As seen in Forbes
I’ve owned and run my strategic communications agency for 16 years now, and I set up several things early on to establish a wonderful environment for employees as well as clients. This is a tough industry, so if you want to attract clients who value the partnership and employees who are excited to work for you, you need to set standards and keep them. You must be diligent.
I still keep up with six areas of focus daily, and I recommend them to all agency owners:
1. Understand How You Want To Position Your Agency
There is a big debate about whether agencies should find a niche and stick to it. Early on, I decided that my agency would focus on B2B tech companies in several industries and that we would take on nonprofits within our community that spark our passion. Of course, we build depth in specific verticals, and that benefits us as professionals as well as our clients. When you know an industry, you can get down to business faster and use your clients’ budgets wisely.
2. Define Your Culture
Establish your mission, vision and values to set the north star for how you define your culture and turn words into actions. Each value needs to be something that can be demonstrated and that employees connect with. Your values come from the top, and if you don’t take action, the challenge is your culture will be defined by the whims of others.
For me, our culture is defined by a trusted advisor mentality, which means we don’t just provide services; we provide strategic guidance and insights that help our clients achieve their goals. We believe in partnerships versus vendor relationships, and working closely with our clients to understand their needs and provide tailored solutions.
Transparency is also key. This sets the foundations for the type of people you attract and hire. For example, my team knows how to build a budget for a client, and they know exactly how we are doing financially and what goals we are achieving together each quarter. That is how we help our clients succeed, renew their partnerships with us and come together to win new business. It’s a team effort, and we are proud of our accomplishments and rewarded for them.
3. Know Your Target Client And Be Specific
Dig deep into who your ideal client is and what their specific goals and needs are.
For example, we work with funded B2B tech companies looking to scale and that are ready for a retainer commitment to build brand momentum. So when a consumer tech or pre-seed-level company knocks on the door, we have other partners to whom we send them.
We also insist that our clients appoint an internal marketing liaison. This helps us give the best client care, and we can also move faster and achieve goals on time. A company that pays an agency and doesn’t have someone focused on the partnership’s success isn’t a good fit for us.
4. Establish Your Services And Have Partners For The Rest
Focus on doing what you do well, and make sure you can help your clients select excellent partners for the rest.
We have continued to invest in data-backed brand narrative, media relations, content strategy and crisis communications services over the years. This also means we consistently review the best tools. When I put my trusted advisor hat on for a client, I want to be able to point them to a few solid resources curated based on budget and expertise. We do this for services we don’t offer, including digital advertising, website and brand development, and social media management.
5. Have A Clear New Business Process And Market It
Be ready to say no to things that aren’t the right fit. The only way to do this is to have a clear target and a clear new business process. You often see agencies that aren’t screening clients well, and then the account team is stuck with a client with unrealistic expectations or who isn’t prepared to put in the time necessary for the partnership to be successful.
We have a questionnaire that every potential client fills out. It’s reviewed within 24 hours, and if it seems like we can truly help, we set up a call with our senior team. This efficient process ensures that we know exactly who we will or won’t work with, allowing us to use our meeting to get to the meatier conversations that will inform a go-forward plan. By the time we send a scope of work, it is executable and has been discussed in detail with a potential client. We are confident in our decision-making process.
6. Evolve
Be prepared to make changes and double down on what works well.
As I started my agency, these smart insights didn’t come all together on day one, but the core goal and values were clear. We evolved, and about five years ago, I took two days with a coach to look at how to restructure my agency to create a senior consultancy that would allow client success managers to focus solely on clients and a communications and marketing services team that stood ready to support each client’s goals.
It took creating some discomfort to make these changes, but it put us in a position that empowers careers and catapults our client relationships and success. I continue to make improvements, and this year, we added a seasoned fractional chief financial officer and a data scientist. Constant evolution and improvement keep us inspired and motivated to adapt and grow, and I hope it does the same for you.
Creating a culture at an agency or any business is essential, but upholding it is even more important. Remember, culture isn’t just about work. Foster connections with your colleagues and create a culture of giving back to your community together, and you’ll build a reputation that the right people are attracted to.
