Start an AI Automation Agency With My 5 Step Blueprint

And although we are starting to see stories pop up of writers being replaced by ChatGPT, I believe AI tools will only replace bad writers and help great marketers earn more.

I've been involved with AI Automation Agencies (AAA) for the past 5 years, even if I didn't realize it.

It was my strategy when I first started building my business. But even with AI writing tools, I faced challenges.

Around a year and a half ago, I was on the verge of giving up. I was juggling 3-4 clients simultaneously, each challenging me on the copywriting front.

I was so swamped that I didn't take on new clients until this past year.

You don't have to face the same struggles, because I've developed a system that leverages AI to streamline my entire marketing service.

In this article, I'll outline:

1. How to start a new AI automation agency
2. Processes and systems I've employed to grow my agency
3. Using AI automation agency tools like Performify
   

Traps That Traditional Agencies Fall Into

The first step in establishing a marketing agency is to create your case studies, portfolio, and service packages.

So you'll first need to familiarize yourself with the field.

Work for a company or someone to gather practical insights. Understand the operations, the challenges, and solutions.

It might seem counter-intuitive to work for someone else if you're aiming to launch your own venture, but trust me, getting an insider's view is essential.

Beware of AI Automation Courses

You've likely seen ads from YouTube "experts" claiming their course will set you on a path to a six-figure AAA.

Courses promising quick success can seem tempting, but can actually lead you in the wrong direction by leaving out crucial pieces of context.

Most AAA course sellers are riding a trend, without firsthand knowledge of running a marketing agency.

Instead of buying an expensive course, I would seek out real marketers who are in the trenches.

Their insights will be vastly more valuable than those selling courses on YouTube and they can even help you get started.

Steps to Building a Successful AI Automation Agency in 2024

Starting a marketing agency is a ton of work in the beginning.  Ironically, the 'automated' part is what usually requires human intervention.

My goal for this article is show you how I would approach starting an AAA, if I we're to start from scratch.

This guide is not sequential, so feel free to jump around.

1.) Highlight Your Value for Prospective Clients

Many AI marketing tools essentially just generate content and are subject to scrutiny from your clients.

But if you position yourself the right way, these tools can be integral components of your service packages.

You don’t need to explicitly say, "I copy and paste from ChatGPT," but positioning your agency as a swifter, higher-quality solution is a must.

2.) Choose The Right B2B AI Copywriting Tools

I might be somewhat biased, but the top B2B AI Copywriting Tool I used to grow my agency was Performify's AI Humanizer.

This tool transforms a client's words into high-converting copywriting. It also streamlines everything, from client onboarding to delivering copy.

And because I'm using my client's own descriptions of their benefits, customers, and products allows me to better align with their vision.

By inputting this context into our AI writer, the output is not only highly accurate but also tailored to their audience, and in line with the client's vision.

However, your needs might extend beyond drafting emails, landing pages, or blogs.  I'd recommend trying out:

• Copy.ai
• Clickup AI
• Notion AI
• Describely.ai

I don't recommend Jasper. Not only is it pricier, but it's also nearing the end of its product life cycle.

Tools in this phase tend to be less user-friendly, come with more glitches, and often lack new feature development.

3.) Create Marketing AI Prompt Templates

Creating reusable AI prompt templates help streamline processes, save time, and document prompt performance.

Save your prompts in a Google Doc, date them, and label them.

You'll appreciate the organization later down the road when you can reference what worked and what didn't.

4.) Use AI Forms in Your Workflow

You'll need to figure out where to implement AI into your existing workflow. 

The most valuable workflow I found was during the client intake process.

I reduced my workload by 68% by turning my client questionnaire form responses into personalized AI copywriting.

This tool does that, it's like an AI Google Forms for marketers.

5.) Educate Your Clients about AI Marketing Automation

The biggest hurdle you have to overcome if you want to be pioneer in this space is with client expectations.

Everyone has used ChatGPT, even your clients.

But telling them you use ChatGPT is like telling them that they don't need you, your overcharging them, and you deliver poor quality work.

Instead, educate your clients about your AI process with articles, case-studies, or testimonials.

You can use visual aids like infographics and video demonstrations to explain your how you use AI as part of your client workflow.

Examples you can share on your website or in meetings:

• A/B test results showing AI-generated copy vs. traditionally written copy.
• Time saved on content creation using AI tools.
• Real-time modifications and improvements based on data, thanks to AI.
  

6.) Use AI to Personalize Copywriting & Content Writing

Most AI marketing tools are geared towards copywriting or content creation.

I personally think the best type of tool to start with is a copywriting personalization tool, because most of the work marketers do, is writing, in one form or another.

Automating writing tasks allows you to dedicate more time to the aspects of marketing that push the needle forward, like:

• Persuasion techniques
• Marketing strategies
• Product positioning
• Messaging strategy

By focusing on high-level strategy, you offer more value to your clients. This is how marketers and writers justify higher rates.

AI Marketing Automation Agency Success Story

Burn out is a real thing with marketing professionals.  I saw the same things happening to agency owners, firsthand, time and time again.

• Always strapped for time
• Always un-organized
• Missing important pieces of information
• Multiple angry clients at all times
• Employee's that get no support and hate working for them

So as I started growing I refused to end up in that category.

I wanted to streamline my processes and since the end of 2018, I really relied on AI writing tools to help me do it.

It automated a huge part of my day because you're always going to be writing, whether it's client emails, project briefs, or ad copy.

Performify Will Help You Grow Your AI Automation Agency

But even when I used AI tools or wrote copy from scratch, my clients would hate it. It would never live up to their expectations.

So for years I worked 18 hour days.  But when I built my own internal AI tools, my 18 hour days turned into 6 hour days.

Plus, because my client's loved the copy I wrote, my business grew well over the 6-figure mark in a matter of months.

Performify was created from that same internal tool, so other marketers can automate their copywriting process and boost performance.