Are your current marketing methods not yielding enough agency prospects? Wonder how other agencies are prospecting? What unique methods of outbound marketing are working right now? If your agency's traditional marketing techniques aren't producing the type of results you desire, it may be time to think outside the box. In today's episode, we'll cover: Can influencers help your agency grow? Should agencies pay attention to client reviews? How a podcast creates added value. Today I sat down with Luke Peters, owner of Retail Band, a digital agency that helps brands gain greater exposure with major retailers like Amazon and Home Depot. Luke recently started his own agency after several years in the retail world. Today, he's here to talk about how you can grow your agency by creating more client engagement opportunities. Can Influencers Help Your Agency Grow? In today's market, influencers are everywhere. Companies use them to help sell everything from shoes to high-end cosmetics. Luke works with retail brands, so it makes sense to use influencers to gain followers and increase exposure. But what about services? Can influencers promote a service their followers can't even see? In most cases, influencers receive a product from a company and talk about it with their followers through a given social media channel. Whether it's YouTube, Instagram, or Tik Tok, these posts create engagement, promote trust, and ultimately help clients improve SEO results. The end goal is to get people talking. When it comes to services, consider reaching out to an influencer and providing your services for free. If they like it, there's a good chance they'll talk about it. If influencers just aren't a fit for your agency, you can always use LinkedIn, podcasts, or networking to get people talking. Should Agencies Pay Attention to Client Reviews? Remember, you want people talking about you. Luke says you want reviews any place where prospects are checking you out.  Reviews on places like Google, Glassdoor, and Yelp can help you build trust and expand your reach. If you have a podcast, these reviews matter too.  This type of social proof is like currency and the more you have, the better. It's important to understand not everybody is going to love working with you. Sometimes you will get negative reviews. But if you can build a community that generates a lot more positive reviews, a couple of negative reviews won't matter as much. How a Podcast Creates Added Value I'm a huge proponent of podcasts. A large share of my business comes from podcast listeners. As an agency owner, podcasts are a great way to generate new content and help you meet new people. And often, podcasts are just as valuable to the listener as they are to you. When you create a podcast, it's like you are inviting people to listen in on your conversations. When I created my podcast, my goal was to create a resource I wish I had when I was running my agency. Over the years, I've discovered it's almost impossible to consistently generate unique content. But as you bring on new guests and recycle topics, you'll begin to see recurring themes. The ultimate trust factor is when you bring on guests who talk about what they have done and how it has worked for them. When you invite listeners into this conversation, you create loyalty and your listeners learn something new — a win-win! Whether you have an established agency or you're just starting out, it's always important to find new ways to engage and attract potential clients. Don't pigeonhole yourself into your standard marketing approach. Branch out and try new routes and you're bound to see results.