2023: Who's your next best hire in your agency?
Originally posted in 2020. Updated November 2022.
We get it: 2020 was a turbulent start to the new decade. We feel it, too. And that turbulence may have you questioning if now is the right time to set goals, hire and scale.
Pandemics or not, we know a thing or two about hiring and scaling because, as client account managers, we play a leading role in assembling digital marketing agency teams every day. And we’ve seen it all, from small agencies just starting out to large agencies ready to expand. And all of them have the same issues when it comes to hiring:
Who’s the next best hire? Do I hire a full-time or a contractor? How do I train them? There are so many paths you could take, so we’re answering your questions to help steer you in the right direction.
No. 1. Who should I hire next in my agency?
Here’s the simple answer: If you want to scale your revenue and profits beyond where you are today, you need a team. The last thing you want to do is burnout before you decide to bring more teammates onboard—trust us, we see this all the time. We’d recommend starting here:
Write down all of the things you currently do within your agency on a daily, weekly, or monthly basis.
Next to each task, write down how long it takes.
Star the two things you love and wouldn’t want to give up—you won’t be outsourcing these.
Next to the things you don’t love and would prefer to give up, brainstorm who you could outsource these to. Take these ideas for example:
Setting up retargeting audiences throwing off your entire day? An ads strategist may do the trick.
If emailing clients reports is taking way longer than you expected, hire a client account manager (like us!)
Sending invoices stress you out? Maybe a VA who can double as a bookkeeper.
All in all, it’s important to outsource what you don’t love or aren’t good at in order to get out of your own way. Start small, and you’ll realize you have way more time on your hands.
No. 2. Should I hire a full-time employee or a contractor in my agency?
This is a question we get a lot from agencies looking to scale. And heck, we ask this same question inside our business, too! It's no secret that more and more talented people are looking to work remotely every day. But when it comes to your business, what’s the best option?
Here are a few things to consider:
What’s your monthly revenue? If you have the time and budget to onboard an employee and they’ll help you make even more money month-over-month, a full-time employee could be a good option. For example, hiring an in-house Facebook ads specialist who would have the capacity to take on 10 more client accounts would contribute more to your bottom line than a contractor who can only tackle three client account per month at twice the hourly rate
What’s your lifestyle goal? Do you like to manage people, or are you someone who likes to do your own thing and expect folks to ask you if they need help? This is something to consider before hiring a full-time team member. A contractor or freelancer is more likely to be self-sufficient compared to a full-time employee.
No. 3. How do I train someone in my agency?
We’re not going to lie, training can be tough, especially if you’re already swamped with client work, meetings, sales calls, and reports. Having someone shadow your every move can be hard—even harder if you run a remote agency! Quick Tip: Hire someone who’s already trained in the skills you need! If you’re hiring someone as an in-house employee, this may require a slightly higher salary. And if you’re hiring a contractor, you may pay a slight premium. But overall, hiring someone already trained can be very worth it!
If you’re planning to hire someone in-house, start an SOP immediately (a Standard Operating Procedures document for how to do the job). The easiest way to start curating this document is to write down every detail of the role’s tasks as you do them, along with descriptions, Loom videos, Asana checklists, and email templates. Everything counts.
We like to use an Asana list with different sections for each part of the onboarding process, from sending an offer letter and setting up an email address to formally training our new hire, as you can see below.
DOT & Co.’s
New Hire Checklist
So, tell us, who’s the next best hire in your agency? If you’re still not feeling confident who that is or what their role looks like, reach out to chat. Hiring doesn’t have to be a stressful process—we actually think it’s exciting! It means you’re growing, scaling, and ready to help even more clients who need your expertise. Need help? We’re always here. Email us to start the conversation.
To happy clients,
The DOT Team