Why Agencies Struggle to Win Their Own Game - And How to Fix It

Markleting agencies help clients cut through with clarity, narrative, and creativity. But when it comes to their own brand, many fall silent - or repeat the same patterns they advise their clients to avoid.

If your agency feels like it’s lost a competitive edge in how it markets itself, you’re not alone - and it’s fixable.

The Irony in the Agency World

You’re brilliant at diagnosing client problems: strategy gaps, creative misalignment, measurement breakdowns. You deliver campaigns that produce leads and build brand.

Yet for your own growth, you often lean on what’s safe: services lists, testimonial quotes, and generic messaging.

Why?

Because agencies often assume their peers “know what we do already.” That excuses lack of clarity. And when your audience is other marketers, there’s no less scrutiny - quite the reverse: they have higher standards, they spot jargon, fluff, and overuse of buzzwords.

LinkedIn/Kantar data shows that over half (57.9%) of B2B marketers are increasing their focus on creative quality.

Research from B2B Marketing found that 68% of clients believe creativity is what makes an agency stand out - even more than price or delivery in many cases.

Clients want creativity, but agencies are often held back from delivering it for themselves.

What Often Goes Wrong When Agencies Market Themselves

Here are the familiar traps:

1. Messaging mirrors service delivery rather than brand narrative. You end up listing offerings instead of telling stories or taking positions.

2. Underinvestment in your own brand story because client work always comes first. So your website, your social, your content suffer from being “second class.”

3. Perfection over progress - you hold off launching until everything is “just perfect” - delaying momentum. Meanwhile, competitors who go live earlier establish presence.

4. Lack of differentiation - many agency websites read the same. “We help brands scale,” “strategic + integrated,” “results you can trust.” It becomes white noise.

5. No clear ownership or accountability - no one “leads” your marketing internally - who owns strategy, planning. content, messaging, growth? Without that, marketing becomes sporadic, reactive, and inconsistent.

How to Market to the Marketing World Effectively

Here are strategies that agencies can apply - backed by research and experience:

Lead with a strong PoV, not a service list

Clients are attracted to opinions and perspectives because it suggests expertise and character. What do you believe that many in your industry do wrong? What’s your distinct lens?

Show proof, with impact, not just plaudits

Case studies matter - but what moves people is when you tie them explicitly to business outcomes: growth, efficiency, cost savings, market share, customer satisfaction.

Be bold with creative quality

Creativity isn’t optional. The data shows creative ads increase purchase consideration, brand favourability, and emotional engagement. If clients want creativity, you must practice what you preach.

Experiment and document

Use small internal projects or campaigns to try new formats, voices, or channels. Learn, and iterate. Then, scale what works.

Structure your internal marketing like client work

Firm internal processes, role clarity, and dedicated time for creative strategy. Prioritise your agency brand with the same discipline as client campaigns.

Practical Steps & Takeaways for Agency Leaders

Here are things you can do this week or this month to start marketing your agency more effectively:

Why This Matters for Growth

• Differentiation leads to better business conversations, premium pricing, and improved retention.

• Clients who trust your narrative are more likely to stay, refer, and engage deeply.

• Reactively copying competitor language leads to commoditisation. Standing apart leads to brand strength.

• When you improve your own marketing, your agency gains something else - a living proof you can show prospects - *you walk the walk*.

If your agency’s own marketing feels less interesting than your client work - or you know you’ve got great expertise but struggle to shine it in your own brand narrative - we can help.

For over a decade, we've helped marketing agencies uncover what makes you different and articulate it powerfully and build marketing that reflects that uniqueness - not just for clients, but for you.