The aim of any piece of marketing is to promote your business and generate more leads. How this aim is achieved is through a chain spanning different creative specialisms that can all be found within a marketing agency. Find a social media marketing agency.
Marketing agencies are there to help all businesses, but that doesn’t mean to say all businesses understand how the process works. Developing an effective working relationship will benefit both sides. If you’re unfamiliar with what to expect, here’s an overview of how to approach marketing as a client.
Set Clear Briefs
It’s okay to not know what you want from a project. After all, you’re paying your marketing agency to come up with the solution here! But as a client, it’s your job to communicate as much as you can about your business and the type of outcome you’d like to achieve.
For example, you might want to bring your branding into the 21st century or have a new website built that is more ecommerce focused. Ensuring everyone is on the same page by being upfront about your requirements is key to the success of the project.
Engage With Them Regularly
While you are actively working together, make sure your marketing team can get hold of you when needed. Otherwise, it could hold the entire process up and delay future projects with other clients. While they are unlikely to appreciate you calling every hour to see how things are going, don’t be a stranger either.
If the marketing agency did great work, be sure to let them and others know. Whether you have an occasional meeting or engage with their content on social media, businesses supporting other businesses is what everyone likes to see.
Set Reasonable Deadlines
If there’s one thing that irks a team, it’s when they are told to drop everything at short notice for another client. Especially if the project is incredibly demanding and needs to be completed by first thing the following morning. While there are rare instances when a project genuinely is that urgent, most of the time the stress on both sides can be avoided with good communication and organisational skills.
Remember, marketing agencies are made up of humans who also need to rest and sleep, so expecting an instant response outside of office hours isn’t going to be appreciated. Instead, make sure you give them as much notice as possible. It’s fine to have a deadline but make sure it’s as reasonable as possible on your end.
Pay On Time
Most marketing agencies are small businesses and a late payment even just once could do serious harm to their financials. Not only do they need to pay their staff, but they may have suppliers or even their own clients that they need to pay too. This is common with smaller agencies who bring in freelancers such as videographers or developers for certain briefs.
The payment terms will usually be stated in your contract or on your invoice. They will greatly appreciate if the payment is taken care of swiftly. After all, nothing quite strains a professional relationship than the other party failing to pay in full or on time.
Trust The Process
Marketing agencies are made up of the likes of strategists, graphic designers, website designers, developers, photographers and copywriters who are all overseen by a creative director. Nobody is trying to commit you to a flamingo pink logo for your plumbing business here, but given marketing agencies are a hive of talent and creativity, it pays to embrace their ideas.
You’re the client so you have the final say. They are going to want to please you, but there’s also a danger of being so difficult and unreasonable that the project becomes untenable. Firing a client is the last thing any marketing agency wants to do, and while rare it can happen if there’s an impasse that the client is unwilling to work through professionally.
Trusting the process also means believing in your marketing agency to deliver. For example, if you’ve contacted a Google Ads agency, you need to trust in their ability to deliver. These agencies have the skill, know-how, and experience to successfully help businesses rake in the online traffic they need to build a solid business internet presence. The last thing you want to do is constantly interfere with their work process or have doubts.
To Sum Up
Even if your marketing project is complicated, the relationship between marketing agency and client still needs to be smooth sailing. The order of the day is clear, regular communication. Treating the process professionally will ensure you get the most out of the project, and will pave the way for future successful collaborations too. Find a marketing agency to help grow your business.