Recently, my colleague Jennifer Leggio posted a blog that highlighted some of the reasons why your marketing agency may not be living up to your expectations. In this blog, I highlight some of the components that agencies need from our clients in order for everyone to succeed.
I’ve had the opportunity to work with some fantastic clients and internal teams throughout my career, and hear from others on the W2 Communications team about some of their favorite clients and what makes those relationships so successful. In reflecting, here are some of the common things I’ve seen across successful relationships:
Creative Storytelling
While the ultimate goal is to help your company sell your offerings, product messaging is not thought leadership and should not be the sole focus of your marketing efforts. We want to develop insightful marketing campaigns to connect your company with its target customers, but we need your help to craft and tell stories that are effective and meaningful – not product ads. (If you haven’t already, check out the blog from Tony Welz on creating compelling content.)
That said, share as much as you can with us – sales collateral or team feedback, your ideas, new/upcoming research, upcoming roadmap developments, etc. – we want to see it! We want to dig into it and see what stories emerge, and work with you to share them with the public via the right marketing vehicles.
Engaging SMEs
Just as important as the story itself are the storytellers. We want to work with you to identify the subject matter experts (SMEs) within your company – whether they’re your CEO, CISO, head of product or a researcher – that can effectively articulate your story to the public and help build meaningful connections with your target audiences. We need to collaborate to determine who is willing to support your marketing program, their areas of expertise, the roles they can play (e.g., hosting company webinars, speaking at industry events, supporting media and/or analyst relations activities), and any training or support they may need.
Patience and Realistic Expectations
We get it – you have a lot of stakeholders that want to see results – and their expectations may differ widely. That’s why one of our first and most consistent questions is “What does a win look like for you or your leaders?” Marketing and strategic communications programs take time to build, and may take some trial and error to get to that ideal win – but we’re invested in getting the win for you! We’ll be honest about the time or resources that are needed to get the result that your stakeholders are looking for. In turn, we ask that you help set realistic expectations within your team – and work with us if we encounter any road blocks along the way.
Time Investment
We are investing our team’s time, energy and resources to develop creative communications and marketing campaigns for your company. But we can’t do it alone. Along the way, we’ll need your help – whether it’s confirming our strategy is aligned with the company’s sales and marketing goals, reviewing and approving content, corralling SMEs, etc. We strive to operate as part of your marketing team and as autonomously as possible, but sometimes we need a little help from our friends.
Human-to-Human Connections
Our job is all about building connections – with our colleagues, our clients, the media and helping our clients establish and deepen relationships with their current and prospective customers. Some of my favorite client interactions have been in the minutes at the beginning or end of calls when we’re just talking human-to-human. Whether it’s catching up on the events of the weekend or the team’s latest Netflix binge, these are the moments where we can forge bonds across the client-agency boundary.
Celebrate the Wins
We have a job to do – and that is get the results that our clients want and expect. However, we’re also human and recognition for a job well done can go a long way. Whether you’re giving a team member a pat on the back for continued efficient execution, or celebrating a hard-fought win, we all benefit when we recognize the efforts that go into making marketing succeed.
While every client relationship is different, these are a few of the common “ingredients” that can be found among our most positive, highest performing accounts. We’re fortunate to have a fantastic roster of clients that challenge us to be the best communicators and marketers we can, and work alongside us to deliver top results for our clients.
Here’s to building even stronger relationships in 2025 and beyond!