At a certain stage of organizational growth, the question arises: should we establish a full-fledged internal marketing department or seek the services of external professionals? Before making this decision and reaching out to external organizations, optimizers, studios, or agencies, there are three crucial steps to take:
- Define your organization’s marketing goals and break them down into individual objectives for each traffic channel.
- Gather and analyze all information regarding the current state of affairs.
Sure, a marketing agency can conduct an audit, but it’s beneficial to have two different perspectives. Without an understanding of the work’s objectives, it’s extremely difficult to establish appropriate KPIs for collaboration. And it should be a “collaboration,” since no one knows your business better than you do.
Keeping a Finger on the Pulse
Healthy collaboration exists when there’s a plan, objective, and checkpoints. Receiving information about the results weekly is always better than monthly.
Always Stay Connected
There should be a standard protocol to reach out and get up-to-date information, ask questions about the work plan, the achievement of objectives, and information on checkpoints. Even better is to have access to the job management system.
Main Requirements for Effective Agency Collaboration
Focus on KPI Achievement
During the collaboration, even if specific indicators are not stipulated in the contract or guaranteed, it’s still essential to regularly track KPIs and exchange data on them. The agency needs to understand the quality of leads and the number of sales on your end, and you should be aware of traffic indicators, impressions, new ads, pages, and texts.
External Audit
Set a timeframe for conducting an independent external audit of marketing and specific attraction channels. The goal isn’t just to check the work of the contractor and internal employees, but to understand whether the chosen promotional strategy is correct and if the company is heading in the right direction.
Technology and Automation
New services emerge daily that simplify work routines and attract additional traffic. It’s vital to be aware of the main trends to have the opportunity to implement novelties in your workflow. This is doubly important for contractors: those who’ve stopped progressing have already fallen behind. Whenever possible, find out which trends are relevant for your industry, assess their economic efficiency, and consult with your contractor about the possibility of their implementation.
Clear planning, well-defined goals and tasks, and checkpoints for KPIs are fundamental when working with both external contractors and an internal marketing department within the company.
Experience the full power of effective collaboration with a marketing agency! Learn the ins and outs with our complete guide.