There are many good reasons to work with a marketing agency. You may want to build a presence with an unfamiliar marketing strategy. You may want to get better results on a dwindling campaign. You might even want to save money and pay an agency to manage your campaign instead of hiring a full-time marketing manager.
In either case, your results will depend on the relationship and the relationship you are in with your marketing agency – and that means some work will have to be done.
How to Work with a Marketing Agency
These tips will help you work with a marketing agency more effectively.
- Choose the right partner. Your results will depend on your ability to select the right digital marketing agency. This means there are many different variables to consider. For example, what is the specialty of this agency? How much experience do you have with your agency? Do they have access to sufficient resources to support you? How long and how long are your contracts? How much do they charge you Do they seem easy to communicate? With that in mind, you need to read reviews and testimonials online to make sure this is the right partner for your needs.
- Set expectations early on. Once you have selected a marketing agency partner, it is important to set expectations early on. What do you hope to achieve? What do you define as "success"? What behaviors are unacceptable from this agency? How do you think this campaign will go? This is a great opportunity to eliminate differences in understanding so you can move forward as a team.
- Be transparent. Likewise, you should be transparent as your relationship develops. If your agency asks you to clarify information about your brand or goals, include them. If you have any ideas or thoughts that could improve the campaign, bring them up. The more proactive you are, the better.
- Specify conditions for communication. Different companies have different expectations of communication. Some prefer a hands-off approach that allows the agency to do the job it does best with minimal interaction. Others prefer weekly (or more frequent) meetings. Express your preference from the start.
- Stay clear and concise. Try to be as clear and precise as possible in all forms of communication. Review all of your written communication before sending it to make sure you have properly captured your thoughts and do not add unnecessary details. The smoother your communication with your agency, the better your campaign will run.
- Trust, but check. "Trust but Verify" is a Russian proverb that warns individuals to trust the people they work with, but always to verify that their trust is well placed. In the context of working with a marketing agency, it means that you always take the time to check that what they are telling you is true. It's a good system of checks and balances that will help you get the best possible results.
- Listen to expert advice. Your marketing agency acts as your advisor, giving you advice about your campaign and sharing expertise to help you make better decisions. You hired this agency because you trust them as experts. So be ready to hear this advice.
- Get to know the whole team (if you can). You may have a specific contact at your chosen marketing agency, but it is helpful to get to know the whole team (if you can). Meeting and talking to other team members can help you get an idea of how the organization is working and improve your relationship.
- Focus on the results. It's easy to get hold of the details of individual tactics and low-level decisions within a campaign, but you should be much better focused on the bottom line. Judge the agency based on the results they provided and keep the results as your top priority.
- Stay flexible. Try to be as flexible as possible. Be ready to experiment with new tactics, listen to new ideas, and don't be afraid to mess up your routine. Your flexibility can dramatically improve your results.
Identifying a Bad Relationship
If you've tried all of these strategies and are still having trouble getting the partnership "fit", it may be time to get your relationship up and running cancel this marketing agency. Don't worry too much – if you've already tried making things work, you have no choice but to look for another. If so, provide feedback to the agency so they know why you are leaving and find an agency that better suits your needs.
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