A marketing agency can bring a level of knowledge and expertise that goes beyond their assigned tasks and into establishing new processes that lead to success.
A unique advantage to being the leader of a marketing agency, and working with a diverse clientele, is observing which processes succeed and which fail. Each company, school, or startup has its own process or culture and it is our job to align with each company’s construct and find ways to guide the entire process to success.
It’s usually not their product or service that blocks a company from realizing their online potential
As can be seen in professional sports, a team can have incredible talent but still fail to reach their potential. A successful team is said to have “something special,” “magic,” or they “come through in the clutch.” The same can be said about any company or startup, where their success comes from how initiatives are managed, how decisions are made, and how each team member uses their experience and knowledge to reach the intended goals.
Over and over we find that the companies who succeed are those with a strong culture and set of processes that include listening to new ideas and analyzing data outside of a company-centric perspective. The willingness to modify internal structures that block progress can supercharge a team and establish an improved flow.
Aligned teams are beautiful
It’s an incredible feeling when teams align and individuals understand and fulfill their roles. I liken this to the joy of skiing in deep powder. As a kid growing up in the great ski town of Crested Butte, Colorado, my friends and I would climb a steep and unmaintained area after each big dump of snow. The key to skiing powder is to let your skis float without trying to force your turns. When this is achieved there is an ease and freedom, but it takes practice before the skis seem to turn themselves. Aligned teams with the companies we serve can have this same sense of ease.
One of the key elements for alignment is establishing and maintaining a project management workflow for all involved. It is even better to have a Project Manager who will follow-up with team leaders and individuals to ensure things get done and timelines are realistic. This provides faster turnarounds, a better marketing and development flow, and facilitates positive engagement among team members.
What leveraging a marketing agency really means
The first step is to set a structure for project management. The next step is for each stakeholder to make a commitment to the process and learn how to engage with the tools that are utilized. Our policy at RolloutSF is to carefully manage our own activities and communication with care, while reinforcing project management tools and proven guidelines with each client.
How to leverage the knowledge and experience of a marketing agency
- From the start, discuss how you will communicate. Who will be the main contact on each side? What tools will you use to track progress? Though we have our favorites, such as Trello and Slack, companies may use others. No matter the tool, if there is no follow-up by those involved the process will be broken.
- Team leaders need to understand the expertise of each person involved and give them the tasks they do best. This may seem obvious, but in recent years we’ve seen companies tackle complex and delicate website and marketing tasks without adequate knowledge. Our response is to offer appropriate suggestions and direct training when needed.
- A marketing agency’s content creators can be an invaluable second opinion on the content created by an internal company team. While a company’s team may know their product and customers well, there are dangers in assuming their content needs no review. Even the best writers need editors. They can forget that not everyone knows their industry jargon, and that prospective clients may not have the time to read every word. Even the best designers can forget that designs need to be “light” in order to load quickly and avoid annoying users (and getting downranked by search engines).
- Share your goals and benchmarks with the agency and include them in the planning process. An inclusive process will empower everyone to do a better job. Marketing teams can’t do their best work if they are kept in the dark and surprised by new changes and plans.
- Spend time in meetings discussing results and how the overall process is going. Celebrate when there is success and listen to feedback when something is challenging. Avoiding this step can lead people to make uninformed assumptions and possibly even avoid other team members when there is disagreement.
- After steps 1 through 5 are in practice, unleash the talent and let the flow take care of itself, just like skiing fresh powder. As momentum takes hold it will be up to the leaders to determine the pace of the work and the priorities.
A cohesive marketing process can lead to team unity and improved company growth
We’ve worked in this business for over two decades, with everyone from mom and pop businesses, the Fortune 500, top universities, and even large city departments. The results are in: the data shows higher user engagement, more lead conversions, and an improved website ecosystem when the marketing agency is optimally leveraged. Google Analytics or Hubspot will show the difference. For one startup we worked with in 2020, traffic and user engagement doubled within two months. (Sadly, it plunged below original levels after key people in the company moved on and we were no longer leveraged for content, ads, or strategy.)
Just like the climb up to ski powder, there is a lot of excitement with a new project or business relationship. Heading down the mountain there is heightened confidence when your experience has taught you the best form. There is joy and ease in your every turn, leading to a successful run you know can be executed again and again.
