How to Drill Down to an Agency’s True Capabilities

There are over 120,000 agencies out there - and that’s just in the U.S. alone. Many agencies identify as “full-service” or “integrated,” but are they really? Have they demonstrated experience in every marketing discipline? Maybe they have…but what are they best at?

This obscurity, coupled with the fact that many agencies will say almost anything to win new business, makes it difficult for client-side marketers to discern whether or not an agency would be a good fit for their brand.

Cut through the clutter and assess potential agency partners’ performance capabilities instantly using the following tactics…

Agency 101: The Agency-Client Relationship for Beginners

When a client hires a marketing agency, the agency becomes a part of the team. However, when an agency begins to work with a client, there can be a disconnect between the two teams. What are common disconnects and how can both the agency and client-side marketers work to avoid them?

Why do Clients Fire Marketing Agencies?

The agency selection process is comparable to the dating process. Many suitors (the agencies) present their charm (expertise) in hopes of winning the heart (the business) of the client. But just because the business is won doesn’t mean the work is over. As a partner, the agency is required to support, communicate, provide results, and deliver on promises made. Any move outside of what is expected could cause the client to question the entire partnership.

Why do clients typically fire their marketing agency?

Identifying Gaps in Your Marketing Team

How should leadership typically fill gaps in their team? Making this decision relies heavily on where the team’s gaps are located, the company’s current needs and budget, and industry.

Provide a marketing skills gap analysis to uncover the strengths and weaknesses of the marketing team and discover potential areas for improvement in the company.

How to Evaluate Your Agency Partner’s Performance

The average agency-client relationship lasts less than three years. Agency “breakups” generally happen when an advertising agency fails to communicate, respond, or provide results to their clients. However, sometimes clients stay with an underperforming agency. This is because hiring a new agency is a labor-intensive (and sometimes costly) process that involves countless pitches, endless planning, and tedious RFPs.

How can marketing leaders most effectively navigate evaluating their agency partners?

SEO Tips for 2019

In 2019, marketers can no longer rely on outdated SEO strategies like keyword stuffing (artificially inflating keyword density), exact match domains, backlinking, or uploading different pages for every keyword variation to increase organic traffic and SERP (search engine results page) ranking.

Since there is an influx of new SEO marketing strategies every year, Senior SEO Manager, Doug Cooper, from the SEO experts at Swarm Agency, highlighted the essential search engine tips and tricks to help marketers’ content shine in 2019.

Marketing Industry/TrendsSetup - marketing matchmakersApril 23, 2019SEOComment

Game of Thrones: A Case Study on Marketing to Millennials

If there’s a case study in how to create a comprehensive marketing strategy for a specific generation - that case study is Game of Thrones.

Think about it. This premium cable television show - which has over 30 main characters and takes place in an alternate fantasy universe with magic and dragons - executes the driving principles behind UX, authenticity, community building, digital marketing, storytelling, personalization, and more in its millennial-focused marketing strategy. So, what lessons can marketers learn from Game of Thrones?

Marketing Industry/TrendsSetup - marketing matchmakersApril 16, 2019Comment

How to Avoid Insensitivity in Marketing

Marketing in a multicultural landscape is inherently difficult. With so many perspectives to consider, brands often miss the mark in marketing campaigns.

Besides, offending consumers leads to hefty costs dealing with social media backlash, public relation nightmares, a decrease in followers, and loss of brand credibility and loyalty.

How can brand marketers avoid cultural insensitivity in campaign advertising?

Marketing Industry/TrendsSetup - marketing matchmakersApril 9, 2019Comment

Which Marketer Rules on April Fool’s?

Over the years, there have been some brand hoax standouts that have certainly gained traction and stopped audiences in their tracks, but how do popular brands like Burger King and Netflix keep up? Which brands consistently wow us, compelling us to click that “share” button? Which brands lost their touch?

Marketing Industry/TrendsSetup - marketing matchmakersApril 2, 2019April Fool's DayComment

6 Questions for Inspirational Women in Marketing

The marketing industry is overwhelmingly female. To celebrate the women who make up the marketing profession during Women’s History Month, we asked women marketing leaders from Interface, Hiscox USA, Mizuno, and Great Clips Inc. about their personal triumphs, tribulations, and advice about working in the marketing industry.

5 Things Clients Wish Agencies Knew

The agency-client relationship is tricky - while some agencies dream big with grandiose ideas for executing a project or campaign, a brand may be constrained by strict guidelines and a limited budget. The absence of communication leads to a tense business relationship, and, potentially, a break-up.

Strong relationships are maintained by constant conversations about objectives and expectations. Here are 5 things clients wish their agency partners knew…

5 Things Agencies Wish Clients Knew

The agency-client relationship is a two-way street that requires constant effort and a deep understanding of the other party. The best agency-client relationships have a healthy commitment to teamwork, communication, and the overall success of a project or marketing initiative. Sometimes it is difficult to see the operating reality of the other partner…That’s why Setup™ spoke with several agency partners to gather their perspective on what they wish their clients knew.

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