Tips for Effective Digital Communication with Your Marketing Agency

Every business owner is well aware of the dangers of miscommunication in a business. Improper business communication at any level and between any channel can affect a business negatively.  Especially when it comes to outsourcing a service such as digital marketing, there should be no risk taken with communications strategy.

This is because even a minor conflict in digital marketing strategy-business goals can result in a disastrous impact which puts both the brand’s and agency’s image at stake. Hence, one way to ensure that none of this happens is by designing a top-notch communication strategy.

How to Ensure Effective Communication between A Brand and Marketing Agency?

When it comes to marketing communication strategy there are a lot of methods that can work. From advanced digital communication to basic method planning, one-on-one communication tactics to prior detailed consultation, each method depends on the type of partnership and the marketing objectives.

If you are also a digital marketing agency or belong to a business looking to develop an effective digital communication strategy, then this guide is here to help you.  

Clear Communication from the Beginning

When getting into business with a marketing agency, clear communication is non-negotiable. No matter how false or unrealistic your business expectations might seem, getting them out in open is the first step. This doesn’t mean that your unreal ideas will come true, but it helps an agency catch your enthusiasm, hence work hard on earning success for your business.

Consider the Marketing Agency as your Ally

Many businesses still struggle to trust marketing agencies hence they like to keep some of their information/goals confidential. They are feeling threatened by competitors especially if the agency is working for several similar firms from the same niche.

But it is important to realize that your agency is now a part of your team. Once you have done the market research and hired a service, the only way forward is to go all-in. Otherwise, you are just wasting both of your valuable time and efforts.

Be Confident but Realistic

Knowing your business scope and retaining a realistic level is the key to a trustworthy relationship with the agency. Also, an agency isn’t going to get in business with you if you are too rigid about your ways and not ready to analyse the real scenarios. Hence before getting overly-confident in your brand, do market research, analyse the trends and keep in mind the realistic capabilities of your product.

On the other side, an agency should also be realistic about its capabilities as a marketer. If something they aren’t capable of, should be addressed beforehand. Or if a plan doesn’t seem like going in the expected direction, alert the business owner before waiting for it to all cripple down.

Don’t Bother us Without the Results

This big mistake business owners make when hiring an agency and getting them to work costs both sides a lot. Marketing is an ongoing process and without the client’s input, it cannot steer in the right direction. Don’t take the agency’s request to communicate regularly as them being incapable of understanding things. Always remember, better to ask than wonder!

Communication as A SOP

Not just when you are stuck or there is an ambiguity involved, but communication between a brand and an agency should be done as a standard operating procedure. This besides helping in a clear objective settlement between the two parties, also helps foster deeper business relationships.

Make it a practice to communicate with your agency first thing in the morning. This could be counted as a ‘kickstart meeting’. Even though there is no problem, nor is an update required a quick meeting can help freshen up the work goals and make you both feel like a part of the same team.

Transparency Around Availability

Digital communication tools have made worldwide communication as easy as it could get, the time-zone and prompt availability are still an issue. This may pose a challenge especially when a quick need pops up or a change in plan is to be addressed. Hence, the wise approach is to clarify availability beforehand so businesses and agencies can align their schedules. This also prevents misunderstanding. Knowing when you will get a response also keeps the business anxiety at bay.  

Bridge the Gap Between Technical and Non-Technical people

In a workforce, some people are more technologically sound than others. And this always has been the scenario. Thus, a smart approach when devising a communications strategy framework is to consider smooth and easy communication. Also, the difference in terminologies such as file, copy and document – between various departments can cause a fiasco later.

This can lead to misunderstandings between staff belonging to different technicality levels. Thus, a great solution would be to have a translator in between who bridges this gap. Or you could also work on a common platform where everything is communicated in simple non-tech terms.

Show when you are Unhappy

Whether as a business owner or a marketing agency, if you are unhappy with the way things are moving forward, don’t take your chance keeping quiet. Just like marriage, communication about things that are bothering you can save the dishes from piling up. Don’t assume things rather be upfront about them. It could be a case that one thing that seems too immediate or big to you isn’t very crucial for the agency at the moment. Rather than assuming the other side is callous, it’s better to ask the ‘Why’.

Different Kinds of Communication Strategies Between a Business and Agency

When 2020 hit and the pandemic shut everything down, workplaces were one of the most affected parts of daily life. Well, it was the workplace communication that was at stake. Hence the world come up with tons of effective digital communication channels and strategies. Now halfway into 2024, these digital communication strategies are still pretty much the standard globally.

Especially used for communication between a business and outsourced team, here are some digital communication strategies that help in clear business-agency-goals alignment.

SMART Goals

Probably the best method of communicating business goals whether within the organization or with an outsourced workforce. SMART goals combine business goals and plans into a set of five different goals. Designing a strategy then according to these guidelines becomes easier as no part of the goals is missed. Another benefit of SMART goals is a clear structured method of communicating the company’s objectives. Here is what SMART goals mean:

•         S – Specific

This includes the specificity of a goal. For an agency getting into a partnership with a business, specificity helps understand the brand clearly. It mentions the brand’s vision, the importance of that vision and the expectations to achieve that vision.

Examples include: Getting 20% more leads within the next 40 days.

•         M – Measurable

The success of any goal can only be determined if they are measurable. Otherwise, it will be hard to identify the progress of any goal. When it comes to the measurable aspect, we mainly talk about KPIs. Key performance indicators vary from industry to organization. They can be anything like organic traffic, number of leads, sales generated, or bounce rate.

•         A – Achievable

For goals to work, they should be realistic. This again calls for a specific element. Setting a realistic figure to an expectation ensures that the goal is easy to achieve. For example, aiming for 10% more traffic in the next 30 days seems realistic whereas a 10% increase in next 24 hours is a goal set for failure.

•         R – Relevant

Are your goals relevant to the business’s future? Or are they more of a personal business expectation? Business owners should know that any goal that is designed must be according to the customer’s behaviour, trends in the market, competition, brand’s image, product’s capability etc. Anything that is misaligned with the actual business goals can only result in a waste of time.

•         T – Timely

The most important key to organizing your goals. Timely goals ensure that your business sticks to a plan and doesn’t lose its vision along the way. The clear communication of a timeline between an agency and a business is key to fostering a healthy relationship. Also, it is then equally important to set a realistic timeline rather than pushing your expectations on the marketing agency.

Using a Digital Communication Tool

For the best digital communications, a digital communication tool is effective. According to gettalkative, they have enlisted the top 10 rated digital communication tools that work for business communication. When it comes to the benefits of digital communication, these tools are so much better than regular communication methods in many ways. Here are some benefits of using digital communication for effective business-agency partnerships:

•         Global Reach

Nowadays, rarely do businesses operate with a workforce located in the same region. This is because proximity is the least important when it comes to securing the right talent. Thanks to these digital communication tools, global reach is possible.

•         Cost Efficiency

Marketing is about communication, and with digital tools, the biggest factor of marketing is handled cost-effectively. These tools require few resources with a comparatively higher reach than traditional marketing. They are quick to work in real-time and eliminate the time differences as well.

•         Complete Transparency

Many digital communication tools such as CRM software, provide a dashboard to an organization where tasks and work progress are shared. This allows complete transparency on what’s going on inside the organization hence eliminating any roadblocks or constant need for follow-ups.

•         Complete Analysis

And again, digital communication tools like CRM Software, maintain a detailed customer behaviour analysis. This allows a company to track their user’s behaviour which is visible to both the business and agency, so they can track progress of their campaigns.

•         Market-Levelling

With digital communication tools, it is possible for small businesses and big companies likewise to get a chance at better communication technology. This allows an equal chance at communication hence a fair business competition.

Non-electronic Business Communication

Even though the world is all digital some people prefer it traditional way. Especially when there needs to be real-time quick two-way communication a one-on-one meeting is still preferred. Also, sitting together and discussing ideas in person helps with better brainstorming communication.

However, there isn’t a single aspect of non-electronic communication that cannot be worked in digital communication methods, it all narrows down to personal preference.

Marketing and Communication Objectives – Why Communication is important?

For any business to operate, the exchange of information is a crucial aspect. Without it, a business won’t grow past a single point. Especially with a business-digital marketing agency relationship communication is the foundation of trust. It eliminates any misunderstandings and plays a vital role in entrusting the agency’s capability towards the benefit of business.

The best way to get the most out of communication methods is to use advanced digital communication tools. These tools are embedded with the latest technologies and cover all the needs of a business-client meeting. Also, the benefit of a digital communication tool is that all of your chats and talks are organized in a single platform. It’s the same as having a physical conference room where all the ideas are discussed so the rest of the office team doesn’t get disturbed.