Freelancer to Agency: #8 How to Productize Your Services

Hi there! 👋 

Welcome to the next edition of the Freelancer to Agency series, where you’re learning all the steps you need to take to move from freelancing to running your own marketing agency. 

Today, I want to talk to you about productizing your services to help you scale your agency. 

Let’s go!

What does productizing your services mean?  

Productizing your services as a content marketing agency means creating a clear, standardized package of what you offer, just like a product! 

Instead of offering highly customized services to every client, you develop specific packages with defined prices, deliverables, processes, and outcomes. 

This makes it easier for clients to understand what they're buying and for you to deliver consistent results efficiently.

Best of all, productized services are easier to scale, making it simpler for you to increase the workload for a client if they want to do more with you! 📈

How to go about productizing your services 

Depending on your offer, you can productize your services in different ways. 

The most popular way is to turn your services into monthly retainer packages with a fixed amount of deliverables and fixed prices. This is what I do at my agency, too. 

Alternatively, you could also offer a subscription-based service, where each customer receives a specific number of deliverables for a monthly subscription price. This is quite common among graphic design agencies. I have even seen design agencies offer “an unlimited number of designs” as part of a monthly subscription. 

However, most agencies work with retainer packages, so let me show you the steps so you can do the same.

1. Identify your core offer(s)

• Research and define the core services you offer, such as blog writing, social media management, SEO optimization, email marketing, and content strategy.

• Analyze client needs to determine which services are most in demand and offer the best value.

I spoke about how to create your offer in a previous newsletter, which you can read here. 

2. Create monthly retainer packages at different price points

• Create different tiers of monthly retainer packages (e.g., Basic, Standard, Premium).

• Define what each package includes, such as the number of blog posts, social media posts, videos, SEO audits, email campaigns, etc.

• Set clear pricing for each package based on the value and scope of services provided.

3. Standardize the workflow processes

• Document workflows for each service included in the packages. For example, outline steps for content creation, review, approval, and publishing.

• Develop templates and guidelines to ensure consistency in content quality and delivery, and document them to make them easily replicable for new team members who join. 

4. Define deliverables and timelines

• Clearly specify deliverables for each package, such as weekly deliverables, monthly reports, or bi-weekly updates.

• Set realistic timelines for each deliverable to manage client expectations and maintain a steady workflow.

5. Automate with the right tools

• Choose content marketing tools for project management, social media scheduling, email marketing, video editing, and performance tracking.

• Automate repetitive tasks where possible to increase efficiency and reduce manual effort.

And that’s it! That’s how you can productize your services at your agency. 

Talk to you next week!

Alex

And before you go, here’s a TikTok about how to handle low points at your agency.

@alex.lielacher

Expect and learn from your companies low points! #entrepreneur #agencyowner #entrepreneurtok