Unfortunately, the sentiment “the cobbler’s kids wear no shoes” is frequently associated with agency life. All too often, agencies put their own marketing on the backburner to respond to and deliver client requests.
So, how do you fight this, and make agency tasks a priority? It’s simple; treat yourself like a client.
Assign an Account Manager
Put agency marketing into someone’s job description, making him or her accountable for strategy, execution and reporting. It’s up to this person to lead the charge, rally the troops and make sure planned initiatives are getting done—in the same way an account manager would run a client campaign. Whether agency marketing is the individual’s primary responsibility or they run other accounts on the side will be based on the aggressiveness of your marketing, agency size, financials, growth strategy and more.
Build Time into Forecasts
Plan for agency marketing at the start of every month by building time into forecasts. In addition to the account manager, there will likely be other employees supporting the campaign through blog post writing, content development, social media and more.
Be sure that weight loads are distributed evenly so that no one person has too much on their plate, and to prevent activities from falling by the wayside.
Assign Deliverables and Deadlines
Lay out a monthly or quarterly strategy tied to your agency’s goals and objectives. Then, as you would with a client campaign, assign deliverables and deadlines to specific team members. Use a project management system to keep track of to-do lists, responsible parties, major events, files and messages.
Note: Keep in mind that strategies may need to change on the fly based on real-time events and feedback. Make sure your account team is structured to respond, and don’t be afraid to deviate from your original plan to capitalize on emerging opportunities.
Always Do “Client-Ready” Work
Encourage your team to deliver “client-ready” materials at all times—no matter if they are working on an agency or client project. This makes production and review much more efficient, helping you get more done faster.
Push the Envelope Forward
It’s common for agencies to bring new ideas and strategies to the table for clients, as they are continuously seeking to win approval, demonstrate their value and help the client succeed. This same effort needs to be applied to agency marketing as well.
Don’t settle for the status quo. Since you’re in control of it, your own marketing program is an awesome place to test new strategies, emerging technologies and innovative ideas. Knowledge can then be integrated into client campaigns, helping you become a better consultant.
How Do You Manage Agency Marketing?
What processes do you have in place to ensure your own marketing programs are top-of-the line? How do you balance agency and client responsibilities?
Image Credit: DanielAd