Think about your current branding/marketing agency. If you were to describe them, what words come to mind? Helpful, consistent, responsive, supportive?
These words aren’t uncommon, and in fact should be a requirement. With so much competition in the marketplace, if you aren’t currently with an agency you can rely on, you have dozens of other agencies to turn to.
But when you think about your agency, does the word “challenging” come to mind, too? Challenging in the way that a manager may push you to try something new that you’ve never thought of before.
Your agency must challenge you in that same way.
Take these two scenarios:
Scenario 1: Pleasing-focused agency
Your agency: “How has your most recent campaign been going? Anything that needs to be update or changed? We’re here to help with whatever you need!”
You: “Nothing really comes to mind at the moment that we need help with. We are loving the campaign!”
or
Scenario 2: Challenge-focused agency
Your agency: “I noticed in your Google Analytics that your bounce rate has drastically increased over the past few months since the campaign was launched, almost 5% higher than the average in your industry. Have you given any thought to a personalized landing page for each audience?”
You: “I didn’t even realize that the bounce rate was an issue. What is the average for our industry? And what could that personalized message potentially be?”
Which scenario would benefit your company more? (And are you currently going to your Google Analytics right now to check out your bounce rate?)
Ask yourself these three questions about your current branding/marketing agency. If you answer “no” to any of these questions, it may be time to rethink that relationship.
- Does your agency strive to continue learning about your industry? Sending you relevant news articles for discussions or inspiration?
- Do they seek to learn about your business as a whole, not just the scope of work they have been given? For example, are they proactively visiting your sales center? Speaking with employees to gather different perceptions? Reviewing Google Analytics data to raise any red flags you may be missing?
- Do they approach you with unique insights, ideas, or questions that had yet to cross your mind? Are they starting a conversation you would never have had without them, presenting a new way to potentially save you time, money, or even a headache?
If you aren’t being challenged by your agency to think differently, then why would you want to keep them?
You’d be surprised how quickly your conversations will turn from routine check-ins to true collaborative working sessions when you work with an agency who challenges you.
