Finding the Right Client-Agency Fit Series — Part 2

1. Time Is of the Essence

2. Results Are at Risk When You Reset the Clock

Evaluating Your Current Agency: Key Considerations

So, how do you know if your business and team are (or will be) casualties of the costs above? It’s all about understanding what you’re getting—and what you should be getting—from your agency.

Some questions to ask:

• Does my agency possess the experience and expertise to strategize and execute our company’s goals and needs?
• Depending on the marketing campaign results, do the outcomes justify the time and costs we’ve invested in them?
• Does the agency’s perspective of good performance align with ours?

One way to assess these questions is to revisit the four forms of business value I discussed in my previous piece—Solving the Dilemma of Agency, In-House Team, Freelancer, or AI.

Source: Larry Waddell, Moz Whiteboard Friday

1. Increase Revenue: Can your partner elevate your gross profit and increase revenue?
2. Reduce cost: Can your partner help your team reduce costs in the long run?
3. Cost avoidance: Will the time and money you invest in strategy yield the desired results?
4. Insurance: Does your partner have a track record of staying current on the latest online marketing and search engine updates? Doing so helps your team mitigate online performance risks and declines.

Proper evaluation provides a sense of control over the company’s online performance and helps you feel confident that you’re pointing the business in the right direction. Remember—it’s not just the initial number of how much an agency, in-house team, or freelancer will cost. It’s about taking a step back and observing the opportunity costs of not hitting the mark.

Don’t Switch Impulsively

Yes, it’s essential to purposefully evaluate your agency to decide if they’re right for you. However, as mentioned earlier, digital marketing is a long-term strategy. It’s essential to avoid swift or impulsive decisions.

Friction Doesn’t Always Equal Failure

It’s tempting to run away at the first sign of trouble, but some friction points are a normal part of the client-agency partnership journey. As quoted above, getting the ball rolling and reaping results takes time. Leaving too soon could mean missing out on lucrative opportunities in the long run.

Additionally, some businesses are a bit more complex in the eyes of search engines. An agency that invests significant time and effort into ensuring your campaign succeeds is worth sticking with for the long haul.

But let’s talk about some challenges that come up. From my experience, I’ve seen these common friction points during the first 12 months and beyond from both sides—the agency and the client.

1–3 Months

• Possible friction points: During the first three months, the client and agency learn each other’s communication and work styles to lay the groundwork for a successful partnership.

• • Communication issues. Many things must be communicated between both parties at the beginning of a partnership. For example, determining reporting cadence, who owns approvals during each stage of strategy/production, the types of data both sides will have shared access to, and preferred communication channels (e.g., email, Slack, Zoom).

• • Defining success. Solidifying a definition of a successful partnership and campaign can take some time. While you may have discussed these areas during the hiring and onboarding process, things may change once you hit the ground running. Campaign objectives can shift as a result.

3–6 Months

• Possible friction points: These months bring challenges, mostly surrounding ROI KPIs.

• • Impatience due to ROI pressures from higher-ups. Digital marketing (especially SEO) is a long-term strategy, so a positive return may not happen at this point. However, POCs often feel pressured to prove to their leaders the ROI from the agency partnership.

• • Higher ROI is demanded from PPC campaigns. If you’re doing PPC, you’ll generally see results during this time. But you may want to see more of a return and desire to discuss new tactics.

• • POC changes may trigger communication roadblocks/issues. Our agency has seen client-side POC shifts during this time for various internal reasons. Thus, you might re-encounter the same friction points noted during months 1-3.

6–12 Months and beyond

• Possible friction points: SEO results typically begin to manifest in this timeframe, but that doesn’t mean it’s all smooth sailing.

• • Dips in rankings due to algorithm and industry updates. Online algorithms and trends constantly shift. Performance dips may cause concerns.

• • Lack of substantial results. There’s often more than meets the eye. Poor performance merits a more careful evaluation to ensure all parties are on the same page with the proper expectations. Changes to strategy often result.

• • Reassessment of budgets. Depending on how the company’s priorities shift, there may be pivots in strategy.

7 Red Flags It’s Time to Switch Agencies

So, how do you know when to move on from a bad agency relationship? It all comes down to using your best judgment. In my experience, if something feels off, it likely is.

I want to talk about red flags. If you experience more than one of these with your agency, it may be best to move on. The cost of agency hopping will be worth it in the long run.

1. The Agency Isn’t Willing to Learn Your Business

A good agency does its due diligence in conducting research and asking questions to understand your business better. They know this step will only elevate your strategy and results.

Not to mention, understanding your business demonstrates care. Without care, there isn’t a fulfilling long-term partnership in the works.

2. Content Quality Isn’t Improving

Content is the butter to your SEO bread, to put it simply. It’s the fundamental tool that communicates and connects with your audience.

It takes time to finesse content. Suppose you’ve been with the agency for six months and the content still needs considerable edits (especially if you’ve repeatedly corrected the same mistakes). In that case, you may want to look for another agency.

Poor content might indicate that you need an agency with a higher skill set and a shallower learning curve.

3. The Agency Avoids Conflict

The wrong agency may only focus on vanity metrics to smooth over and avoid conversations regarding negative results. This avoidance tactic fails to get to the root problem of an issue and puts your bottom line on thin ice.

While conflict, vulnerability, and bad news are uncomfortable, a quality agency will set their egos aside and listen. More importantly, they’ll act upon the feedback to find tangible solutions.

4. The Agency is Disorganized

Consider that marketing teams “who document their strategy are 313% more likely to report success” than those who don’t.

Disorganized, red-flag agencies may:

• Veer away from your key objectives and goals
• Be consistently slow at responding to your questions and concerns
• Be consistently late on deliverables
• Lack follow-up after meetings

This red flag may feel like you’re babysitting the agency to ensure your campaign is on track.

5. They Provide Poor-Quality Reports

You don’t receive regular reporting, or reports lack critical performance metrics. The reports may also include strategy recommendations that:

• Are not backed by data
• Do not align with your campaign objectives and metrics
• Do not address the root cause of campaign issues

6. The Agency Doesn’t Stay Current on Industry News

Change is one of the things that makes digital marketing challenging. Online trends and algorithms constantly shift. Google, in particular, is no stranger to releasing new search ranking updates.

Is your agency staying up to speed on the news and applying them to your strategy where appropriate? It’s a pivotal question that can make or break campaign results and competitive advantage.

7. There’s a Misalignment in Values

Your team values transparency and accountability, and you want an agency that shares those values. While initial conversations may put you at ease, your team will get a sense of how those values truly manifest over time.

In other words, how does the agency team embody those values? Do they walk the walk? Or, are there agency team members with egregious personalities that clash with your team?

An alignment in values and culture significantly enhances partnership quality and campaign performance.

Moving from One Agency to Another Without Losing Momentum

But of course, not all partnerships and circumstances will go as my case study above. After all, every agency and business is different.

Sometimes, things don’t work out as planned, and going back to square one isn’t ideal when time plays such a significant role in a campaign’s progress and success.

But no matter how time-consuming the agency hunt, onboarding, and campaign phases might be, sometimes the upheaval and transition are worth it—especially when your marketing performance and bottom line are in consistent decline.

So, if you find yourself in this position, these tips on hiring the right agency may help make the shift a little easier.

The Agency Side: Signs It’s Time to Call It Quits with a Client

Occasionally, an agency may need to be the one to move on from a poor client relationship. Some of the red flags I discussed above also apply here, namely significant disorganization or misalignment in values.

Here are the signs an agency watches for in a partnership:

• Unrealistic client expectations coupled with the unwillingness to adjust them even when presented with expertise or data
• Refuses to implement recommendations or provide access for implementation
• Won’t have discussions surrounding goals, strategy, and content
• Not having the budget to support desired outcomes
• Significant legal issues disrupting regular business operations
• A sudden halt in invoice payments without communication

Did I Cover Everything?

If I’ve left out anything here, I’m all ears. In fact, I encourage you to reach out about any essential points I may have missed or any further questions you have.

The goal of this series is not simply to share insights but also to initiate a conversation. So, I encourage you to connect with me. What has been your experience?

Up Next…Part 3: Hiring and Onboarding a Digital Marketing Agency

Next, I use my 15+ years of experience to teach you how to hire and onboard a digital marketing agency. My team and I hope you can be a part of that conversation, too.

1. Solving the Dilemma of Agency, In-House Team, Freelancer, or AI
2. The True Costs of Hiring the Wrong Digital Marketing Agency
3. Hiring and Onboarding a Digital Marketing Agency
4. The Inner Workings of a Powerful Client-Agency Relationship
5. The Results of a Successful Marketing Partnership