The
This push to find new ways of making revenue has also extended to digital agencies, many of whom have seen their businesses threatened by the unpredictability the pandemic has wrought on the economy.
Even before the
So what’s the best way to go about attracting new and different revenue?
Many companies have turned to recurring revenue strategies to ensure that regular income is flowing into their businesses. But just what is recurring revenue? And is it right for your agency?
What is recurring revenue?
Recurring revenue is revenue you receive on a regular basis, most typically monthly, but it can also be
An easy example of this would be a streaming content library service such as Netflix. For access to this company’s services, you pay a set fee at a regular, recurring interval — that is, every month. In turn, Netflix earns revenue on a recurring basis.
Recurring revenue contrasts with other more traditional types of revenue that are paid on a
Now, for digital agencies, the services you’d be providing that would generate recurring revenue can vary, but they’d likely include things like:
- Social media management
- Consultancy or advisory services
- Content marketing subscriptions
- Website management
So now that we know what recurring revenue is, let’s look at a few reasons why recurring revenue can be good (as well as bad) for your digital agency.
Pros of recurring revenue
Less stress for you
Let’s face it: finding new customers is tough. But unfortunately that’s the task at hand for many agencies that don’t have recurring revenue streams — continually generating new business by attracting and converting more and more customers to make sure ends meet each month. But just because you’re hustling and grinding to find new clients does not mean they’ll start paying for your services, which can mean a lot of time, effort and stress with nothing to show for it.
With recurring revenue, some of that stress is alleviated by the fact that even if you don’t attract any new business in a given month, you’ll still be drawing in some money from those that have subscribed to your services. Without feeling the constant push and pull of trying to draw in and sign up new customers, you can focus on attracting new clients who are right for your business and delivering top quality services to your current clientele.
More revenue for business investment and growth
The biggest benefit of recurring revenue is that it brings in more revenue for your business, plain and simple. Along with the money you’re taking in from normal sales of your core business services, you’re supplementing that revenue with other cash streams that allow you to invest in the areas of your business that need it.
If you need new technology or hardware, more employees, new software, or a bigger office space, having more money on hand will enable you to invest in your business and scale up to keep up with demand more quickly. Whereas previously investing in your business might’ve felt like a pipe dream, having recurring revenue can build up your coffers and make those dreams a reality.
More cash on hand for emergencies
On the other hand, maybe you’d like a little extra cash in the bank for an unforeseen business downturn. The
So, if your business is experiencing unanticipated upheaval or sales are slowing down, having an extra financial cushion to pay wages, office space rent, or whatever other bills are coming due can be a real lifesaver for you, your business, your employees — and your customers.
Opportunity to build out your service suite
Aside from having more money on hand for company needs as well as things you want for your business, launching recurring revenue streams gives you the chance to build out the services you provide customers beyond just your core business offerings.
Perhaps you’re interested in building your brand but aren’t ready to take on more clients for your core services, so you’re considering advisory or consultancy services. Or maybe you really enjoy getting your customers’ websites just right, and so you want to offer website management subscriptions as a way to grow your client base. Obviously doing these things will net you more and more revenue, but it also allows you to build out the suite of services you offer and expose you to more customers.
More upsell opportunities
Adding recurring revenue streams and the additional services they’re based on also gives you more chances to add to the business you’re already doing with current clients. Regardless of why or what it is that’s drawn your current customer base to do business with you — maybe it’s the snappy email marketing campaigns you’ve come up with, maybe it’s the brilliant website management you’ve done — these customers represent an opportunity to do even more business through upselling.
For example, if you’re launching a new social media management subscription, review your current customers and see which of them aren’t yet paying for this service. Reach out to them and let them know you’re now offering this as a recurring service and gauge their interest in a subscription. These customers already know and love the work that you’re doing, so they’ll be likely to want to do even more business with you.
Cons of recurring revenue
More upkeep involved in providing new services
While having guaranteed monthly income is likely a very attractive option, it also means there will be guaranteed monthly work for your agency. With recurring revenue and the
Instead of projects being done and off of your plate once you’ve completed them, the projects remain ongoing until the customer no longer wants the services. So every month, you’ll have to factor in the amount of time you’ll need to take care of these monthly services on top of the
Less time to focus on core business services
On the flipside, more time being required for these recurring services means you’ll have less time to work on the other core services that your customers expect from you and that established your business in the first place. You’ll have to be honest with yourself to determine whether or not you have the time and bandwidth to take on these types of projects.
The last thing you’ll want to do is to sign agreements with customers to provide recurring services on top of your other business and then quickly find that you simply don’t have enough time to do them (or hire people to scale up quickly enough). Then, the quality of both types of the work you’re doing will suffer and your customer base could wither.
Where does ecommerce fit in?
Unlike some of the ideas we’ve discussed above, white label services are an easy way to generate recurring revenue without requiring the same time or upkeep commitment as other services you may be considering.
Including ecommerce in your offerings to clients is a great way to grow another revenue stream without eating up too much of your bandwidth or resources. Your clients will assume you’re offering your own homegrown ecommerce solution, while you get to resell a fully developed platform without any development or maintenance.
At Ecwid, we provide a range of partnership options and levels so that you can find the way to provide ecommerce services to your clients that makes sense for your business — including our white label solutions.
With our white label options, you can resell Ecwid’s
Is recurring revenue right for my business?
So how do you know if generating recurring revenue and providing
After establishing your niche in the market, are you having trouble attracting new customers each month? Does what you do each month feel a little stagnant and lead you to seek out new challenges? Do you have enough cash on hand or in your account to weather a prolonged, maybe
Only you can answer these questions and determine the best way forward for your company.
We hope this discussion of recurring revenue has been insightful for you. If you’re ready to add a new source of recurring revenue, learn more about our white label ecommerce partnership.