A healthy client-agency relationship is a partnership between a business and a marketing or communications agency. By the very definition of the word partnership, client-agency relationships should be built on a foundation of mutual respect, trust and understanding. For client-agency relationships to succeed, all parties must be in alignment.
Transparency will dictate expectations for scope, KPIs and billing. Transparency will also establish the guidelines for communication, approval processes, monthly reporting and dependencies.
Over the years, we’ve also come to learn that many clients have the misguided expectation that appointing a marketing or communications firm means that little to no work is required from the client's side, and while lightening your workload (both practically and intangibly) is our most sought after objective, nobody knows your business better than you.
This means that in order for us to achieve your marketing goals, a strong, collaborative relationship is required to reach optimal and desired results. We’ve found that our best client relationships have been the ones where the client dedicates time and manpower, to giving us the tools we need to succeed.
This could be a one hour meeting once a month, weekly email status reports and updates or even just regular 5min phone calls to keep us up to speed with what’s happening in the business. This becomes increasingly important when outsourcing digital marketing and communications.
The world of digital is fast changing, current and relevant - and no matter how hard we try to stay up to speed, we’re never going to be as close to the product as those working within the organisation. Our job is to take your work, and amplify it, and we can only do that, if we’re always aware of what’s happening within your business.
Just as in most successful relationships, a successful partnership between a client and an agency relies on solid communication. It's no secret that every agency dreams of building a long-lasting, successful relationship with clients.
Every client also strives to form a reliable agency partnership they can depend on. To ensure both parties are primed for success, the client-agency relationship must be built on a foundation of transparency and trust. This way, both parties remain aligned on the goals and results.
It’s important to us that our clients always feel as though their needs are heard and their pain points are understood. We believe that remaining transparent and having a clear communication plan allows for our clients (and partners) to voice their concerns while allowing us, as the agency, the time required to revise and make headway.
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Shakirah
MD & Founder TN Communications
Thank you for taking the time to read about our work as an agency. If you would like to get in touch about working together or would like to find out more about how we can help your organisation communicate effectively through digital, feel free to reach out on shakirah@that-network.com or 083 290 7146.