The key to a successful agency-client relationship is an in-depth understanding of core businesses problems that can be solved through or lead into an integrated advertising or marketing model.
Understanding the challenges can create true innovation – leading to new marketing opportunities that would otherwise not be available.
This is where a quality strategist delivers enormous value to agencies and brands. A talented strategist works with clients to identify and understand core business challenges to then address them with innovative campaigns.
By investing and developing a long-term strategy, agencies gain an understanding of the various activities that will be required over a 12-24 month period of time.
For example, a recent investigation with one of my own clients identified a logistical challenge with the fulfillment of online orders. Understanding the nature of the challenge and creating a strategy to solve it lead to a new real-time tracking system to help the business be more efficient.
What started as a business challenge now presented a marketing opportunity.
The solution created allowed the client to speak to new customers and to engage existing customers adding value as well as help to differentiate them from their competition.
Beyond problem solving, the digital presence of any client requires continuous content creation. Agencies should be latching onto this as an opportunity to create long-term communication objectives, deliver a continuous message that can engage the audience between campaigns and be the central hub for the creative and production of that content.
From a client perspective, knowing that there is a plan in place to address agreed business challenges delivers peace of mind. Clients have a clear set of deliverables with timelines attached to each and a cost associated. This gives clients all of the ammunition they need to properly inform and manage key internal and external stakeholders.
By implementing a strategy-first approach to client management, agencies and clients can come closer together. A small up-front investment in creating a strategy gives both client and agency piece of mind and a plan to move forward.
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