encourage teams to promote the business through intentional social content. You’ll constantly create new content that’s brand-compliant and on-target. Plus, you’ll connect your brand to your team’s social network. That’s how you engage people who don’t know you and get new followers.

Strategizing for your agency goes beyond marketing and content. Determine what services to sell and what your best bets are by committing to a culture of learning.