What Clients Expect From Their Agency

by Steve Fodor.

Another insightful article in BtoB magazine has captured my interest. In a special report, BtoB offers a list of the top attributes clients look for when selecting an agency partner. Here they are, with my own additional considerations for anyone looking for the right agency.

Ability to be flexible and work with tighter budgets.
Everybody needs to do more with less. But ask the agency to explain their process for quickly and efficiently developing customer insights. If the agency can’t give you an answer, or gives you an answer that requires a Ph.D. to understand, they may not be a good fit for you.

Understanding of the client’s core business needs.
I think it’s more critical to ask, “How would the agency go about understanding a client’s core business needs.” Solving business needs requires collaboration between agency and client.

Industry and B-to-B experience.
It may be more revealing to ask an agency, “Do you consider yourselves B-to-B specialists, B-to-C, retail, or a combination? Often, B-to-B clients, especially if their budgets are not “huge,” are treated like “unwanted stepchildren” by the agency. Find out what the agency does best and is passionate about.

Creativity in developing integrated marketing campaigns.
Can’t add anything to that. Creative thinking is what agencies are about.

Social media skills.
I’d ask the agency, “How would you develop a social media strategy that’s effective for our customers and our particular segment?”

Access to global resources.
If you need to develop an integrated global or multi-national campaign, this is important.

Good cultural fit, not just with senior executives.
I interpret this to be about agency size, as well. You don’t want to feel like a “little fish in a big pond.”

Responsive and effective account management.
I’d rather ask to meet your key contact at the agency and interview them. What kind of business experience does he or she have?

Proven method for measuring ROI.
I’ve been asked this before and my response is typically, “What do you need to accomplish?” Have clear campaign needs and goals established before you talk to an agency.

Experience in providing thought-leadership content and events.
Again, I think it’s equally important to ask how an agency would go about developing thought-leadership content. Do they have a strategic process? Or are they going to regurgitate and re-purpose content?

Selecting an agency is a big decision with many qualitative factors. I hope this has helped define your criteria even more.

Flickr Photo Credit: boliston

"We Don't Need to Hire a Marketing Firm."

by Steve Fodor

I had the opportunity to discuss a new Web site project with a client recently. During our conversation, I heard something that I hear quite often: “We tried to manage our site ourselves. We gave it to our IT person. But, building content for the site kind of lost focus over time.”

The truth is, you can manage your Web site and social media programs yourself without the help of a marketing firm. There’s no “secret magic” for creating a branded presence with today’s plethora of new media venues. In the end, though, media (meaning social media, Web sites, blogs, publicity and paid media) is just a collection of tools. It is up to people to make real impact with these tools. A carpenter may own a wonderful collection of tools and even know how to use them. But a skilled carpenter may not be the best resource for designing a building.

Creating a positive brand perception comes from generating valued content for your audience. If you’re not generating branded content that is of real value, your brand perception won’t be of much value either.

A marketing firm can (and should) add value to your branded content efforts by:

1. Developing a message strategy for your brand.

2. Interacting with and researching your audience and the media serving your audience to identify trending topics.

3. Creating and managing an editorial calendar.

4. Writing, posting and managing relevant, branded content.

5. Monitoring and responding to audience interaction with your branded content.

Most of all, credible marketing firms are expert communicators. They are staffed by people with journalistic and marketing backgrounds that know how to research and communicate relevant content that will serve as a catalyst for your brand. Credible marketing firms not only understand and own the right collection of tools. They have the people and the expertise to design and build brands with those tools.

It’s not enough to have “quantity” be your branded content strategy. There’s enough clutter out there. Quality and relevance of branded content wins over quantity. Ask yourself this question: If you don’t have the people on staff with the time, dedication and expertise to manage your branded content strategies, are you really conducting your marketing efforts with the utmost efficiency?