Let’s examine a scenario that agencies see from time to time (not just in the fourth quarter, but the stakes are higher across the board right now):
On the client side, a primary point of contact is relatively new to the team. It’s Q4. They feel stressed.
On the agency side, things seem to be going well. KPIs are in line with established goals, there is a strategy for the coming months, weekly calls have not raised any concerns, and there is a good test-and-learn methodology for creative optimization and channel expansion.
Then the email drops: Contrary to what the agency sees, the company’s data shows that the marketing team isn’t achieving goals.
If things don’t improve quickly, there will be difficult talks about ending the partnership.
What happened? And how could the agency have avoided it?
I will delve into the answers in this post.
1. Treat alignment as an activity
Agencies and brands are generally diligent about aligning goals, KPIs and data sources as part of the onboarding process.
But the agency can’t assume brands will automatically notify all parties when things change internally.
Factors agencies should plan to request periodic updates include:
goals
Every marketing department I’ve worked for or with has changed goals from time to time.
Whether it’s moving from lead generation to site traffic or shifting focus from driving growth to improving CPA, change is a constant.
This needs to be reflected in your campaigns and reporting, or you’ll be driving forward down the wrong path to optimize for the wrong KPIs.
Data sources
Internal boards are always a big talking point on onboarding and startup calls, but the conversation can’t end there.
Attribution models change and improve, technology stacks evolve, internal business intelligence teams build dashboards, and so on.
Agencies that do not request access to this data are flying without a map.
An important component of internal reporting that agencies need to be aware of are the fields that client dashboards use to attribute to advertising.
We use UTM and campaign identifiers, but clients can attribute advertising-influenced actions beyond the first touch that we can incorporate into our reporting and optimization.
If a client uses HubSpot, this can add an extra layer of complication.
HubSpot reports are difficult to export and look at cleanly. Data must be analyzed in a native environment in order for agencies to link campaigns to offline data.
While data from HubSpot can be pulled into better reporting environments like Salesforce, which can create reports based on any specified UTM (eg ad group or keyword), any advanced offline insights will depend of the client’s resources to create the reports.
In short, these conversations and how to share and reconcile different data sources are important to having to maintain a similar construct around campaign performance for whatever layer of analysis you’re looking for.
Calendars/prices
We all know, at the consumer level, that retail discounts are all the rage in the fourth quarter: online, offline, and both.
In the B2B world, it’s common for brands to incorporate a year-end sales push, or buyer incentive, which could include more motivation to book meetings.
Agencies that do not request this information at this time will likely experience a lack of lead time to set up plans, including how to monitor and adjust to pipeline data and funnel flow (e.g., rates set aside for meetings could artificially). increase, which could have bidding and budget ramifications).
Websites and landing pages
Websites and landing pages are constantly changing.
Maybe there’s a homepage banner announcing a new report or rotating CTAs on a demo-focused landing page.
Or maybe the client has done some branding tweaks to update messaging and value accessories.
This report would be an excellent sitelink for brand search ads. These CTAs and elements of value should be reflected in ad copy and creatives to keep the user journey as seamless as possible.
They may seem minor, but little things can add up over time if you don’t keep track of a client’s media updates.
External campaigns
This is an extreme example, but imagine you’re watching the Super Bowl and you see an ad from a client you had no idea was about to happen. Your search budget could be lost in half.
When clients have significant campaigns beyond the ones you manage, you need to know that to effectively prepare for any kind of ripple.
Make sure you check with your clients, especially those who work with multiple agencies, to see if they have initiatives outside of your partnership that you should be aware of.
This includes things like billboards, radio ads with discount codes that could generate interesting sitelinks, CTV campaigns or podcasts, etc.
2. Build – and respect – a communicative cadence
do no expect QBRs to bring big themes like goals. In-house marketing teams don’t plan their strategy around agency meetings.
At my agency, we’re working on a strategic planning template that we’ll review quarterly with clients in 2023, but we’ll complement it by setting goals regularly on weekly calls to build the habit and make these conversations second nature.
In addition to reporting on progress toward goal, as most agencies do on weekly calls, we will manage alignment as follows:
Ask if anything has changed. Get context and provide initial feedback on feasibility if goals have changed. Openly discuss potential concerns and come up with solutions.
After these steps are completed, we’ll review the current roadmap or create a new one to ensure we’re fully incorporating the goals into our partnership.
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3. Err on the side of over-communication
Communication overload can make consuming important content challenging, especially in today’s digital environment. (Quickly count the number of logins you do daily to keep up with the company and external happenings.)
But lack of communication is a worse option.
Simply put, you can ignore questions or content you don’t have time to read, but you can’t answer something if you never get in front of it. This is the approach agencies should take, especially during relatively busy/chaotic times like Q4.
Repeat the information. Overshare updates. Ask questions (politely) until you get answers.
You generally assume that your customer contacts are busy and under pressure and don’t have “keeping the agency up to date” high on their daily priority list.
4. Work backwards and build project plans
As agencies know, it takes time to properly plan initiatives like end-of-year software sales discounts and e-commerce promotional calendars, especially since there’s also a lot of day-to-day rigor and optimization that needs to happen. in the meantime.
I like to set an ideal end point (“We launch on X date”) and work backwards to schedule all the preparatory steps necessary to achieve the goal.
Notify the client that you are working on a project plan. Detail each step and assign approximate dates and owners. Send the proposal to your customers for review as soon as possible.
Once your feedback is incorporated and the parts are aligned, make sure you track and update the project somewhere common like Asana to keep all parts on track.
conclusion
For both the client and the agency, the worst time to clarify any potential issues is after a long period of misaligned performance prospects.
Prolonged misalignment often results in the end of a partnership and lost goals on the part of the client.
It is especially important for agencies to establish a rhythm of questions and proactive communication in the fourth quarter, with the advantage that you will condition both parties to keep the lines of communication open and allow for better long-term planning.
The opinions expressed in this article are those of the guest author and not necessarily Search Engine Land. Staff authors are listed here.
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About the author
Laura Schiele, Head of Paid Acquisition at Jordan Digital Marketing, has nearly a decade of experience in paid media strategy and execution on both agency and in-house accounts and uses advanced analytical skills to scale growth within efficiency goals at Google, LinkedIn, Facebook and more. Laura manages a large team of remote payment media experts from her home in Burlington, VT.
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