Key insights on getting more value from the agencies you work with.
As we begin the new year, B2B marketers are setting out to overcome challenges such as:
- Tightening budgets
- Demands for limited resources
- Varying priorities across the business
- Siloed teams and data
- More emphasis on creative and strategic differentiators
- Changing customer behaviors and preferences
- Evolving partner ecosystems
To help overcome most of these challenges, many are looking to foster stronger, closer relationships with agencies to drive value through new ways of thinking, additional support and resources, and cross-industry expertise.
So, how can you set up your agency partnerships to deliver maximum value, with minimal friction?
Making agencies your allies
41% of B2B marketers desire a closer relationship with agencies (Triptent, 2024 | B2B Marketing Gets Personal). A great way to get there is to turn them into what we’re calling ‘Agency Allies’.
Many marketing leaders don’t have time to take a birds-eye view of their strategy, often leading to reactive—not proactive—action.
An agency that deeply understands your business can provide crucial support to make your marketing department a strategic consultant for business growth. This could be done through new frameworks and tools, shifting focus from Marketing Qualified Leads to Marketing Qualified Accounts, or harnessing AI to identify and activate tailored messaging and creative output.
So, what sets Agency Allies apart from the rest?
Shared goals: Alignment with your long-term vision steers marketing efforts to drive mutual success.
A guide in a dynamic market: Expertise and industry insights keep you ahead of market shifts with timely advice and innovative solutions.
A deep understanding of your business: Knowing the intricacies of your business’ values, needs, and challenges will enable tailored strategies that help you stand out.
A collaborative problem solver: Working side-by-side as a trusted part of your team makes it easy to offer relevant perspectives, creative solutions, and key learning points.
5 steps to creating a more valuable agency partnership
1. Incorporate cocreation into your planning process
Agencies work best as partners, not just service providers. The difference lies in engaging them early in the planning phase, getting their input on market trends and opportunities, and giving them access to internal resources and intelligence that helps them craft your strategic vision.
2. Align objectives and KPIs for mutual success
Working with your Agency Ally to establish a mix of short-term metrics and long-term goals will give you a roadmap for incremental progress toward objectives. Making this easily visible between organizations and fostering a sense of joint accountability and credit will help both you and your Agency Ally feel a sense of ownership, boosting engagement on both sides.
3. Empower open dialogue and idea sharing
Trust and open communication are common indicators of successful partnerships. These can be developed through honest feedback, welcoming challenges to the status quo—especially if they’re backed by data or case studies.
4. Integrate the agency into key internal initiatives
Involving agencies in internal meetings, projects, and training sessions will deepen their awareness of your company culture and make them feel like a natural part of your team. This will give them the context to deliver greater value.
5. Capitalizing on each other’s specialties
Both you and your Agency Ally have unique ways of working, with key specializations that open opportunities for your business; whether it’s finding more efficient ways to execute your marketing strategies or finding new ones entirely. Taking advantage of these specializations and being willing to work with your Agency Ally’s solutions can maximize your marketing success.
Agency Allies, assemble!
With true synergy between you and your agency partners, you’ll naturally find yourselves sharing challenges and insights, celebrating wins, and working together to drive success.
At The Marketing Practice, we fuse together the best in data, technology, and creativity to help marketing leaders prove their impact on growth. Get in touch to find out how we can work with you to make marketing mean more.
