Working with your marketing agency to produce maximum results is similar to developing any personal relationship. Open communication is the key. And with the current economic climate around the world struggling and many people protecting their investments stronger than ever, getting the best results out of the marketing agency you work with is becoming more critical. However, where most business owners fail to realize is that marketing your business is only as effective as the communication you put forth towards the team who is acting in your best interest. Here are several tips on how you can effectively communicate with your marketing agency and how to get the best bang for your marketing buck.
BEGIN WITH TRUST
Just like any relationship, the principle foundation must be built on trusting the other partner. In this case, before you select the marketing agency you work with; make sure you trust that their work, their image and their style fit your brand best. Case in point; if you have a company which produces products designed for a younger demographic, selecting a marketing agency that specializes in promoting products to the elderly might not be a wise decision. If you are working with a marketing agency that has a reputation for high-risk tactics and you are ultra-conservative in business practices, this match simply won’t jive.
When you begin the relationship between yourself and your marketing agency, it has to begin with you trusting that they are a perfect match for you and your brand. Conversely, they need to trust that you are going to commit the funding and the time needed to carefully craft and activate an effective marketing campaign.
PATIENCE IS KEY
Did you know that it took Marketing Agency who created the “I want to teach the world to sing” campaign for Coke over two years to develop and activate this highly successful campaign of the 1970’s? Marketing programs take time, and another big mistake business owners and executives make in regards to marketing agencies is they don’t realize how much time it takes to create the right campaign. You can’t expect to spend some money today and get your Return on Investment (ROI) tomorrow. Where other business owners and executives really fail is when they continuously hassle the marketing agency to produce results TODAY.
The only that this accomplishes is that it develops friction between you and the agency. Yes this is your money and you should expect results. However, you must be patient when expecting great ROI results. Perhaps a weekly conference call, or weekly email report can be arranged so that the agency can update you on your company’s SEO campaign. It would also be wise to develop benchmarks and milestones so that the agency knows exactly what you expect and when you expect it. This is part of the trust factor and is critical to creating a successful, long-term marketing partnership.
CREATE SPECIFIC GUIDELINES
When you are working with your agency, it is always a great idea to start with comfortable guidelines and parameters. A good example of this is at the initial stages of contract negotiation. If the agency charges you a monthly retainer, ask specifically what you are receiving for this retainer, how many hours of work per day, how many consultations you expect to receive, and when you can start to expect results.
In short, most company executives head into a marketing partnership with skeptical thoughts and visions of wasting their money on a marketing campaign. But if you maintain open communication, have faith and trust in your marketing partner and understand that ROI improvement won’t happen the day after signing the contract, then you should be able to create a synergistic marketing partnership which will produce great success.
