Onboarding Your New Marketing Agency: What to Expect

Humans are programmed to resist change, and that applies equally in both business and private life. Whether it’s moving office premises or transferring your company account to a different service provider, there’s bound to be some trauma involved.

Knowing what to expect when you’re onboarding a new marketing agency can reduce the angst and irritation, and make the future relationship a lot less rocky.

The Kick-Off

The traditional kick-off call or meeting is a vital first step in a new business relationship, to enable the parties to get a sense of each other’s priorities and personality. The purpose of this meeting is to:

• establish primary points of contact between client and agency,
• identify roles and responsibilities,
• determine communication channels and meeting frequency,
• set expectations for outcomes, and
• confirm the timeline for the project or campaign.

This event should include all key personnel, to ensure you have everyone on the same page.

Gather Intelligence

Having the right information to start with makes all the difference, and often the most critical information isn’t actually written down anywhere.

During the onboarding process, an agency will often ask the client to complete detailed documentation, including a questionnaire about the company background, the operational philosophies and the future business strategy. Having access to this intelligence will enable the agency to take a suitable approach in its dealings on behalf of the client.

Review Methodology

It’s essential for both parties to understand and agree on the methodologies to be used. Doing this in advance avoids surprises and those difficult meetings later, when the client discovers the agency is doing things differently than expected.

Establish the processes you plan to use and ensure everyone is in agreement, particularly with regard to issues such as:

• Sign-off and approvals
• Invoicing and payment
• Reporting methods and frequency

This will prevent an uncomfortable situation such as an advertisement going live without the proper authorization, or overspending the budget for one component to the detriment of another.

Build Relationships

Strong relationships are the foundation of any successful collaboration, so use onboarding as an opportunity to establish a connection between agency and client counterparts wherever possible. Perhaps include some fun activities to break the ice and form bonds that will carry over into future dealings. The closer you can come to achieving a team mindset between the players on both sides, the more likely you are to see a good working relationship develop.

Call Wax Custom Communications at 305-350-5700 or visit waxcom.com to discover how an experienced healthcare marketing agency can help boost your bottom line.