It is a good time to reflect on the past year. What are your memories of 2021? Is it a rollercoaster ride of new clients, different needs, and projects that pushed your team to its limits? Perhaps you’re just content to make it to the end of this year with your client base intact.

In times of uncertainty, it can be difficult to stay positive, even though this seems to be the new norm. Businesses had to abandon their 2020 growth plans and adapt quickly to new working methods; 2021 was no different.

Agencies are known for their flexibility and agility. They can scale up resources when necessary, change direction quickly, and deliver within tight deadlines. Agencies are better equipped to adapt than most businesses because of their flexible culture.

Even though agencies have mostly survived the difficulties of the past two years, it does not necessarily mean they are doing well. Many agency leaders are concerned. They are worried about losing money on poorly managed projects, losing valuable time in client management, and losing staff to stress.

Do you feel optimistic about the next year? No matter what the past year has been like, How can we build on the past year to make 2022 a year for optimism and growth?

Once you have resolved to make 2022 a great year for your agency, it is time to identify what was holding you back in 2020.

What Different Agencies Win at Are Different

163 UK-based agencies participated in research that shed light on critical operational issues that could impact agency profitability. These results show that the sector is not reaching its full potential.

• 67%of agencies believed that their ability to forecast revenue was only ‘somewhat inaccurate’ or very inaccurate’ 

• Only 9 percent felt their agencies were maximizing profitability

• More than a third of agencies didn’t measure their billable usage rate

• A mere 25% of agencies rated their team’s morale at 9/10 or 10/10

How can agencies adapt to these new challenges and grow? These issues, even the morale issue, are not impossible to solve. Accurate reporting was a major problem for many agencies. But it doesn’t have to be. Sometimes all it takes to solve a problem is finding the right tool.

Many digital marketing agencies in Miami felt that consistent, high-quality reporting was impossible to achieve due to their limited time and difficulty managing data. These were often the same agencies that were trying to do things the hard way, juggling disparate systems and complicated spreadsheets while they could have used a dedicated platform that provides insights with a click.

Sometimes operational problems can be solved with a strategic, strategic approach to improving processes. If that sounds too overwhelming, it’s because most people don’t have the time or resources to evaluate the effectiveness of their agency. – don’t worry. You can make small, incremental improvements to get you on the right path.

The forecast is a project management tool that has been described as “the best tool for agencies”. Cactus was partnered with the leading European agency growth consultancy to explore the results. The report provides practical and actionable advice that can be used by even the busiest agency leaders.