When you decide to join forces with a marketing agency, it’s a pretty big decision. And not only for financial reasons. The relationship you forge with an agency - be it good or bad - can have huge ramifications across your business.
If you hit it off, it’ll feel like you’ve spun up a brand new department that puts in the effort to drive extra revenue and help you achieve your goals. But if the relationship turns sour, it can feel like you’re swimming against the tide as your marketing efforts stagnate and fail to reach your key objectives.
You don’t want to be in an unhappy marriage with your agency. And believe me: agencies don’t want to be in those kinds of partnerships with clients either. So to help you understand the things that make agency/client relationships work, we’ve put together our top five tips:
1) Blur the lines of outsourcing
The hands-off, ‘us and them’ relationships of old just don’t get the job done any more. The best relationships are those where an agency is treated as an extension of your existing team: your adjoining conservatory rather than your separate shed at the end of the garden.
Agencies should get access to all of the tools and processes that an internal staff member would get, so that they can be as integrated with your business as possible. Not only will this improve lines of communication, it’ll mean agency partners can often find what they need themselves, rather than relying on you.
2) Agencies are people, too
Everybody on both sides wants to do a professional job, but building personal relationships is absolutely vital. If you don’t get along with the people you’re working with from your chosen agency, then the partnership is pretty much doomed from the start.
The key litmus test is whether they’re people you’d feel happy going for a pint or a coffee with: if not, then you’ll probably be better off looking elsewhere.
3) Don’t settle for yes men
In most cases, businesses partner with an agency because they can provide resources or expertise that the business doesn’t possess itself. Any agency who has that expertise is going to want to use it, constructively but proactively, to help guide the best ideas and decisions for your business.
It may not always be what you want to hear, but it’s with your best interests at heart. So when working with an agency, expect to be challenged from time to time. And if you’re not being, it might be time to start asking some questions of your own.
4) Find the gaps before filling them
Knowing the resources and expertise you need help with is an important part of getting the right partner in place. This means not only understanding the nature of the gaps you have, but also how many of them there are.
If there are one or two specifics you need support on, then find a specialist that focuses on those areas. If you need help on lots of things, then look for a more general agency that can cover all the bases.
5) Support proactivity
Ultimately, an agency is there to improve your results and make your life easier, and a good agency will want to think outside the box and make proactive efforts to do so. It’s important to be absolutely sure they’re capable of getting the job done first, but once you’ve gained that confidence, give them the freedom to take your business on a creative, bold adventure.
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