Aimee Madison is CEO and Chief Visionary of Taylor Marketing. Learn more here.
Partnering with an external marketing agency can be a major decision for many organizations. Brands rely on highly resourced agencies and rely on them to develop successful campaigns that deliver results. When profitability, customer relations and market share are at stake, it can be difficult for organizations to take this step.
Despite some organizations' reservations about working with outside agencies, I've seen how successful partnerships can be built. In my experience, you just need to partner with an agency.
Agency relations are human relations
Ultimately, a partnership between an organization and a marketing agency is no different from a partnership between two people. Agency partnerships built on trust and clear expectations, supported by effective collaboration and communication, need the same support as any other human relationship. When organizations approach agency partnerships as if they were developing strong human relations, they will feel more confident in trusting external marketing teams. They will also get better results.
How to build a successful partnership with agents
Fruitful human relationships require trust, communication, shared goals, and teamwork to thrive - agency collaboration is no different. Here are four steps a business can take to build a strong foundation and create a long-term partnership with a marketing agency.
1. Build trust through transparency and honesty
Trust is the basis of agency partnerships and is born from the first meeting between a brand and an agency. When meeting with potential partners, brands should look for an agency that represents transparency and integrity. A good marketing agency is open and honest; they admit when they don't know something or when they need more information. They also admit their mistakes and work hard to correct them. Also, high-quality agencies never hide data or statistics from their clients – they push companies to be accountable to KPIs and performance data. Their main goal is to help their clients succeed.
However, trust is a two-way street. Just as agencies must be honest with their clients, it is also important for businesses to communicate directly with their agency partners. To work effectively, agencies need to know what's going on inside the company: the good, the bad, and the ugly. Sometimes companies don't want to share their mistakes. However, an effective advertising agency must recognize the drawbacks of painting a compelling story that softens the grain.
2. Set clear expectations and strong communication
In addition to building trust, organizations and institutions must communicate powerfully. The best way to do this is to set clear expectations up front and be open and honest. For example, before entering into a partnership agreement, brands should discuss their preferences regarding the frequency and content of agency updates. Similarly, agencies must define their expectations for scheduling and communication deadlines.
In addition, agencies and organizations should establish emergency communication procedures and conflict resolution processes beforehand. Controversial ideas and suggestions should be considered and respected during constructive discussions. More importantly, when it comes to strategy development and execution, brands should expect feedback from their agency partners. After all, iron sharpens iron, and an agent that is too compliant is unlikely to produce an effective result.
3. Set goals together and make a plan to achieve them
Shared goals are essential to a successful agency partnership. An effective agency will make client success their primary focus and work with brands to create mutually defined, actionable goals and objectives. To set common goals, the company must first communicate what it wants to achieve from the agency partnership. They must then work with the agency to determine eligibility.
Part of this process involves examining available resources and deciding which critical assets belong to whom. It also includes prior agreement on key performance indicators and building consensus on project timelines and meeting schedules. The end goal here is to jointly determine the goals of the partnership, set common goals, and create a roadmap for implementing a joint strategy.
4. Check in with each other regularly
There is a saying: "Trust, but verify." This philosophy is very important for agency partnerships. While the best partnerships are built on trust, behind every business and every agency lies a group of people who make mistakes and fail. Therefore, companies and agencies need to interact with each other on a regular basis so that people feel supported and the results meet expectations.
Brands and agencies need to trust each other to get things done, but understand that neither side is perfect. With regular check-ins, businesses and agencies can work together to support each other and ensure the partnership gains positive momentum.
Ongoing agency partnerships
Like any human relationship, agency-brand partnerships require trust, communication and clear expectations. The entire basis of cooperation is maintained when it exists and partnerships are more likely to succeed.
I think organizations can benefit if they view partnerships with agencies as a form of human connection. From there, you need to work on developing trust, setting expectations, communicating clearly, and creating shared goals. By following these steps, organizations can feel more confident in their decision to outsource their marketing activities, knowing that they took the time to lay a solid foundation for a successful long-term partnership.
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