Peanut butter and jelly, brownies and ice cream, growth and retention — some things in life are better together, and the best agencies and freelancers know that. Agencies that operate in silos and view their channel as the most important piece are missing the whole point. I commonly see tweets from people about “not spending another dollar on your ads, and extract $$$ from your list instead!,” or to “stop raising your ad spend before you read this.” All of these sensationalized and ego-stroking comments are trying to pitch growth and retention against each other.
In 2022 and 2023, I’ve anecdotally cameroon telegram screening heard more paid agencies looking to acquire retention agencies because they understand the impact that the channels can have when they prioritize synergy. This tracks with my own experience. I’m closing in on 2 years at Homestead, and prior to me joining, Homestead had an email service but it was very minimal, and it was really just to help amplify their efforts on paid social. I reached out to Zach Stuck, the Founder of Homestead, asking if he did consulting on running an agency and he had the vision to pitch me on why I should join Homestead and help lead the Email team.
The best agencies out there know these two channels need to move with complimentary priorities. Prioritizing growth at the expense of retention will lead to a list full of one-time-purchasers, and prioritizing retention over growth might not allow your business to experience the success it’s capable of! Instead of thinking in siloed compartments, think about how you can build your business in a way that brings in new customers efficiently and gets them to come back again and again. That’s growth and retention.