- February 16, 2021
- Posted by: JPM 4 Marketing
- Categories: Digital Marketing, Legal Marketing, Marketing ROI, Relationship Management
So often when I talk to prospective new clients they tell me they’ve tried other marketing agencies and they just didn’t work. If they are willing to tell me what agencies they’ve tried in the past I will look them up and determine why they may not have been a good “fit” for them. If I’m being honest, I find that some of those agencies are good, really good! So what happened? Why didn’t they get good results? In short, poor relationship management.
Relationship management is important in every aspect of business but with marketing agencies having good communication and a connected relationship is a key component of a successful campaign. The marketing agency is tasked with understanding and communicating your vision and getting your message in front of the right audience.
A marketing agency is your partner and if you’re savvy and patient you can get a lot of benefit from this relationship. After all, this should be a relationship that generates long term growth for your company. Your agency account manager speaks with successful clients all day long and knows a lot about what makes those companies successful.
Building a strong agency relationship leads to a free exchange of ideas that generate creative, intuitive marketing campaigns. Below are my tips on how to get the most from your marketing agency relationship:
First, LISTEN. A good marketing agency will gather a lot of information from you and ask a lot of questions. Then the agency will analyze that data and recommend appropriate marketing channels, designs and content. Listen to their suggestions! You are paying for their expertise. It always amazes me how many companies hire a marketing agency and then make all their own decisions without input from the agency. Once again, being honest, these clients rarely have marketing success and tend to jump from agency to agency.
Second, PROVIDE INPUT. If you’ve had marketing failures in the past be sure to share those stories as well as your opinion about why they didn’t work. If you’ve tried a specific marketing channel that didn’t work, share those details. Your marketing agency will be able to identify why that plan didn’t work and make changes in their approach or perhaps try a completely different method. The key here is to provide input while keeping an open mind.
Third, TRUST YOUR PARTNER. Once your marketing agency has proposed a plan, let them take control of the process. If you are not comfortable with the plan, discuss your concerns and let your agency address them. Remember your marketing agency has seen success and knows how to get your company there! So many times I’ve seen clients spend thousands of dollars on a marketing agency and then tell the agency what to say, how to say it and what marketing channels to use. Again, these clients are rarely successful. If you want to direct your marketing agency to this extent then hiring a graphic designer is a better plan.
If you have any questions about developing a successful, comprehensive Marketing Campaign, please feel free to schedule a call with me!