Are you an organization looking to get maximum value out of your marketing agency?
Do you know how to build value, how to measure it?
As a client, when you first partner with a marketing agency, you’re usually pretty gung ho: everything looks seamless, and you have faith that the agency will do its job well, helping you meet if not exceed your key revenue goals.
Pretty straightforward, right?
Jump ahead a few months, and you’re starting to see some problems: maybe the agency is demanding more of your time and resources than you initially intended; maybe there’s been a change of leadership there, or perhaps you just aren’t loving their work as much as you thought you might.
How can you be sure to get the most value out of the marketing agency you hire and make sure this is so from start to finish?
Don’t Hire “On the Fly”
Any organization devoting a significant chunk of budget to marketing will be looking for the best ad agency for their needs.
But there are so many marketing agencies out there. You don’t want to go into this blind and risk making a costly mistake.
As you do your search for your ideal ad agency, ask for details about:
- How they helped previous clients achieve goals (case studies can help with this)
- What project management tools do they typically use
- How they measure success
- Planning and strategy techniques
- Key strengths and skills in the agency
- Who you will be working with directly
- The team’s personality and culture—will they fit well with your organizational culture?
If you’re searching for a new marketing agency to work with your organization, consider hiring a professional consultant to help you find the best-fit marketing agency for your needs.
This will save you time and stress, and help you maximize the value of the partnership.
Educate Them
If you bring on anyone new—whether it’s a partner organization, a contractor, or an employee—you’d probably go out of your way to give them some deep training on what your organization is all about.
Your marketing agency needs to know all these details and more. They need to know exactly what your organization wants and needs to be fully prepared to deliver the best.
Remember that they want to please you but can’t if they don’t know what you want. Giving your new partner a deep education about the company upfront will help build a strong foundation for the relationship going forward.
Give them your data, your research, your strategy, your past successes, and your failures. Don’t leave anything out!
When they understand your marketing and branding goals on a deep level, they should easily identify gaps and fill them in.
Be Patient
A large marketing campaign is no small feat, and seeing results and finding value can take time.
Make sure you give your marketing agency time to immerse themselves in your challenges and carefully consider alternative solutions. Keep in mind—It is more difficult to be innovative, creative and thorough with a fast turnaround.
Like any relationship, you need to be clear and transparent, giving them enough time to pivot when needed.
Stay involved as much as you can at the outset, and they should be able to take the reins at the right time.
Metrics Matter
Are you briefing this marketing agency with the right metrics (KPIs) at the outset?
How do you want to use your KPIs to determine performance going forward?
Briefing your new marketing agency should include some key numbers. But here’s the thing: don’t’ get stuck on those numbers.
The agency is there to help you understand where you might need to make some changes. If they start discussing some key KPIs you weren’t previously prioritizing, stay open to that.
A great marketing agency should help you set appropriate metrics for success going forward, help you understand why they’re important, and report the relevant pieces.
The Marketing Agency is Part of Your Team
Any time you hire someone new, you should be considering them as part of the “team,” even if they are on a short-term contract.
They do, after all, have a vested interest in helping you find success. So when you give them the respect and attention that you would any other team member, they will be more likely to put that same energy back towards the company.
Make sure you have the right level of bandwidth available before hiring a new ad agency, with smooth communication channels and processes clarified right at the start.
Leave them time to do the important tasks like research instead of taking up their time with tons of meetings. In addition, try not to have “too many cooks in the kitchen.”
Project management tools can save time and emails. If they suggest that you use something like Slack or Asana to stay in touch, don’t be afraid to try out something new if you’re unfamiliar.
Be Constructive With Feedback
Things never go 100% according to plan, and you will not necessarily agree with everything they suggest or even execute.
When giving feedback, be honest, but frame things in a positive light.
For example:
- Don’t say: “I didn’t like that last social media post… it was boring.”
- Do say: “Hey, about that last post, I was wondering how much engagement it got? I saw this company do (XYZ) and was wondering if we could try something more like that instead.”
And most importantly, when you offer feedback, tell the person why your suggestion is important to you, the company, etc. Tying it to a bigger purpose will help to clarify to them that you are not just nitpicking.
Things won’t always go to plan, and there is always learning to do, so stay open and friendly with feedback.
Clearly Define What Success Means to Your Organization
How much revenue do you think you can get from this next campaign? What is your bottom line really about? Is this project a number one priority or a little lower down on the list?
How you communicate these to the marketing agency in question will determine the path of the project.
Your marketing agency should have a deep understanding of what you consider to be a successful marketing campaign. If they aren’t clear on that, they won’t deliver to your expectations.
Would you like some help matching with an agency or building a marketing plan? I offer marketing agency search and performance management services to organizations looking to partner with the best agencies.
If you want to learn more about how I can help, please reach out!
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