In this series of blog posts we investigate the people you are most likely blaming for your marketing woes.
Our second target is your Agency
Your marketing agency may be the first target for your new marketing manager when they are appointed to the role. Marketing people who don’t have experience in strategy will normally change the deckchairs on the Titanic soon after they enter the building. So if your new hire’s first recommendation is for you to change your agency, let’s hope they are within their three-month probation!
Agencies such as advertising, graphics, PR and web developers are all 100% reliant on briefs. Shit briefs get shit results and open briefs get confused results. In order to write good briefs you need a brand strategy.
An effective brand strategy will ensure a compelling foundation so your agencies can weave their creative magic. Plus they will all be singing from the same hymn sheet, so your marketing investments are fully integrated.
One of your current agencies might be the first choice to create a Brand Strategy, but this isn’t always the best idea. The first thing to do first is work out if your agency has brand strategy experience. Not graphic design experience, advertising experience or any other marketing tactic experience, but brand strategy experience.
The issue with getting an agency to create a brand strategy is they will naturally favour approaches which align with their areas of expertise. So advertising agencies will see brand from an advertising lens and research agencies will see brand from a research lens. You need an agency that will create a strategy from a purely branded lens and understand that brand communications spreads across your entire business from the way your reception area is designed to the types of social media you post.
BUT – don’t fire any of your agencies just yet. With a fantastic Brand Strategy, they have a much better chance of achieving the results you need. They already know your business, your people and your industry so don’t throw the baby out with the bathwater.
Without a Brand Strategy
- Your marketing budget is like a losing footy team.
- Your Marketing Manager and Agencies have no game plan.
- Your Sales Team haven’t even attended training.
- Your budget is set by Mick Molloy’s Multi.
- And your website and graphics are like a sad torn banner.
But most importantly, as the Coach, you haven’t even left the box!
What you CAN do now, is provide your team with the time and space to go back to the foundations and prepare a brand strategy. It’s not productive to keep blaming others. You have the ability to take control now and lead your team.
In my e-book, The Case of the Missing Sales, you’ll find 20 key questions to find out if your agency is all talk and just trying to sell you their services.
Start by downloading my e-book, The Case of the Missing Sales. It’s free and it will set you on the right path.
