Outsourcing the marketing function is a practice that many brands have strategically applied for decades across many industry sectors. Marketing agency revenue is expected to surpass $350 billion by the end of 2023 and increase by 20 percent annually reaching $424 billion by 2027. When the marketing and advertising function can be easily defined, measured, and qualified, the practice of outsourcing has a proven record of adding value to businesses that lack in-house expertise or the capability to respond to growing demands for a company’s goods and services.
Finding a qualified candidate to partner with starts with defining the goals, objectives, and expectations of the process. Identify the deliverables, tactics, timeline, and costs of the mission. Finding the right provider to partner with requires a focus on selecting providers that demonstrate excellent communication skills and clearly articulate and understand complex information and specific performance criteria. A good marketing agency is up-front and honest; they admit when they do not know something or need more information. They also acknowledge mistakes while working diligently to make things right. It is critical to find a partner that demonstrates trust through transparency and integrity.
Setting clear expectations and establishing effective communication at the outset will strengthen the expectation of success. Brands should encourage and expect a qualified marketing partner to push back on strategic development and engagement. The most successful ideas will come from a collaborative relationship after each partner establishes in advance what the relationship will produce. Nothing progresses without first forming a plan of action. Set out clearly defined goals and objectives for each side of the relationship and monitor and measure progress against the plan. Adjust the original plan assumptions where necessary to improve performance.
Expectations from the client side will continue to center on the quality of relationships that emphasize the team’s understanding of the business and taking pride in the work, fostering initiative-taking leadership and insight, and a steady stream of creative ideas and executions. Marketers will command team stability, increased responsiveness, and consistent, predictable deliverables.
All partnerships require consistent and persistent communication between stakeholders. “One and done” is not a phrase conducive to a successful brand/agency relationship. To be successful, agencies will need to become better at listening and learning about the client’s business. And as the new relationship matures, the model will need to continue to change and adjust to provide an ever-increasing level of value to the client.
Contributions from both sides will be necessary to establish mutual trust. Seek out and offer honest assessments of expectations and performance. Provide real answers and solutions. Encourage flexible approaches to challenges and most importantly, share a commitment to achieving mutual marketer/agency goals and objectives.
Junction has worked with more than 350 brands since 2009, whether small to mid-size or enterprise level clients. Our marketing agency combines the intellectual capital of a business consulting firm with the creative execution of an advertising agency. To learn more about how Junction can create impact for your business, call 678-944-7219.