Some businesses replace their ad agencies on a regular basis. The most common complaint is that those agencies “don’t get” their brands. Often the real problem is in a lack of communication between teams. Before cutting your support agency loose, consider how well internal marketing teams and external support agencies are sharing information.
Answer Questions
Is there one person that your outsourced agency can rely on to answer questions when they have them? Having to chase down someone to answer a simple questions can burn extra hours and delay projects. A word of caution: be sure your point person feels empowered to make decisions when the agency asks tough questions.
Respond Quickly
Is your team giving feedback as quickly as possible? Be sure your internal teams aren’t asking an agency to turn something on a dime and then waiting several days or even weeks to deliver feedback. This “hurry and wait” mentality can burn out your external marketing support team and your budget.
Provide Resources
Does your outsourced agency have the information they need to be successful? Doing these 3 things can keep your outsourced agency on brand.
Have Consistent Goals
Are your goals a moving target? Avoid beginning projects based on a conversation. Putting your strategic goals in writing and outlining what success will look like will help your outsourced agency stay focused and be accountable for their work.
Be Positive
Are you in a cycle of delivering negative feedback? Constructively communicating when things aren’t going well can turn a challenging campaign or project around. Odds are your outsourced agency is doing its best to make you happy. Give them the benefit of doubt when possible.
Remember, developing a positive and productive relationship with your external support agency doesn’t cost a thing. Spending time and money looking for a new one does.
You might also be interested in reading our post Giving effective feedback to an outsourced agency partner: How to be clear about marketing goals and avoid ballooning costs.