John, the owner of EasyClean, Inc., was frustrated. He followed the outsourcing trend. A marketing agency was much cheaper than hiring his own team. He’d done it by the book, too, netting a reliable partner with many positive recommendations in his industry. But the results weren’t coming in. He spent hours in meetings with his agency partners and still wasn’t convinced. John was doing all the work, without any payoff.
His agency contact was Sarah, who wasn’t much happier. Digital marketing strategies stood still because of what she thought was client indecisiveness and lack of expertise. Preparing for a meeting where she’d once again have to describe digital KPIs, Sarah couldn’t help but wonder: was EasyClean, Inc. really getting anything from their partnership?
Across the country, business are throwing resources at marketing agencies, hoping for a solve-all for their promotional efforts. When they fail, both sides of the relationship get frustrated, and no one benefits. And it’s common, too. A 2016 study showed that just 8 percent of brands are satisfied with their marketing partners.
There’s no easy solution to a disconnect like that. One or both sides might be to blame for marketing failures. But all too often it boils down to this: lack of marketing expertise and prioritization. That’s why you need a marketing manager before hiring an agency.
The Basics of the Marketing Agency/Client Relationship
Relationships between businesses and their marketing agencies are purely transactional: one pays money while the other runs a marketing campaign. But there’s a problem with that equation: the goal shouldn’t just be to spend money on marketing, but also to develop mutually-beneficial goals to help the business grow, extend its contract and earn both sides more revenue.
It’s still difficult to achieve, though. While a several marketing professionals work on campaigns, only one (the account executive) touches base with the client. That can be dangerous if the client doesn’t know as much about marketing as the professionals working for him do.
Forbes understands the difficulties of agency-client relationships, and suggests strategies to improve them. Most share a common thread, too: they require marketing expertise. You can’t be transparent about your marketing goals if you don’t know where to draw the lines. A client-side marketing manager can solve that problem, starting before you even work with an agency.
How a Marketing Manager Improves Agency Selection
Business owners should ask themselves two questions: what do you look for in a marketing partner? And, just as importantly, how is that different from what a marketing expert might look for? The answers may range from general (i.e. ‘growing my business’) to specific (i.e. ‘reaching more members of my audience on Facebook’). Choosing the right marketing agency is a complex process with endless variables.
Input from an internal marketing manager helps out significantly. Your marketing manager represents a credible voice on advertising expertise, from judging past campaigns to asking questions related to targeting and tracking success. Finding that balance between larger business priorities and marketing minutiae ensures that the agency partner you choose will have a chance to help your business succeed.
The Value of an Internal Marketing Manager
If you select the right marketing agency, they’ll bring significant expertise in a variety of marketing channels to the table. Still, that expertise won’t amount to much if you can’t leverage it. That’s where it helps to have an internal marketing manager on your side.
Consider the digital environment of marketing agencies, as outlined by McKinsey. At the very least, you have to understand each channel and how it plays with your other marketing channels. Ideally, though, you’ll need a strategic understanding of connecting target audiences to growth-driving marketing efforts.
This knowledge helps you plan marketing initiatives. It allows the client and agency to get on the same level, building a strategy as equals rather than simply taking and approving advice.
But that’s not all. The right professional is your go-to resource for marketing in the organization. They understand and integrate internal processes, like point-of-sales customer interactions, with the digital efforts that get customers into the door. And most importantly, having an internal marketing manager shows that your business values marketing, a vital message to stakeholders who want the organization to grow.
Minimizing Marketing Agency Inefficiencies
The goal of a marketing agency is efficiency. Building and implementing strategies for a variety of clients, they have to delegate and charge for their limited resources. If they can’t do that for you, they’ll charge significant hourly rates that eat up your budgets.
That’s because of the various activities your external partner has to do both for strategic decisions and day-to-day determinations. Some examples might include:
- Building a case for one marketing tactic over the other
- Justifying marketing decisions based on business priorities
- Communicating the value of marketing to the organization
- Liaising between various levels of company leadership and the agency
- Explaining marketing concepts and modern trends to C-level leadership
Make no mistake: agencies are happy to do all of this, but for a hefty fee. And yet, none of these things is really about marketing. Their hourly rates are much better spent developing the strategy, targeting and creative you need to grow your business. Turn to an internal marketing manager for this kind of hand-holding, which will save you money in the process.
Striving For Transparency and Accountability
Don’t take accountability and transparency for granted. Make sure you’re actually getting your budget’s worth of services.
Almost every modern marketing agency is metrics-driven. But do you actually know what they mean? Can you distinguish between vanity metrics and those that delineate actual growth? If you can’t, that’s another reason why you need a marketing manager. Your internal pro can set and measure the parameters that show how your marketing efforts are performing.
Even then, you need more than theoretical guideposts. Make regular meetings, ideally in person or via video conference, part of your agency relationship. Of course for a C-level executive, that’s tough to accommodate, especially as the business grows. But don’t lose that vital day-to-day contact with your agency partner. Bring on a marketing manager who can keep that conversation going.
What if the Marketing Agency is the Problem?
You might be tempted to think your marketing woes are all your fault. Without an internal marketing manager on your side, marketing mistakes must be on you, right? Actually, too often, agency/client relationships fail because agencies go off the rails.
A 2015 study by the Association of National Advertisers showed that only 64% of agencies believe they have the right people to help their clients. If your partner is hesitant about proclaiming their own expertise, how much do they really know about marketing? Even if they lack expertise, accountability or just don’t care, you have options. In situations where the agency is at fault, a marketing manager can help.
Your marketing managers becomes the problem solver, identifying areas of concern and working to fix them. They can hold external partners accountable according to specific KPIs and growth metrics, and they recognize when to cut the cord with failing agency relationship.
Build a Marketing Strategy Designed for Growth
Remember EasyClean? John means well, but he doesn’t know where to begin with his marketing. Worse, his agency contact needs a direct connection to someone who can strategize with her and communicate that marketing strategy internally.
That’s why you need a marketing manager. The right professional serves as the strategic lead for your agency and the biggest internal marketing advocate. With that expertise in place, your business can turn toward marketing that’s optimized for growth.
Hiring a marketing manager saves time, and making the client/agency relationship more efficient saves money. Both drive toward marketing strategies consistent with your goals and comprehensive enough to drive tangible business growth.
Almost every growing business hires a marketing agency. So why do so few organizations go the extra mile? In competitive industries, having an internal expert on hand to drive externally-built strategies makes a difference. So do yourself a favor: hire a marketing manager before you select a marketing agency.