By Sarah Engel

With a wealth of technical resources at hand, constant education and knowledge-sharing and human resources above and beyond what you can staff in-house, a great agency can exponentially increase your marketing success. That is, if you know how to choose the right partner, how to integrate them within your existing system, and how to structure your relationship to drive the most benefit for your business.

Whether you are about to issue an RFP or are six months into a year-long engagement with your digital agency, now is the time to ensure you know how to get the most out of your agency partnership. Here are some vital issues to keep in mind to create agency success for your organization:

Open the curtain: Always understand that your agency is on the outside and needs you to bring them inside. Don’t assume they can figure out your unique needs. By giving them clear direction, including them on business updates you send your team, and sharing overall business understanding, you are allowing your agency to work harder and smarter for you.

Define success criteria: Whether you are aiming for an ROI goal, a lifetime value goal, brand lift or any combination of metrics, your business is unique and your goals should be as well. Take the time to analyze your past success and future needs and then create specific metrics that define your goals. Most importantly, share those very defined metrics with your agency clearly and regularly. Even if the measure of your success shifts with new campaigns or new management, if your agency and your company share common goals, you stand a much better chance of exceeding your target.

Meet in person: Agencies are always talking about creating close relationships with clients, but as a client, it’s in your best interest as well. Your agency representatives become truly valuable when they see themselves as an extension of your team, and are able to predict your needs before you have to outline them.

Understand the word "partner:" Treat your agency as a partner and not just a vendor. If you don’t have the chemistry with, or the respect for, your agency to be able to create a true partnership, you need to take a long, hard look at your agency selection.

Price is only one part of the equation: Sure. It’s a very large part. But, when you are looking for an agency, or considering a change, keep in mind that the marketer who switches agencies every year just to get a better price will spend the first quarter of every year behind. Other important criteria include: the agency’s vision for their own product and services future, their leadership in the industry, their employee turnover, their client turnover, specialized expertise and experience, and a suite of technology tools (proprietary or not) that best serve your needs. Then there is the ultimate determinate of how successful your partnership will be: chemistry.

Have a clear and established analytics and reporting strategy: Know your own organization and how you plan to report and use this data internally. Don’t just rely on the standard quarterly or monthly reports your agency offers. Ask for reports that best suit your needs, and push for data analysis if you don’t have analysis resources internally.

On that note, sync up your partners: If you are using an ecommerce platform, an analytics and attribution platform, a search agency and a social media agency, for example, you should expect that they can work together. Recognize that this is not as simple as it sounds. To have a successful team of partners, you must be able to broker these introductions, lay out clear and fair expectations for the teams, and even sit in on a few excess meetings. But, the long-run benefit will outweigh the time spent in getting all your players on the same team.

Keep in mind, as well, that you can save yourself time and money by simplifying communication through one agency that can manage more than one function extremely well. Many integrated agencies have true expertise across the digital spectrum, and can manage any ancillary vendors on your behalf.

Demand executive support: Your day-to-day contacts should be able to answer any questions, plan strategically and even offer in-depth business understanding. But, if the executives of the agency are intimately aware of your business needs, that will ensure their business grows in line with your needs. From the reporting options they develop to new product lines, you want to ensure that you communicate what it will take to keep you as a client clearly and fairly to the higher-ups.

Once you find the ideal agency partner(s) for your unique business needs, keep in mind that – just like any relationship – mutual respect and trust are vital to longevity. Remember that you’re hiring an agency for its expertise. So, communicate clearly and then let your talented agency representatives work their magic. Instant gratification is not always possible, but when the right partnership is combined with clear success criteria, you can step back and allow your agency to benchmark, test and succeed.

Sarah Engel is a marketing strategy consultant and freelance writer. Previously she was Vice President of Communications at iProspect and Range Online Media.

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