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?

Marketing Industry/TrendsSetup - marketing matchmakersMay 21, 2019Agency 101, agency-client relationship, positioningComment

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.

Marketing Industry/TrendsSetup - marketing matchmakersMay 14, 2019marketing team, Agency 101, agency-client relationship, marketing continuing educationComment

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?

Marketing Industry/Trends, Marketing ResourcesSetup - marketing matchmakersApril 30, 2019agency scorecard, agency evaluation framework, agency partner evaluation, gaps, breakup, Agency 101, agency-client relationship, positioningComment

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…

Marketing Industry/TrendsSetup - marketing matchmakersMarch 19, 2019scorecard, breakup, Agency 101, agency-client relationship, marketing continuing education, positioningComment

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.

Marketing Industry/TrendsSetup - marketing matchmakersMarch 12, 2019scorecard, breakup, Agency 101, agency-client relationship, marketing continuing education, positioningComment

The Different Types of Marketing Agencies

There are a number of paths a marketing executive can take when determining who and what will guide a marketing strategy. Choosing a marketing agency partner can depend on multiple variables including team capacity, capability, and situation. Though the rapid growth and evolution of marketing has blurred the lines of different “agency” types, it's still helpful to note the key differences between them.

Marketing Industry/Trends, Marketing Career AdviceSetup - marketing matchmakersFebruary 26, 2019Marketing Agency Relationship, marketing agency, agency-client relationship, scorecard, gaps, breakup, Agency 101Comment

The Different Roles within Marketing Agency Departments

Just like how a marching band has multiple sections to sound good, a marketing agency has multiple departments to function properly. Navigating the different roles and purposes of each department can get confusing and overwhelming, however.

Here is a simple breakdown of some typical agency departments (and the roles within) for those interested in working in/for a marketing or advertising agency.

Marketing Industry/Trends, Marketing Career AdviceSetup - marketing matchmakersJanuary 15, 2019agency roles, job seeker content, types of agencies, intern, hierarchy, agency-client relationship, gaps, Agency 101, Marketing, sparksouth Comments

Finding Your First Marketing Agency

When do you need to stop using your in-house team for every project and hire a marketing agency? Finding an agency who is an expert in your industry with a hefty skill set may be difficult at first, but with the proper guidance, it is just what you need to succeed.

Marketing Industry/TrendsSetup - marketing matchmakersJanuary 8, 2019types of agencies, agency-client relationship, scorecard, gaps, breakup, Agency 101, dataComment

CTA - SEO - PPC - WTF??? 16 Marketing Agency Acronyms You Need to Know

Between the APIs, ROIs, and BOPUS mumbo jumbo, there is a lot going on in the marketing world. But instead of saying TTYL (talk to you later) and leaving you guessing about these mysterious phrases, we are here to demystify the masses.

Here are the most important acronyms you need to know in the agency world.

Marketing Industry/Trends, Marketing ResourcesSetup - marketing matchmakersOctober 30, 2018agency language, agency lingo, types of agencies, hierarchy, agency-client relationship, Agency 101, marketing continuing educationComment

Clients and Agencies Should Embrace “The Challenger Sale"

As a part of the AgencySparks vetting process, we interview agencies to determine the health of their current or past relationships. Over the course of 45 sets of interviews conducted, we have found a reoccurring theme - agencies who are “order takers” tend to have weaker client relationships.

Agencies need to become challengers in order to offer their client’s the best solutions.

The Challenger Sale Approach, which is based off of Matthew Dixon and Brent Adamsons book “The Challenger Sale: Taking Control of the Customer Conversation,” is a method to help salespeople (or agencies) build healthy relationships with clients by challenging them.

Marketing Industry/TrendsSetup - marketing matchmakersOctober 23, 2018The Challenger Sale, agency-client relationship, Agency 101Comment

The Do’s and Don’ts of the RFP Process

When clients have marketing challenges, they often look to an agency for help. Often the best way to determine if a marketing agency is qualified to deliver quality work on time and within budget and scope is through a Request for Proposal (RFP).

Here are the Do’s and Dont’s to making a RFP successful…

Marketing Industry/TrendsSetup - marketing matchmakersSeptember 18, 2018rfp, request for proposal, RFP-Resource, issue rfp, New Years, first agency, types of agencies, agency-client relationship, scorecard, breakup, Agency 101Comment

The Five Marketing Agency Compensation Models for Brands

If a brand is considering hiring a marketing agency, it is important to set aside appropriate budget. Depending on the scope of needs, some financial plans are more necessary than others but, ultimately, it is up to the client and agency to decide how they will price fees during their agency-client partnership. Read more about the pros and cons of different compensation models in the agency-client relationship.

Marketing Industry/Trends, Marketing ResourcesSetup - marketing matchmakersSeptember 4, 2018budget, paperwork, tax, woman, money, report, accountant, calculator, paper, concept, pen, accounting, home, closeup, statistics, table, economics, economy, bureaucracy, corporate, business, income, success, copyspace, finance, calculate, balance, female, close-up, macro, earnings, lifestyle, desk, planning, bookkeeper, fill, person, professional, company, credit, workplace, work, investment, job, office, financial, expenses, hand, savings, counting, budget, paperwork, tax, woman, money, report, accountant, calculator, paper, concept, pen, accounting, home, closeup, statistics, table, economics, economy, bureaucracy, corporate, business, income, success, copyspace, finance, calculate, balance, female, close-up, macro, earnings, lifestyle, desk, planning, bookkeeper, fill, person, professional, company, credit, workplace, work, investment, job, office, financial, expenses, hand, savings, counting, RFP, RFP-Resource, first agency, types of agencies, agency-client relationship, scorecard, gaps, breakup, Agency 101Comment

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