Managing a relationship with a marketing agency can be a rocky road, and with the constantly-shifting digital landscape it’s challenging to determine whether both parties are delivering their best performance. Here are some components we believe are key to a successful agency/client relationship.
Regular Reviews
Having a long-term strategic plan with a marketing agency is an excellent way to start, but you can’t assume it will still be fully applicable a year later. Just because you planned for five years doesn’t mean sticking to it without question. Regular reviews between your representative and the agency will help you navigate any changes to the ecosystems that might require active management to stay relevant.
For example, Amazon was purely a sales channel not long ago. Now, it functions as a search engine, too, with 55 percent of consumers beginning their product search on the site. Do you and your agency counterpart both have a clear view of the platforms you’ll need for future successes, and do you understand the implications for the marketing mix?
Roles and Responsibilities
Overlapping of roles and responsibilities leads to confusion, duplication, time loss and financial waste, but aligning your actions requires you to walk a fine line. Your duties end where the agency’s begin and vice versa, but it’s only by identifying clearly who has ownership of what stage that you’re able to be effective.
Setting yourself up for success with a marketing agency takes more than just assigning tasks. Defining responsibilities needs to include identifying which capabilities are best left to the agency, and which can be developed in-house.
According to McKinsey, many companies are developing their own approach to generate content quickly by carving out dedicated teams to optimize their resources. It’s worth asking whether this is really the most productive way to operate, given that agencies typically specialize in creating original content without the burden of oversight.
Tracking Metrics
Being able to quantify success is vital for a health business partnership, and no marketing client is happy if they are unable to see what they’re getting for their money. Agree upfront which marketing metrics your agency intends to supply to you, and give them everything they need to enable them to deliver those in a timely manner.
One of the biggest gripes agency personnel typically have about clients is waiting for information and approvals, and of course they can’t help until you provide the information.
So stop procrastinating and help your company understand if a relationship is successful by providing the intel they need to make it happen.
For more information about working successfully with a marketing agency, please contact Wax Custom Communications at 305-350-5700 or visit waxcom.com.