3 Ways to Create a Strong Partnership with Your Marketing Agency

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Partnering with an outside marketing agency is a common business practice in almost every industry. Whether it’s outsourcing a website design or partnering with an agency on an ongoing monthly retainer, a majority of businesses work with a marketing agency at some point along the way. 3 Ways to Create a Strong Partnership with Your Marketing Agency How do you guarantee the relationship with your marketing agency is mutually beneficial? Here are three things I’ve learned after being on both sides of the table and spending the last decade in the agency world:
  1. Have a Collective Focus on a Common Goal
Successful partnerships require an extreme focus on a common goal. What is your business trying to achieve? How will you ultimately measure success? Making sure your marketing agency is aware of your goals will help them identify the best ways to support it.
  1. Get Buy-In from Across the Business
Without buy-in from across the business, it’s difficult for a marketing agency to support your business as effectively as it could. Finance simply sees the agency as a line item that can be reduced. Sales teams see the marketing agency as more of a project handler rather than a true partner. Creating buy-in from across the business requires making sure everyone within your organization is aware of the work the agency is doing. It also means allowing the agency to have insights into some of the challenges your business is facing in different areas, in case there are ways they can support.
  1. Establish Clarity and Alignment Around Expectations
Effective agency partnerships involve constant communication, and almost all the hard work is done upfront. Without alignment around expectations and having the trust of the leadership team that the investment is worth the effort, partnerships can fail before they even get started. Clarifying expectations around everything from results to how you handle email communication is key to making sure both parties maintain their sanity during the partnership. At the end of the day, partnerships come back to the people on either side. If there’s clear communication, mutual buy-in, and a shared goal, the people on both teams can collaborate together as if they both worked under the same roof.

3 Ways Internal Sales Teams & External Marketing Agencies Can Thrive Together

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Marketing should exist to be a strategic asset for business development. That includes equipping the sales team with the information and tools they need to be successful. But, creating the kind of collaboration that’s necessary for a thriving partnership isn’t always easy—especially between an outside marketing agency and an internal sales team. Oftentimes, a marketing agency works directly with one person on projects, either a business development leader or a marketing manager. Most of the work that’s being done by the agency isn’t directly connected to the day-to-day activities of the sales team. As a result, the sales team often wonders what the marketing agency is doing…and the marketing agency is wondering why the sales team isn’t taking advantage of all the work they’re doing. How Internal Sales Teams & External Marketing Agencies Can Thrive Together So, how do you create a type of culture where an external marketing agency can thrive with your entire sales team? Here are a few keys I’ve learned over the past few years…
  1. Make Sure Your Sales Team Feels Supported by the Work the Agency is Doing
Having a partnership where your sales team knows and trusts your marketing agency is key to an effective partnership. When sales and marketing agencies work together, there’s a certain amount of marketing that needs to be done for reps within the organization. While most marketing agencies work on specific projects or marketing campaigns, one way they can provide value to the sales team is by doing all of the heavy lifting for the “marketing work” that sales reps should do. This includes getting your agency to help with things like email scripts, sample social media content, and buyer personas that your sales team can use to be more effective and efficient.  
  1. Find Ways to Keep the Communication Lines Flowing
It’s critical for a marketing agency to communicate on a regular basis with relevant, important information that can help sales with customers and potential deals. Find ways for your sales team to connect with your marketing agency, whether it’s setting up monthly or quarterly meetings, weekly phone calls, etc. This provides an opportunity for your marketing agency to make sure sales is aware of all the activity that’s going on. It also provides your marketing agency with an opportunity to identify the biggest obstacles your sales team is facing so they can help create solutions for them.
  1. Inspire Both Teams with Success Stories
Celebration is another important key to collaboration. Highlight the success your sales team is having with your marketing agency. Let your sales team know about the projects and key learnings your marketing agency has discovered through their work. Finding times to celebrate the collaborative wins between your external agency and the internal sales team is key to ensuring the two teams are locking arms rather than pointing fingers.

The 3 Biggest Factors for a Successful Business/Agency Relationship

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In today’s world, it’s not uncommon for a business to partner with a marketing agency, even if they have a full-time, in-house marketing team. Whether it’s a specific project or ongoing partnership, many businesses realize they simply don’t have enough time and resources internally to accomplish everything that needs to be done from a marketing perspective. However, marketing agencies come in all sorts of shapes and sizes; each has its own unique philosophy, approach, style, and strengths. Some are better fits for your business than others…and vice versa. While many businesses choose an agency because of their impressive creative portfolio or industry experience, the truth is that there’s a lot more that goes into a successful business/agency relationship. In many ways, it’s the intangible factors that make the biggest difference on both sides of the relationship. The 3 Biggest Factors for a Successful Client/Agency Relationship So, how can businesses and marketing agencies work together to form a relationship where everyone wins? Here are three key factors:
  1. Chemistry Across the Entire Team
When you hire a marketing agency, you’re ultimately hiring the people who work at that agency. As with all relationships, chemistry matters. Part of determining a good fit comes down to selecting an agency that can operate as an extension of your team and roll up their sleeves to work with you, not just for you. That includes the leadership level and those responsible for executing the day-to-day project management tasks.
  1. A Common Approach to Business
Do you tend to take more risks or play it safe when it comes to growing your business? Are you looking for new and innovative ways to achieve your goals, or are you looking for someone to help execute tried-and-true principles? Answering these questions is essential for choosing the right agency partner. Partnering with an agency that has a general philosophy and approach to business is different for use will only cause frustration for both parties.
  1. Sweet Spots that Align with Your Greatest Needs
Although most agencies consider themselves to be full-service, each has a “sweet spot” where they tend to excel. It might be web design, content creation, sales support, or public relations. Determining your greatest marketing need, even if you’re looking for a long-term partnership, is critical for finding the best possible fit. As someone who’s worked in the agency business for over a decade, I’ve seen my fair share of unhealthy client/agency relationships. No one starts working with an agency hoping it becomes a burden. Taking the time to evaluate these qualitative factors (in addition to their portfolio or experience) will help you identify the right agency for your business and ensure everyone benefits from a successful partnership.