Establishing a digital marketing agency in Kenya is the pinnacle of a creative person’s career, whether they are a web designer, digital media designer, or someone else entirely. You’ve probably been working in an agency for several years and don’t want to be just a tiny cog in the creative process any longer. You finally want to decide for yourself, take responsibility for essential projects, and realize your visions.
Have you spent sleepless nights wondering, “How do I start a digital marketing agency in Kenya? What do I have to consider to be successful? How do I find clients quickly before my reserves are used up?” We have identified some crucial elements for starting a successful digital marketing agency, even if your inquiries are not as dramatic.
If you have the necessary abilities, starting an agency does not require much. After all, your position will be guaranteed once you have a few happy clients who consistently place orders.
But it is not easy to go from starting a digital agency to using it to its full potential with successful projects.
Do not worry, you are not the only one with this idea. Numerous freelancers from both big and small agencies are already waiting for you. It is time to get your hands dirty and make a lasting impact on this sector.
Before we discuss how to start a digital marketing company in Kenya, let’s explore exactly what types of digital marketing companies exist in Kenya.
What types of digital marketing agencies exist in Kenya?
Digital marketing businesses come in various forms, serving as digital marketing experts in different areas of online marketing. In Kenya, these are some common types of digital marketing firms:
- Full-service digital marketing agency: These agencies offer various digital marketing services, including SEO, social media management, content creation, PPC advertising, social media ads, email marketing, conversion rate optimization, website marketing, affiliate marketing, and more.
- SEO services agency: SEO agencies specialize in optimizing websites to improve their visibility and rankings on search engine results pages (SERPs). They focus on keyword research, on-page optimization, link building, optimization for mobile devices, and other SEO services.
- Social media marketing agency: These agencies manage and promote brands on social media platforms. They create engaging content, run targeted digital ads, and help businesses build their online presence.
- Content marketing agency: Content marketing agencies create high-quality content to engage and attract target audiences on popular platforms. They develop strategies, produce various types of content, optimize for SEO, and handle the promotion of content across multiple channels.
- PPC advertising agency: PPC advertising agencies specialize in managing paid advertising campaigns across paid media platforms like Google Ads, Bing Ads, and social media platforms. They create ad copy, designs, landing pages, targeting strategies, and campaign placement to maximize their clients’ ROI.
- Email marketing agency: Email marketing agencies assist businesses in creating effective email campaigns to engage leads, customers, subscribers, and members. They offer services such as strategy development, list segmentation, email list building, email design, A-B testing, automation, deliverability tracking, analytics, and reporting.
- Influencer marketing agency: Influencer marketing agencies connect brands with influencers to promote products or services.
How to start a digital marketing company in 7 steps
Now that you know what you should, at least, bring to the table, let’s break down how you can start and thrive in the exhilarating world of digital marketing entrepreneurship in Kenya.
Conduct Market Research
Before you start, you must understand the field in which you want to establish a firm. Begin by identifying your target market—who are your ideal clients? Think about their industries, the size of their businesses, and the specific challenges they face.
Next, examine your competitors closely. What services do they offer, and how do they price them? Understanding what’s already out there will help you spot opportunities. Is there a particular service that’s in high demand but not well-covered?
Identifying these gaps in the market can reveal where your agency has the best chance to succeed.
Pick your services
Certain digital marketing services and skills are in high demand. These include content planning and creation, marketing automation, community building, and SEO.
Additionally, some services, such as customer service automation, influencer marketing, and website optimization, still need improvement in the digital marketing landscape.
Some examples of service offerings you might provide include:
- Web design and development
- Content strategy for SEO and conversion
- Email marketing and marketing automation
- Social media content and strategy
- On-page optimization services
- Link building services
- Landing page writing services
- White paper writing services
- Google Ads campaigns
- Facebook advertising services
- Email drip campaign optimization services
- Newsletter creation and optimization services
Business owners usually want to get a quick return on their investment, so PPC and social media content strategies are good services to start the ball rolling.
In contrast, SEO with content can take longer to show a return. That said, leverage any marketing skills you have had previous success with.
Market service gaps are opportunities. In your target market, there might be gaps between what customers need and what current providers offer.
These gaps may help you find opportunities to establish yourself quickly. A tool like Semrush can help you find areas in online keyword-based advertising that can help you identify potential gaps.
Register Your Company.
The next step in getting your digital marketing company off the ground is to register it. Once your company is registered, you will officially be able to start it, as a company needs to be registered before it can legally begin operations.
To register your company, you must apply online using the citizen platform (Business Registration Services). Using your Ecitizen account, you can also follow up on the progress of your company’s registration.
Here are some things to consider when registering a company in Kenya:
- Certificate of incorporation: This official document proves the company is legally established.
- Tax registration: Registering for taxes is essential for doing business, paying taxes, and complying with tax regulations. The tax registration process takes about seven working days.
- Articles of Association: These documents define the company’s purpose, how it operates, how directors are appointed, and how financial records are handled.
- Nominal capital: Each company must provide a signed statement of nominal capital when registering.
- Directors: All directors must be registered with the Companies Office and sign a consent form. Directors are responsible for managing the company’s day-to-day business.
- NHIF employer registration: Any institution that employs people must register with NHIF.
- NSSF registration: Companies must register with NSSF for employee retirement benefits.
The business plan
A business plan is essential, especially if you want to apply for bank loans, startup grants, or other subsidies. On the one hand, you will prove your competence and expertise, and on the other, it must be plausibly guaranteed that your business is financially viable. Your business plan must include a financial plan in which you estimate the surplus of your first fiscal years and create a sales and profitability forecast.
It is important to have a clear structure and comprehensible language without unnecessary technical jargon to make your plan understandable to outsiders. Outline your departments and their benefits for your customers. Define the value of your services and explain your digital marketing pricing model.
In addition, your digital marketing agency’s business plan must clearly demonstrate your expertise in your industry and detail what will make your business stand out from the competition.
There are trade associations in every region offering support and advice on preparing a business plan. In addition to various startup grants provided by the government, exploring local funding bodies is also recommended.
Establish a brand and online presence.
Choosing the right business name, logo, and branding elements is vital in launching a successful business. This is particularly true in digital marketing, as it reflects the quality of work you can provide others.
Select a name and logo that are memorable, unique, and reflect your business’s values and vision. You might consider hiring freelance creative professionals to help design these elements, as they can generate creative ideas, offer marketing insights, and provide design expertise.
Your company name should be straightforward to remember. It’ll be your business’s primary identifier. Your logo should be aesthetically pleasing and include colors, symbols, and fonts representing your brand and industry. It’s also essential that all branding elements are consistent across all platforms, including your website, social media, and offline advertising.
You may have heard the saying, “The cobbler’s wife has no shoes,” meaning a professional spends so much time on their clients’ projects that they neglect their own. However, building a great website and a robust social media presence is essential for your digital marketing agency. Your website will serve as one of the most critical projects in your portfolio and should reflect your best possible work.
Any site built should be optimized for desktop and mobile devices and follow best practices for the services you plan to provide. Your social media presence should also follow the latest best practices and illustrate your ability to reach a wider audience and engage with potential clients.
If you plan to build websites for others using a specific platform (like WordPress or Squarespace), creating a high-quality site on the same platform might make the most sense.
Pursue lead generation
To grow your digital marketing company, you will need to generate leads.
Here are some lead-generation strategies you can use in Kenya:
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Content marketing
Create and distribute valuable, relevant, and exciting content to potential customers. This can include blog posts, videos, podcasts, and social media posts.
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Email marketing
A well-thought-out email campaign can create a direct line of communication with prospective customers.
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Paid advertising
A popular strategy that can generate a steady flow of qualified leads quickly.
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Webinars
It is a great way to talk directly to your ideal audience and nurture more profound relationships.
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Chatbots
An effective lead generation strategy that can connect and engage with current and potential customers.
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SEO
An excellent method for drawing in credible leads who are interested in your business.
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A/B testing
Regularly test and refine your lead generation assets to improve results and generate more high-quality leads.
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Landing pages
Design effective landing pages, optimize their performance, and promote them through various channels.
Gather the right resources to run your agency.
For your digital marketing business to flourish, you need to have access to the right tools. Here’s what you are likely to need:
- SEO tools: Surfer, Ahrefs, Screaming Frog
- Project management tools: Notion, Trello, Clockify
- Writing tools: Surfer AI, Grammarly, Hemingway, QuillBot
- Communication tools: Slack, Loom, Zoom
- Social media management tools: Buffer, Hootsuite, CoSchedule
- Email marketing tools: Mailchimp, Active Campaign
- PPC tools: Google Keyword Planner, Spyfu
- Design tools: Canva, Figma
You should also take the time to build other assets and resources.