The Affluent Academy is a comprehensive online training program created by Jordan Platten. It is for individuals looking to start and scale their digital marketing agencies. It teaches you everything you need to know about starting a marketing agency from scratch. This includes mindset training, closing clients, marketing, and many more. Participants can access video lessons, case studies, templates, tools, and more. The program also includes access to a supportive community and regular live Q&A sessions.
People from Trustpilot and Reddit have mixed opinions about Affluent Academy. It has a rating of 4.8 out of 5.0 stars from Trustpilot. Both Jordan and Affluent Academy's page have a perfect rating of 5.0 stars. Many students praised the comprehensive content, real-world applications, one-on-one mentorship, and detailed strategies. Some were critical of its marketing tactics, sales pressure, effectiveness, and high cost. Despite the criticism, many testimonials cite improvements in their business. For example, Todd Starr grew his agency and hit £100K a month after taking the course.
In 2024, Social Media Marketing Agencies (SMMA) remain profitable. It is driven by the extensive use of social media and the rising number of new businesses needing a strong social media presence. Agencies can earn between $1,500 and $25,000 per client each month, and profit margins range from 11% to 20%. However, profitability depends on overcoming several challenges. This includes fierce competition, client acquisition and retention, changes in digital marketing, and many more.
This Affluent Academy review covers its pros and cons, content, benefits, bonuses, and many more. We will also check out reviews from different platforms and student's testimonial. In the end, we will compare the profitability of social media marketing agency with other lead generation business model.
Affluent Academy Review: Pros and Cons
Pros
The Affluent Academy has a very comprehensive content.
The Affluent Academy has easy to follow lessons with applicable advice.
The Affluent Academy course offers one-on-one mentorship calls.
Cons
The Affluent Academy is quite expensive.
It has mixed reviews online.
There is no guarantee that it works for everyone.
Price
Affluent Academy costs over $3000.
Training
The Affluent Academy training comes in video lessons, case studies, mentorship calls, and many more. It is available on the Skool platform.
Group
The Affluent Academy has a private group called Agency Owners with 35.2k members from the Skool platform. It also has a Facebook page called Affluent.co with 7.4K followers.
Refund Policy
The Affluent Academy has a full 14 day money back policy from purchase to those who have watched under 15% of the course content.
Origin
The Affluent Academy started in 2019.
Reputation
Jordan Platten has built a reputable name for himself in the digital marketing industry. He is particularly known for his expertise in social media marketing. He has a substantial social media following of over 500K combined.
I bought his course years ago and found it decent, but not exceptional. I’ve purchased many courses, and they are selling the same thing: you get rich following their methods and nothing else. However, I’m unsure if his course is still available. Did I manage to get clients from it? Yes, but I also did a lot of research on my own.
How To Build a Profitable Agency?
According to Jordan Platten, here's how to build a profitable agency:
Have a strong mental foundation: Jordan said that having the right mindset before starting an agency. Setting clear goals and cultivating the right entrepreneurial attitude are crucial to success.
Identify niches and ideal clients: This helps tailor services to meet the needs of a target audience. It increases the effectiveness of your marketing efforts.
Put in place a systematic operation: This can include client acquisition to service delivery. You can also automate repetitive tasks and ensure that there are logical procedures in place, which helps in scaling the business.
Use effective sales and marketing strategies: Use social media to generate leads and convert them into paying clients.
Provide exceptional value and service: This is to keep clients and get new ones through referrals and positive reviews.
Learn and adapt: Stay updated with the latest trends, tools, and strategies about digital marketing. This is to stay competitive and effective.
Build a strong team: This involves hiring the right people and providing them with proper training and support.
Monitor your financial health: Keep a close eye on the financials. Monitoring your cash flow, profit margins, and ROI helps the agency remain profitable and sustainable.
What is Affluent Academy?
The Affluent Academy is a mentorship program that helps you establish and grow a digital marketing agency. It provides coaching, personalized guidance, and support in building your agency. It includes extra resources like agency website templates and custom agency management platform. The program also has a weekly live Q&A sessions. Affluent Academy teaches brand new niche-based training and client acquisition systems.
Participants can enjoy three weekly live group calls and a new client success team dedicated to one-on-one coaching. Affluent Agency's curriculum is extensive. It has over 80 video lessons spread across many modules. The program covers mindset training, client acquisition, and sales strategies. It also covers service delivery and agency scaling. Each module also ends with a Recap Quiz, which comprises short end of module multiple-choice quiz. The curriculum also covers launching websites, selecting your niches, marketing, scaling, and many more!
What Will You Get With Affluent Academy Program?
What is the Affluent Academy Curriculum?
Module 1 comprises seven lessons. It focuses on preparing participants mentally for success before launching their own agency. It emphasizes the importance of personal development and establishing a solid mental foundation. These are essential prerequisites for professional success. It teaches that having the right mindset and personal habits is crucial. This ensures that you are well-equipped mentally to tackle the challenges of starting and running a successful agency.
Module 2 comprises six lessons. It equips participants with the essential tools and knowledge needed to start a marketing agency. This is beneficial for those new to business, as it guides them through the initial steps of establishing an agency.
The lessons cover creating a strategic launch plan and developing a sustainable agency model. It also includes building a brand identity and designing an effective website. Other topics are on formulating services and setting up a pricing structure. By the end of this module, participants will understand how to position their agency in the industry.
Module 3 includes seven lessons focused on the critical aspects of client acquisition. It teaches participants how to identify the best niches for their services. The module also ensures that students understand the characteristics of their ideal client. These things are crucial for targeting marketing efforts effectively.
Additionally, it covers strategies for lead generation to attract potential clients. It also includes the implementation of a customer relationship management (CRM) system. A CRM helps organize and streamline interactions with clients.
Module 4 comprises 10 lessons that focus on converting potential leads into actual business meetings. This help participants master various strategies for engaging with cold leads.
It covers comprehensive sales training, effective cold calling, and the use of direct messaging. Additionally, it teaches email automation and the use of Loom for video messaging to enhance communication. Lastly, it includes tested outreach formula to increase the chances of securing meetings.
Module 5 includes 11 lessons that are integral to transforming warm leads into committed clients. This module assists even those with no prior sales experience. Participants will learn a comprehensive multi-platform meeting strategy designed to maximize conversion rates.
It also includes preparing for meetings , engaging potential clients, and handling objections . Other lessons are on setting up payment systems and onboarding new clients. Additionally, the module uses case studies to illustrate successful strategies and tactics. This serves as practical example that participants can emulate.
Module 6 has six lessons that provide a practical, hands-on look at the process of closing high-ticket clients. Participants will watch actual recordings of Jordan as he navigates the full sales process.
Key elements featured in this module include call recordings, Zoom calls, and examples of live cold calls. This gives participants a clear and comprehensive understanding of effective sales strategies.
Module 7 comprises seven lessons. It delve into the underlying principles of effective marketing. It teaches participants about the psychology that drives consumer behavior and decision-making. This provides a foundation for creating impactful marketing strategies.
It also talks about content creation and producing engaging and relevant material for your target audience. This module also includes comprehensive marketing strategies for various channels and tactics. Lastly, it also covers ROI tracking. This is crucial for measuring the effectiveness of campaigns and understanding ROI.
Module 8 comprises 10 lessons focused on expanding your agency. It also includes implementing systems that enhance efficiency and scalability. It explores strategies to align agency growth with your personal goals. This is crucial for long-term success and satisfaction.
It also teaches setting clear targets and developing a robust referral system. This increases client acquisition through word of mouth. Other focus in on mastering high-ticket sales and creating automated marketing funnels.
Modules 9-12 have 37 lessons. It focuses on the delivery of effective social media advertising services. Specifically, through Facebook and Instagram ads. Participants will learn the crucial aspects of crafting successful ad campaigns. This includes setting clear advertising objectives and pinpointing the most effective targeting methods. Other lessons are on developing compelling creative content, and formulating comprehensive strategies.
What is in the Affluent Agency E-Learning Platform?
The Affluent Agency E-Learning Platform has a comprehensive and interactive learning environment for students. Inside the platform, there is a Community tab where students can engage with each other. The Classroom tab houses all the courses, modules, and lessons, offering easy access to educational content. A Calendar tab displays the schedule for live Q&A calls and other events. It helps students stay organized and connected to upcoming activities. Additionally, there is a Leaderboard tab that showcases the top students and their points. This adds a competitive element to the learning experience.
Who is the Affluent Academy For?
The Affluent Academy is for individuals who are eager to start their own digital marketing agency or those looking to significantly grow their existing agency. It is ideal for both novices who have no prior experience in digital marketing and seasoned marketers seeking to expand their knowledge and improve their business strategies. The program's comprehensive curriculum and supportive resources make it suitable for entrepreneurs who want to learn how to acquire clients effectively, scale their operations, and increase revenue. Additionally, it caters to those who are looking for a mentorship approach rather than just an informational course, providing personalized guidance and practical tools to ensure real-world success in the competitive field of digital marketing.
What People are Saying About Affluent Academy?
People are saying mixed reviews about Affluent Academy. The positive reviews collectively attest to the high value and transformative impact of the Affluent Academy. There is a frequent praise for its comprehensive approach, supportive community, and effective mentorship. The negative reviews showed concerns about misleading advertising, policy changes without proper communication, and dissatisfaction with the coaching and course value.
Affluent Academy Reviews Trustpilot
The Affluent Academy reviews from Trustpilot are mostly positive. It has a rating of 4.8 out of 5.0 stars. For instance, Doug DuFur praises the program as excellent, noting that it's costly but worthwhile for those ready to commit and work hard. He also appreciates the mentorship and community engagement offered. Feras Khalbuss credits the Affluent Academy with reviving his e-commerce agency. He also said that the mindset and discipline training as unique benefits.
Other positive reviews are about the quick and personal response from Jordan Platten and community support. Lewis and Maki Sama both report significant improvements in their business since joining the academy. Genesis Moncayo and Michael Ahn praised the structure course. Stevie, Arthur Hahne Paes, and RVG Media Backup all express satisfaction with the comprehensive content.
However, some students shared negative reviews about Affluent Academy on Trustpilot. One student named Jordan from Canada claimed that he worked hard but didn't achieve the results he expected. He also found the requirements to qualify for a refund unreasonable and unlawful.
Greg Williams expressed dissatisfaction with the academy changing its policy on lifetime access. Afterwards, they requested him to pay a renewal fee to maintain his membership in the community. Henri Berest claimed poor performance on his ad campaigns and a lack of accountability from the agency. Brodie McNally complains about the course content being mostly filler and not as applicable as advertised.
Affluent Academy Reviews Reddit
Affluent Academy Success Stories
Affluent Academy success stories are abundant on its website and Jordan's social media pages. One of these is from Charlotte Courtney and Caitlin McLaren, who reported having earned £10K in 10 months. Todd Starr watched Jordan Platten on YouTube for 18 months before taking the course. He is now earning multiple £10K days and is going to hit £100K in revenue at the end of one month. His company previously earned £8K per month.
Most of the testimonials talked about the level of value and the detail of the course. Others reported significant increase in their revenue and number of clients.
Harry worked as an account manager while reselling designer clothes as a side hustle. However, he encountered issues with his retail business because of the brand's copyright concerns. He shifted his focus to SMMA that caters to e-commerce businesses. His sister’s aesthetic clinic was his first client. Harry struggled to acquire more clients because he didn't have results to show. Harry's testimonial claimed he signed 12 clients in just a few months. However, he did not mention how much these contracts are worth or how long the clients signed up for.
Paul Kennedy is the director of Life Like Media, a creative and social media marketing agency. He learned a lot of skills from Jordan and Affluent Academy. This includes Facebook ads delivery, ad placement, and buying techniques. With the knowledge he learned from the course, he grew his business and work with multiple brands. He currently earns $60,000 monthly revenue.
Who is Jordan Platten?
Jordan Platten is a keynote speaker, author, and entrepreneur. He has a reputation as a digital marketer from Norwich, England, United Kingdom. He claimed that he is a university dropout. Jordan got expelled from university for running a nightclub events company. He worked through three unsatisfying jobs before focusing on digital marketing.
Jordan founded a marketing agency that achieved six-figure profits within 90 days at age 23. He founded Affluent Academy to use his personal coaching and branding to help people achieve financial freedom. He also authored "The 15 Minute Agency".
Jordan has a substantial social media following. He has over 10K followers on LinkedIn, 20K on Facebook, and boasts 319K subscribers on YouTube. His Instagram has 47.3K followers, while his TikTok has over 2.5K followers. He also managed a private group called Agency Owners with 35.2k members from the Skool platform.
Is a Social Media Marketing Agency Profitable in 2024?
Yes, a social media marketing agency (SMMA) is still profitable in 2024 because of the vast number of people using social media daily. Sprout Social reported that over 5.17 billion total social media users worldwide. An average person uses 6 different social networks per month. According to Commercial Institute, 4.4 million businesses opens every year in the US and 810K opens in the UK.
A strong social media presence in crucial for modern brands. This led to the continued demand for social media marketing agencies.According to Agency Analytics, agencies can earn between $1,500 and $25,000 per month per client. The average digital marketing agency has a profit margin of 11% to 20%. SMMA has low overheads. However, its profitability hinges on the owner's ability to manage the business effectively.
What are the Challenges of Starting an SMMA in 2024?
The challenges with starting an SMMA in 2024 are:
- High competition: The low barrier to entry means there are many agencies out there, making it a highly competitive market. Standing out from the crowd can be very difficult. Agencies and social media marketers with more experience can attract better traffic. Clutch reported that there are over 13,000 social media marketing agencies in the United States alone. This does not include agencies that are doing freelance works.
- Difficulty in acquiring clients: This is the biggest challenge with starting an SMMA. Because of the plethora of options available, convincing potential clients can be tough. This is especially true for new entrants without a track record. Saleshandy suggested doing cold calling, using social media, and business partnership.
- Pressure in setting your price: Because of the high competition, there is a certain pressure to set competitive pricing. This can make it difficult to maintain a healthy profit margin. Wrong pricing can deter potential clients.
- Keeping up with trends: The digital marketing world is growing. There are frequent changes in social media platforms' algorithms, features, and user behaviors. Staying current requires continuous learning and adaptability.
- Difficulty in managing client's expectations: Clients have high or unrealistic expectations on campaigns. Managing these expectations and educating clients about realistic outcomes is crucial.
- Scaling challenges: As your agency grows, scaling up operations can be challenging. Maintaining quality service can become increasingly complex.
- Finding skilled employees: This is crucial because the quality of your team's work affects client satisfaction and retention.
Why Local Lead Generation is More Profitable Than an SMMA?
Local lead generation is more profitable than SMMA for several reasons. First, SMMA leads are often low-quality because the person who clicked on the ad isn't looking to buy at that moment. People who search on Google, a plumber for example, most often need a plumber immediately. This means that the leads from Google convert to sales more often. Forbes said that even big companies are less worried about marketing and more stressed about finding customers.
In a survey of 750 CEOs, 58% showed that lead generation is a key challenge business leaders face. This demand for generating high-quality leads makes local lead generation more profitable. Moreover, it is more difficult to get clients with social media marketing than in local lead generation. Business owners often want to see proof of your claims as a social media marketer. They always expect massive results, for the least amount of money, in a very short space of time. With local lead generation, you are giving actual leads with their information. This shows your value to business owners.
Local lead generation is more hands-off. Once the sites ranked high on Google and are fully optimized, they generate leads on autopilot. Businesses often pay $500-$3000 per month for a single site with the high-quality leads. Imagine having 5 or 10 of these sites. You can easily scale your business with no need for an extra pair of hands on deck. With SMMA, scaling requires hiring more people to do the added work. Client retention is low and you are always looking for new clients. This means pitching all the time. With local lead generation, business is recurring, making client retention longer. As long as your site brings in leads, you will have a client that happily pays you forever. So, if you are looking for a business opportunity which is more profitable and scalable, try local lead generation.
