Any good relationship with a marketing firm should start with the agency taking a deep dive into your business. That’s how an agency gets a sense of who you are, why you exist, and how you operate, which is an essential foundation for their strategic thinking. If you hadn’t previously seen the value in this type of in-depth exploratory, it’s time to look at it anew. If your agency doesn’t see the value in it, it’s time to find a new agency.
A strong strategy is the underpinning of every great marketing initiative, but its usefulness extends beyond communications. Outside, unbiased observers who are there for the sole purpose of understanding you brand and your company may identify issues you didn’t previously recognize simply because your immersion in the company has made it difficult to render an objective assessment of your internal operational or logistical challenges. An exhaustive assessment from marketing strategists may also uncover issues that can help bolster the case for hiring a process consultant (assuming the topic has already been broached internally and the challenges identified are such that they can’t be ameliorated via marketing solutions).
A marketing agency’s solid strategic assessment is about, in part, understanding how you operate because that helps influence who you are, which in turn influences how you communicate. Don’t let those valuable insights about your operations go to waste.
