What Makes A Good Client When Working With a Digital Agency?
Being a good digital marketing agency client isn’t just about saying yes to everything your agency proposes or spending a lot of money. There are many ways to establish yourself as a good client and a great partner. We rounded up a few of our favorites to help you become the kind of client agencies love to work with.
A great client-agency relationship is a beautiful thing
It’s built on trust, clear goals, and a little bit of magic. And, believe it or not, it’s not about how much you spend or whether you agree with every idea.
It’s about having your digital house in order, knowing your audience (or being ready to find them), and trusting the data to guide the way. It’s about showing up, having a growth mindset, and being prepared to invest appropriately.
So, if you’re looking to be the kind of client every agency loves to work with, or you want a partner that loves a great client, let’s talk. We’re always looking for new people to collaborate with.
If you’re new to working with a digital agency or are considering bringing one on to support your marketing or media efforts, you might be curious about how to establish a good relationship with the agency that is helping you.
Have Clear and Reasonable Goals
One way to get off to a good start with your digital agency is to have clear and reasonable goals. While it’s great to dream big and challenge yourself and your agency team, being realistic about what is possible in your timeframe and budget is important.
For example, we have worked with Metro Lagoons for over four years. We did not start with a 355% ROAS. We had reasonable expectations and tested numerous platforms, audiences, and creatives to find the optimal mix. We also had to develop a strong platform for communication and make sure we all trusted the data.
A good agency partner should be able to guide you on how to maximize the use of your time and budget. Partner with people you trust to guide you well and heed their advice.
Setting SMART Goals
When it comes to setting clear and reasonable goals, think SMART. Your goals should be specific, measurable, achievable, relevant, and time-bound. When you sign the Statement of Work (SOW) with your partner agency, ensure that it addresses what success looks like from your perspective and the challenges your brand or industry faces. Your agency should then be able to help you set up a strategy on how they will be achieved, how success will be measured, and when you can expect results.
Both you and your agency should be aligned on goals and priorities. Being a good partner goes both ways; ensuring everyone is on the same page about goals and priorities is another way to help everyone.
Have Your Digital House in Order (Or Be Ready to Ask for Help Getting There)
If you’re looking for a paid media agency to help you promote your business, product, or special promotion, you want to make sure your digital house is in order before launching any campaigns.
Nothing will be more frustrating to your consumers than visiting a landing page where the form is broken or a product is sold out.
Before you start thinking about your campaigns, take the time to audit the marketing tools you currently have in place. This might involve sprucing up your online presence, auditing your social media platforms, and reviewing any previous blog posts or content marketing efforts. Brownie points if you have any data to support your previous marketing campaigns. Even unsuccessful campaigns can help your new agency offer digital recommendations.
If all of the above seems overwhelming, consider looking for a more comprehensive marketing agency. One that can audit all your current owned assets, produce landing pages, optimize your website, and/or update your e-commerce presence.
Define Your Audience (Or Who You Think is Your Audience)
Before launching a Marketing campaign with a digital agency, it’s important to have done your homework and come prepared to tell your agency about your ideal client. If you’re new to marketing or a small business owner who hasn’t yet started marketing, that’s okay! Describe the type of person you sell to currently, as that can help your agency create what’s called a lookalike audience. Or a target audience of people who share similar qualities with your best customers.
Additionally, some clients come to the table with their target audience in mind. This may not be who is currently buying your product or visiting your website, but this is who you aspire to have as your customer. Digital agencies can also create target audiences based on this, helping you reach new potential audiences.
Lastly, consider the pain points your product or service addresses, as well as the type of people who have that specific problem. For example, if you own a nail salon, your target demographic is likely to be predominantly women aged 17-65 who live within a 10-mile radius. If you offer specialized services, such as spa pedicures, or employ specific techniques, you can further narrow your focus on your target audience.
Be Ready to Invest Appropriately
You’ve probably heard the saying that it takes money to make money, and that is true in the digital marketing world. While you can make a significant amount of money by promoting your products and services online, you will need to be prepared to invest.
Work with your agency to determine how much of your budget you need to get started. If your agency (or agencies you’re considering partnering with) says your budget is too low for your goals, listen—especially if you have shared your goals with them. Most media agencies will be able to use a bit of math and benchmarks to estimate your conversion rates. If they are not doing this, then ask for it.
If you have seen the estimate, and you still can’t afford it, then you can either revise your goals or you might be better served by investing the money you have in other areas like search engine optimization (SEO) or organic social to see a more immediate return on your investment, which can then be reinvested into paid media channels.
How Do You Know How to Set Your Budget?
When evaluating your marketing budget, several key factors should be taken into consideration. First, how much can you afford to spend? Second, what will the potential return on investment be? When it comes to advertising, there are no guarantees, but, as we mentioned earlier, an experienced agency should be able to inform you of what you can expect (and what they plan to do if their estimates fall short).
Another way to determine how to set a budget is at the campaign level. Having your agency research to determine the cost per click will help you determine how much to invest to get started. You can run a test campaign to see how your ads are performing.
If your ads are doing well, you may want to invest more, and if your ads are not doing as well as you’d hoped, you may want to alter your campaign or dial back your investment. At this point, your agency should be guiding you through your next steps.
Trust Your Data
In addition to being able to trust your agency to guide you, remember to trust the data. Don’t simply let your eyes glaze over in your meetings with your agency team. Look at the numbers, ask questions, and really tease out what the data is telling you.
If you notice clicks or traffic are down one week, look at any internal or external factors. Is your business seasonal, for example? Was there a holiday or event that took your target audience away from their computers and phones? The more data you have, the easier it will be to spot trends or issues that need to be addressed.
Have a Growth Mindset (Not a Fixed Mindset)
One of the only constants in digital marketing is change. From trends to new digital and social channels, it can feel overwhelming. One of the things that takes a client from good to great is a growth mindset. This means you’re willing to try new things and learn from them consistently.
While digital trends may come and go, the learnings you get from trying new things stay with you. Having this data will help you and your agency try new things and take more calculated risks—potentially increasing the return on your investment.
Actively Participate and Be a Good Collaborator
When it comes to being a good client, there are a few things you can do to make it easier for your marketing agency to support you.
- Actively participate in the work. Share your opinions, ask questions, and remain curious so you understand the work being performed and the recommendations your agency is making. This will enable you to collaborate with them to optimize continually.
- Show up. Attend check-in or campaign review meetings. Read any reports or look at the analytics provided. Disengaging makes it harder for your agency to do the best work for you.
- Prioritize any timelines you’re given. Failing to submit ad copy or images, delaying review cycles, or otherwise derailing timelines can disrupt the work on your campaign. Your agency needs to be able to dedicate the appropriate amount of time to each client they work with, and delays make this challenging and can prevent you from getting the results you expect.
- Choose one dedicated point of contact. If you have multiple stakeholders in your organization who are interested in marketing efforts, choose one single point of contact to coordinate with your agency. This person is responsible for ensuring the right team members attend any necessary meetings, providing consolidated and prioritized feedback, and approving deliverables, creative work, or campaign launches.
Looking for a Great Agency? Call Us!
At Cordelia Labs, we pride ourselves on our ability to stay current with industry trends and educational opportunities, ensuring that we offer our clients the best possible service and the results to back it up.
Please reach out if you’re looking for a new, engaged partner to help you navigate digital marketing. We’d love to show you how we can help you grow your digital presence and, ultimately, your business! Need more than just paid ads? We can help with landing pages, content, and more.