As a full-service digital marketing agency, the satisfaction of our clients is always priority number one. Every client of every size should have the opportunity to have their goals met. The best marketing agencies can execute a client management strategy that consists of establishing routine lines of communication, emphasizing the importance of goal setting, and doing their due diligence to understand a client’s mission and brand. A lot of marketing agencies, like beMarketing, work with a wide variety of brands and various sizes of companies. While every client may be different in their own way, these 3 principles of meeting client expectations can be applied across the board.
Communication is Key – establish routine lines of communication.
An agency-client relationship is a partnership and the two parties should act as a team. The key to every good team is communication. Constantly being on the same page is crucial to a project’s success. The amount of communication could depend on the size of the client or project. A larger client that is simultaneously working on multiple projects could require more communication. A weekly or monthly meeting to discuss progress on projects, upcoming events or campaigns is a great way to stay on top of everything the company has going on.
beMarketing likes to send out regular “pulse checks” to our clients to keep them up to date with any project or campaign they are working on. Consistent and timely communication is a great reassurance to a client that they’re getting the attention they need.
The effectiveness of an agency’s communication is as important as the regularity. While email is the fastest and easiest way to keep in touch with a client, information could get lost in the mix of a long email chain. Scheduling a phone call or video conference can be a much more effective strategy to iron out any roadblocks in a project.
Effective communication is also crucial amongst the agency team as well. Setting up internal huddles with the marketing team working on a client’s account is important to see the best possible results.
Understand the Mission – entrench yourself in the client’s brand.
A thorough onboarding process will start a client’s project off on the right foot. Gaining a deep understanding of a client’s brand and mission is imperative to the success of a project. Setting up an introductory meeting with the client, preferably face-to-face is the perfect place to start. Face-to-face communication, whether over a video call or in-person, associates a face to a name behind a screen. Having that interaction can make a client feel comfortable with who they’re working with, and can build a strong relationship from the get-go!
Following up that phone call with research on the client’s brand, audience, and mission will make a world of difference moving forward on a project. Understanding their history and how they’ve gotten to this point can help to better understand where they want to go.
Set your Goals – always know what you’re working towards.
The importance of goal setting can not be overstated. Having realistic and achievable goals keeps a client’s project moving towards something. However, it’s important to keep your goals within reason. The size and scope of your goals for a client can go hand and hand with the size of your project and resources available to you. That’s why realistic goals are so important, it keeps a client’s expectation within the same realm as their budget. Obviously, you want to be able to always deliver the best possible results, but marketing budget is a factor that contributes to your ability to do so. Setting achievable goals creates a level of transparency between the client and agency, and allows you to deliver some wins to the client if the goals are met.
In marketing, we often talk about SMART goals. SMART is an acronym for Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant, and Timely. These are a core set of ideas to consider when creating your goals for a project. Choose a specific and effective goal to reach. Make sure that there are measurable KPI’s or Key Performance Indicators, that you can track the success of your work. Achievable and relevant goals make sure you’re working towards a realistic goal that is worth the clients’ while. Lastly, timely goals are able to be accomplished in a reasonable amount of time.
Time to start winning!
Communication, understanding, and goal setting are the pillars for you and your client’s success. Internal teamwork as well as client communication keeps everyone involved and up to speed with the project. Understanding the client’s mission allows you to effectively execute their marketing plan. Setting SMART goals opens up the opportunity for you and the client to succeed together! Put together an effective client management strategy that puts you in the best position to see growth!
Ryan Brong, Account Coordinator
beMarketing
