Starting Strong: Tips for Beginning a New Agency Relationship

The start of a new agency-client relationship is always exciting. The agency is pumped for the new challenge and opportunity to create some great work. The client is eager to expand their team and see their ideas in action.

So, after this client-agency relationship is made, what comes next? Despite client size or what industry they’re in, the beginning of an engagement sets the tone for the rest of the relationship. It’s where expectations are established, roles and responsibilities are defined, and information is gathered.

It’s also when questions around how you’ll work with the agency crop up. Here are a few quick tips we use to guide our process when working with a new client to help ensure it starts off right.

Know that there will be work on your part up front.

Knowledge sharing is critical. We will ask you to track down certain information and put us in touch with key internal and external team members. This helps ensure we lay the foundation needed to deliver the right outcomes.

Digital marketing services require online tools and platforms as well as data management systems and measurable data. Which of these have you used before and what are you currently using? Getting that information to your agency partner will help immensely.

Similarly, what are your agency relationship expectations? Bring information on how you gained these expectations and let’s see how we can work to find our better, together.

Ask questions.

All agencies have a certain way they operate and shorthand they use. We’re no exception. We also tend to get really excited when we start talking about website analytics, brand messaging platforms, performance metrics, or other parts of a project. Plus, everything we do is built on collaboration. So, we encourage questions.

Don’t ever hesitate to speak up if something needs more explanation. Questions are welcomed, and they help the agency-client communication process run smoothly and make sure everyone is on the same page.

Here are some questions you may want to ask when first establishing your agency and client relationship:

• What is marketing automation and should I set it up?
• How do I optimize my social media accounts?
• What is Search Engine Optimization (SEO) and can it improve my website?
• How can I make user experiences better on my website or landing page?
• How does PPC advertising work and can I do it myself?
• I’m a B2B company, can the agency help tailor my content to my audience?

You chose your marketing agency for a reason. So let’s get to know each other’s processes, services, and how we can help one another.

There must be a decision-maker.

Speaking of collaboration, that brings us to the next point. Collective input is an important part of any successful relationship and ensures a better outcome. Keep your ultimate agency-marketing goals in mind when hashing out ideas and road mapping initiatives. Agency-client collaboration is key in figuring out how we are going to get you to where you want to be step by step.

When you’re gathering feedback from multiple stakeholders on your team, you need to designate someone to combine the comments, resolve any conflicting opinions, and make a final call before sending it back. This saves time and creates greater efficiencies.

This allows all parties involved to stay on task and keep pushing for better. Without this person representing the client partner, crucial information can fall through the cracks.

Use the thinking.

We understand that creative is subjective. That’s why, along with every word and image we produce, whether it’s a new website design, paid social media marketing services, SEO strategy, or others, we supply the reasoning that guided it. You can then use this rationale to support your own decisions and defend your selection if it comes to that.

We encourage an agency relationship that is built on creative thinking. Let’s brainstorm and figure out how we can be better in each area of our traditional marketing or digital marketing services.

Understand that things happen.

2020 taught us the importance of being even more agile and adaptable. By embracing last year’s challenges, we extended our creativity and strengthened our ability to pivot. Be open to trying new ways if the old ones aren’t working.

It’s always important to plan your next move. Read more about trends and changes in 2021 marketing strategy planning as you look forward to the year ahead by plan accordingly.

We know our clients are busier than ever and striving to do more with less. It’s our job to get up to speed as soon as possible and keep things moving smoothly so we can deliver great solutions and exceed your expectations. That way, we can make sure our relationship is lasting and successful.