How to get the best out of your marketing agency.

Starting a new ad campaign, launching a new product, or rebranding is an exciting time – a chance to take your business to the next level and engage new customers. So you have found the right advertising agency for the job, you can see examples of great work they have done for other companies, and you want them to do amazing work for you too. But how can you ensure to get the best results from your advertising agency?

The only way your creative team can really bring your ideas to life and produce outstanding work for your company is if they know exactly what you’re trying to achieve. It’s no good being vague and hoping they will be able to conjure up a masterpiece, you have to be prepared to give them all the information they need to do the best job. Communicate your business goals and needs with your advertising agency, not just for now but for the long term too. Thinking of your agency as an extension of your in-house team rather than an out-source, helps to create a long lasting and productive relationship.

Things to do to get the best results from your creative team:

• • Provide a good brief – Save yourself time and money by starting off with a good brief. Don’t expect the marketing agency to do all the leg work, as they may miss a vital part of your vision and it doesn’t create good rapport. Including important information such as who your customers are, what you want to achieve from the campaign, and any of your own ideas and tastes, will help you get the best results, quicker. Keep the brief straightforward and to the point. You can always add other details verbally or add any peripheral information at the end.
  • Build a good relationship – The relationship between a company and its marketing agency is like no other. These are the guys who can help make your business stand out from the competitors, so a good relationship is crucial for creating successful campaigns.
  • Prioritise communication with your agency – If they are waiting for decisions, photos etc, avoid any delay in sending them to keep your project moving on time. If you leave your agency waiting for these things, you are forcing them to move on to another project while they wait for you.
  • Limit the amount of people you have interacting with the marketing agency, that way they are not receiving direction for numerous different sources.
  • Work out what you want to say – Sounds obvious, but if you want to include wording in the design or you want to communicate a message through a picture, make sure you know exactly what you want it to be. The best marketing agencies can also help you with this, but some will expect you to come prepared. In that case, it’s a job for you and your marketing department!
  • Give them time – As long as you have provided all the necessary information and they have assured you that they have everything they need, just sit back and let their creative team work their magic. It is in their best interests to produce successful campaigns and high quality work that you will be happy with, so give them time so make it happen.
  • Have trust – No doubt you hired your creative design team because they are great at what they do. The best marketing and advertising agencies know about marketing, they know what looks good and what doesn’t, so trust their skills and knowledge. If they come to you with a design you are unsure of, don’t dismiss it straight away just because it wasn’t the same as the image you had in mind. Trust that there is a good reason behind it and at least consider its potential.

Many small ideas have become a phenomenal success through great advertising & marketing and now you have the tools to ensure you achieve the best possible results from your creative team. In the words of Jef I. Richards, “Creative without strategy is called ‘art’. Creative with strategy is called ‘advertising’.