Working with a Marketing Agency: The IMPACT Show Ep.7 [Show Notes]

Even greats like The Beatles got by with a little help from their friends, so why shouldn't your marketing?

Whether you're already working with a marketing agency or never even considered it, this week, Bob and Nick took to Facebook Live to discuss what you need to know, discuss the new marketing mandate, Alexa's new skills, and what you should know IMPACT Live 2017. 

Just in case you missed us live (or if you want to relive the magic), you’ll find the episode’s show notes below as well as the recording.

Enjoy and make sure to share with your peers!

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Have feedback or questions? We’d love to hear it. Comment on this blog or email us at show@impactplus.com

Join us for IMPACT Live:

• A two-day event in Hartford, CT on August 1-2nd, 2017.
• An intimate group of experienced, dedicated marketing and sales leaders.
• NEW LOWER PRICING: We want you to go and, we don't want pricing to be the hurdle stopping you so now you can get your general admission ticket for just $999 or VIP access for $1399.
• Speakers include Marcus Sheridan, Tara Robertson, Mike Volpe, Mark Roberge, George B Thomas, Paul Roetzer, and more.
• Get your ticket here now.

The New Marketing Mandate

• Learn from your marketing performance, understand those results, and gett results faster by using data to make smarter decisions.
• "The most effective digital marketing teams will be those that learn the fastest.” -- “The result? Better, more effective, and more responsive marketing.”
• “Teams whose members felt comfortable making suggestions, trying things that might not work, pointing out potential problems and admitting mistakes were more successful in learning the new procedure.”
• The article's message is about making sure that you have lean processes, agile principles, but also a culture where teams feel comfortable that they can take risks.
• Read the full article by Justin Dunham
• Also, references an article from HBR in 2001 called "Speeding Up Team Learning."

Alexa Calling and Messaging to Other Users

• Amazon Echo devices now have offers hands-free calling and texting to other users with Echo devices.
• A takeaway for growth leaders is if you have a user's attention, keep them on your platform. That's what we see Amazon doing is, identifying what users can do next on their platform. 
• AI assistance is becoming a bigger part of daily consumer lives. As marketers, we need to ask ourselves, how are we going to be making ourselves available on those different platforms?
• Read all about it here

Main Topic: “Defining Your Vision for Growth”

• This is specifically for SMBs looking to hire an agency to generate more leads and sales from their website.
• Part 1: Should You Hire an Agency in The First Place?
  
  • The benefits of agencies include:
    • Built-in efficiencies
      • Made to help companies like you
    • Talent for what they specialize in the type of marketing they say they specialize in
    • Experience
      
      • There's a good chance they've tackled similar problems and have the experience to help your navigate through them
      • Not always about an agency having experience in a particular industry, but rather that they have experience helping a variety of different types of teams grow.
    • Strong understanding of industry updates and trends
  • They can help you with…
    • Brainstorming/idea generation
    • Laying out the strategy and develop a plan for growth
    • Getting work done
    • Project managing; keeping you focused and organized.
  • But should you expect the agency to carry the load?
    • In our experience, if you don’t have someone on the client side “all in” with the agency, it doesn’t work…
    • A challenging experience is when an executive hires us and mostly sits back and says “Where’s my leads?”
  • Is your product/service better than the status quo?
    • If you have a good product, it can almost sell itself. 
  • Are you smart enough to hire an agency?
    • Are you educated enough to know if you’re making a smart decision or are you deciding blindly?
  • Are you willing to take risks?
  • Are you willing to “let the agency in” - access to tools, know financials, transparency…
  • Is your team open to an agency or feel competitive/territorial with an agency?
  • Budget: You get what you pay for
• Part 2: What to Know When Selecting An Agency
  • You’ve decided to bring on an agency, here are things to think about:
    • Relevant proof of success
    • You meet the team that you’ll be working with before closing / enough seniority
    • Culture fit… you’re going to be working with them for awhile
    • Their workflows are similar to your workflows
    • Expectations for success are clearly set
• Part 3: What to Know When Working With An Agency
  • Things take time to ramp up, they need to learn your business. There has to be an onboarding period.
  • Need to stay focused on the end goal
    • Short term needs eat up budget, agency gets fired… an agency needs to say no sometimes in your best interest.
  • Communication is needed… Expectations need to be clear at all times.
  • Staff changes happen (on both sides)
• Part 4: When Should You Move on From An Agency? (3-6 Months)
  • You feel you’re not getting enough value from the relationship… you’re putting too much effort in… (kind of like having an employee)
  • You’re not able to dedicate the time needed to the relationship
  • You don’t genuinely like or trust the people you're working with.
  • They agency is just not getting it (what you do, your tone, the quality expectations…)
  • None of the work at this point has led to anything helpful in generating new business….
    • Not talking traffic gains so much… that could take a year…
    • But has there been content, conversion improvements, processes… etc... 

Books/Resources:

• The Lean Startup
• Hacking Marketing
• Content, Inc
• Marketing Contractor vs. Internal Marketing vs. Marketing Agency
• How to Hire an Inbound Agency
• Email Us: show@impactplus.com

Next Steps:

Get your tickets to IMPACT Live 2017 to meet David Meerman Scott, Mark Roberge, Marcus Sheridan, and dozens of other experts in-person this August!

We would love your comments! Feel free to send us an email or comment on the facebook thread. 

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Join Us Next Week! Topic: Do You Know What Makes Your Buyers Buy?

We'll be back again next Thursday, June 29th at 1:00 PM ET. Want to get reminded? Drop us your name and email address below and we’ll make sure you’re notified before the broadcast every Thursday!