I started my career on the client side and didn’t realize how simple yet complex agencies can be to motivate. Through the years I’ve seen clients who can motivate an agency effectively and others who, well, should read this article.
Marketers are demanding more out of their agencies. In today’s evolving marketing world, agencies are expected to be leaders in new media, new channels and ways to optimize marketing programs. That means agencies have greater pressure to perform, but clients can do something to help influence performance.
Here are seven tips to managing agency relationships and how to get the most out of your agency.
1. Read the brief.
Agencies value briefs. Most agencies utilize the brief as a measurement of strategic success as they go through the concept development process. Everyone touching a project is issued a copy of the brief and references it for critical background, strategy and all necessary information. It is important that you as a client read the brief. You want to be sure that the strategy and focus of the communications align with you and your organization’s thinking. In particular, focus on the insight and the translation of that insight into the messaging strategy. These are key elements that tend to drive the agency during program development. Also, don’t be afraid to tinker with the brief during the strategy setting process; a strong brief will always pay off.
2. Explain why.
Managing agency relationships can draw a lot of parallels to managing a high-performing team. It’s important to let the agency know the reasons why. Rather than just telling the agency to put the program on hold, change the copy or add these four disclaimers, take time to explain why. Let the agency understand the thinking and reasoning behind things. This will help the agency avoid the same pitfalls going forward, plus it’ll build camaraderie and help the agency feel that they are part of the team.
3. Provide feedback based in your customer’s language, not yours.
Try to always evaluate strategic and creative work with your prospect and customer in mind. Rather than falling into the trap of saying, “I don’t like that,” consider how to articulate whether it is something that will resonate with your target. The reality is that most of us don’t reflect our targets identically. It is always important to keep the target in mind; that way the agency will have an easier time applying those learnings to their work. You’ll build a lot of credibility and make a connection with the agency if you speak in terms of your customers and their language.
4. Share in success and failures.
Share successes and failures with your agency. Campaign results, front-line feedback, critical reports, sales trends—whatever information you are reviewing and sharing it will likely benefit the agency. Get the agency vested with you by opening up and sharing information that can help them gain an understanding of the impact of their work. This can help inspire the agency for the next round of campaign development.
5. Let the agency know the measurements that matter.
Marketers are under ever-increasing pressure to demonstrate tangible results and understand the best opportunities for generating a return on their marketing investment. Marketers should share this pressure with their agencies. Treating the agency as a partner is essential to motivating the agency. Good agencies want to share this accountability. It’s important to let the agency know exactly which measures are most critical to the client’s organization. Sharing this information can allow the agency to focus its efforts to drive the greatest contribution.
6. Provide clear roles and responsibilities when using multiple marketing agencies.
It is common for many clients to have several agency partners. To get the best work out of your agencies, it’s important to let each agency know its role within the bigger communications mix. Furthermore, it’s important to try and leverage the agency based on their strengths. Agencies want to do a good job for their clients, and everyone does better when they have clear roles and feel they can make a contribution.
7. Remember, agency employees are people, too.
The reality is that many agency team members are motivated by clients’ reactions to their work. While agency leadership tends to be more motivated by outcomes, the day-to-day people working on their business are very driven by the opinions and reactions of their clients. A simple “thank you” email and/or “great job” can go a long way with the team. One way to continue to get great work out of the agency is continue to tell them when you feel they have delivered a great output.
Hopefully this provides some insight on how to motivate your agency. When it comes down to it, motivating an agency has a lot of parallels to managing a high-performing team.
J&C develops more than a dozen ebooks annually. Check out some of our other ebooks to learn how to improve your marketing efforts and optimize specific channels.
Topics: CMO
