Today’s landscape is changing every day, making it that much more important to work efficiently and strategically. Enter: agencies.
The official definition of agency is “a business or organization established to provide a particular service, typically one that involves organizing transactions between two other parties,” according to Oxford Languages.
For comparison, Chat GPT (AI) reports: “In its simplest terms, an agency is a business or organization that acts on behalf of another person or entity.” We agree with both definitions… and so much more.
Often, people have mixed emotions about agencies. Do they really help? Is the juice worth the squeeze? Are they really experts? Why shouldn’t I keep everything in-house? Today, having the right external partners with your same vision and values is invaluable. When an agency is in sync with a client or brand, the results are unmatched. Success is two-fold.
That’s why we wanted to put together some tangible ways that you can optimize success with your marketing agency today:
1. Stay in sync and aligned. Staying aligned with deadlines and overarching goals is critical for success. Whether it is a content calendar, regular check-ins, priority lists or in-person meetings, communication is key. With increased communication, opportunities arise. From identifying efficiencies and adding innovation to strategies, to connecting on a personal level, it is crucial to meet your goals.
2. Ensure you’re speaking the same language. As marketers, we know first-hand how many abbreviations, shortened phrases and acronyms there really are. For example, we recently established with a client that “WTH” meant “Waiting to Hear”, not “What the H***”. While it was fun and silly to clear up our miscommunication, we were clearly not speaking the same language! In all seriousness, confirm you are looking at results in the same manner; from the right time period; with the correct metrics; all while keeping your topline goals at the forefront. Pro tip: Ensure your entire team (both agency & the brand itself) know your goals. Encourage questions and curiosity!
3. Track performance and results. Analyzing results will allow you to gain a deeper understanding of the data collected, inform decision-making and identify areas for growth. Numbers always tell a story… and the truth. We recommend working with your partners to read results accurately, efficiently and consistently. Back up your decisions with data.
4. Understand the importance of pivoting. Adaptability is essential. You must recognize whether your current approach is working – identify what is or is not – and make necessary adjustments to align with the brand’s needs, goals, and market conditions. Which party recognizes this – the agency or the brand – is not important. Embrace change and treat it as an opportunity; both your businesses will be better for it. Challenging each other is healthy and will often lead to innovative and strategic discussions, sometimes uncovering deeper insights.
5. Work together and trust each other. This brings us to the importance of working together and ultimately, trust. We truly believe that collaboration is the way forward. For agency and brand relationships specifically, we recommend building your partnership on transparency, trust and mutual respect. Brands should trust that their agency partners are experienced and strategic; they are brand advocates with a deep understanding of campaign KPIs, measurement, and reporting. Therefore, agencies should provide actionable recommendations.
Let’s ensure we celebrate success and embrace undesirable outcomes. With trust comes potential failure or a need to pivot, but it also creates a foundation for creative thinking and growth opportunities. Partnership is a key concept today. Agencies’ ultimate goal should be to free up your time so you can focus on core competencies and items that deliver impact. To make that happen, it all begins with a genuine, real relationship.
