Build your agency with an exit in mind ft. Shawna Tregunna

ABM and Social Media Marketing are currently all the rage in B2B.

They're also two motions that are super easy to get wrong, which has caused a rise of skeptics across the B2B marketing ethos.

First timer mistakes include making your social media content all about YOU & heavily investing in ABM platforms that never get adopted by your revenue team.

Shawna Tregunna pioneered the B2B SMMA movement. She built and sold her first social media agency by leveraging an agency-to-agency model before being acquired by a client. 

Now, she's all in on ABM - consistently achieving 80% engagement from targeted prospects within three months.

Below are a few tips on how to properly execute ABM, how she scaled her SMMA to exit and best practices on selling your agency.

Starting an SMMA before it was cool:

Shawna's first agency, ReSoMe (Relevant Social Media), was born out of pure hustle and experimentation. She was playing around on Twitter when an investor approached her with an offer she couldn't refuse.

Talk about a dream scenario. Even with investment, being an early adopter is frankly nerve wracking because the market doesn't yet know what to expect.

When setting your own expectations about social media marketing, it's very important to understand your target buyer and your TAM - and set goals accordingly. 

If there's roughly 10,000 relevant accounts, virality doesn't do much. Your messaging and your metrics should be catered based on the size of your market and their usage of social media.

Chasing vanity metrics does NOT lead to conversions. Adjust accordingly.

Agency-to-Agency Growth Model:

Client acquisition is tough. When your space isn't highly commoditized, going agency-to-agency and white labeling your services could be the move.

This model allowed ReSoMe to add entire client rosters with each new agency partnership.

Even though you're white labeled, that doesn't necessarily mean that you won't get the chance to build real relationships with those clients and unlock new opportunities down the line.

It's also one of the easiest ways to land new case studies. You probably won't be driving the strategy for those clients, but if you work with a large number of them you're bound to see a success story or two that you can leverage into case studies.

ABM and why should you care:

Shawna moved on to ABM.

Contrary to popular belief, ABM isn't a guarantee. It's also not supposed to be ludicrously expensive. Scrappy tactics still prevail. 

Here's how you can get started:

1. Identify your ideal client profile (ICP) with laser precision
2. Build a list of 100 perfect-fit prospects
3. Craft personalized outreach campaigns for each
4. Aim for 80% engagement within 90 days

When you're running ABM, having a closer mentality won't serve you well. Focus on relationship building. 

Pro tip - if you're not regional, the best way to build a relationship in a fruitful manner is to invite your target accounts to collaborate on content with you. 

If they're believers in personal branding, they won't say no to spending 30-40 minutes creating content with you - as long as you do all of the heavy lifting. The editing, the publishing, the agenda building. It's a lot of work at first, but it can be systematized and delegated. 

Why It's Effective: By taking 100 perfectly matched prospects and aiming for 80% engagement within three months, you create a focused, high-impact ABM strategy. Pairing account-based marketing with real-life relationship building multiplies your return on investment. This approach allows you to build deeper connections with potential clients, leading to more fruitful long-term relationships.

Referrals 2.0

Shawna asks for referrals constantly. And it works. 

The fundamentals are - you do great work, you show impressive results and you ask for introductions to your clients entire network.

You might be asking - how does ABM fit into all of this?

If you've done your relationship building well, even if a particular prospect isn't a buyer at this time, they still have a network that they could tap into to help you land one of your other "Dream 100" prospects.

If you collaborate on content together, their competitors might see it and show interest as well.

Not all referrals need to be direct and based on existing results.

The Exit Strategy You Might Be Overlooking:

After seven years, Shawna was exploring exit options. But the buyer wasn't who she expected.

Your best exit opportunity might be sitting in your client list.

They know you, they trust you AND they understand the value that your agency brings. This was Shawna's ticket out of SMMA and into ABM.

The M&A Tip That Could Save Your Exit:

Thinking about selling your agency someday? Shawna's got a big piece of advice:

When selling your agency, ideally you want to sell a business model that is self sustaining and doesn't require your input. The last thing you want is for your exit to still need you at the helm post-sale. Sell your agency, not your brain.

Start now: Document everything in your business. The processes are what will be purchased and where your value lies if you're a service business. Start creating detailed documentation of all your workflows, systems, and procedures. This not only increases the value of your agency but also makes it more attractive to potential buyers who want a self-sustaining business.

Shawna's Agency Growth Checklist

1. Ride the trends, don't count on them sticking

2. Consider the agency-to-agency model for quick wins

3. Build strong client relationships - they might be your future acquirers

4. Master ABM for high-quality lead generation

5. Combine digital outreach with real-world relationship building

6. Ask for referrals shamelessly

7. Document your processes obsessively - it's your exit insurance

No matter what space your agency plays in - staying ahead of the market, getting referrals, building relationships with your ideal clients and preparing yourself for an exit are always excellent ways to grow and prosper.