Like Joni Mitchell once sang, I’ve looked at life from both sides now. After spending the majority of my career as a client, I came to the agency side five years ago, where I’ve learned a lot about how the agency-client relationship can work more productively.
Whether you’re a seasoned marketing client or just striking up your first relationship with an agency, I offer up these pointers to help you save time, get the most out of your agency and maybe even have more fun in the process.
1. Have a clear goal.
Have an on-going dialogue about expectations. Nothing pains agency people more than missing the mark. If expectations aren’t clear at the outset, the agency is doomed for failure and you’re doomed for disappointment. The dialogue should also provide performance feedback. Whether they admit it or not, agency people thrive on knowing what others (especially clients) think of their work.
2. Be informative.
Remember that while good agency people will learn as much as they can about your business, you will always be more knowledgeable about it than they are. The more thorough and relevant the briefing, the more compelling the work will be.
3. Let us work with you, not for you.
Treat your agency as a partner, not as a vendor. This means sharing sales goals and business objectives, introducing them to staff and including them in meetings. Bring them to the table early in strategy discussions.
4. The truth hurts.
Appreciate that objectivity is a beautiful thing. Your agency isn’t embroiled in the company or industry as much as you are so they can keep an open mind. In other words, if you want to know “does this sales promotion make my brand look fat?” the people at your agency may be the only ones who can tell you the truth.
5. You are not the creative.
Let the agency do its job. You may think you’re creative, but unless you’ve worked as a full-time copywriter or art director, the agency is in a much better position to create messaging. Please don’t try to combine parts of Concept #1 with Concept #2 or bring it home to your spouse for review. Trust your agency.
I’m sure I’ll spend some time in agency purgatory for committing many of these sins as a client, but I hope by sharing what I’ve learned here in the agency world, I can begin to redeem myself!
