How My Agency Made Me Good at My Job
Early in my career, I found myself in a role as the sole marketer for an organization with highly technical products. My stakeholders included a board of VP’s with mostly technical backgrounds, and three industry segments with dedicated sales teams to match. It all came down to numbers, budgets, and moving the proverbial needle as leadership reported to a public parent company accountable to stockholders.
With competing needs and strategies for three industry verticals, as well as the core brand to manage, you can guess that content, outreach strategies, sales enablement materials, and attribution mechanisms were in constant demand – and that was just the internal customers. I had a project management nightmare on my hands and was primed to be a constant bottleneck; I needed a lifeline.
The Challenge
In a technical industry, my role was in translating the right pieces of messaging for the customer journey. I didn’t have extra time or capacity to build digital assets, like a new website or product sales tools, in addition to the strategy behind their implementation…Sound familiar?
As the lone marketer for my organization, most of my conversations were about limitations – of my time, the company’s resources, or capability of execution. I answered internal requests with long timelines attached, which failed to inspire my colleagues seeking quick progress or collaboration. It made it hard to be ambitious or strategic, let alone a star in my role.
Making a Case
I built my first business case in the face of my resourcing challenges. Identifying the big buckets within my budget and the organization’s departmental needs for MarComm support, I set out to find the right agency solution to fill resourcing gaps. The goal was to avoid additional bottom-line impacts of salaries and benefits to make it possible.
Local agencies didn’t have the right timelines, pricing, or calibur of skills for my organizational needs. Enter the remote communications agency – my hero. The right team came along with a custom menu of services and expert advisors. They offered me scope and contract flexibility to get my C-level board’s approval for a short-term trial and proof-of-concept exercise.
During the pilot project, the agency helped protect against failed experiments and runaway budgets by offering out-of-industry perspective on the value of a content exercise. They also provided alternative channels and methodologies to consider. We came away from strategy sessions with an action plan, instead of only ideas and questions of how to carry them out.
A Little Plausibility Goes a Long Way
I was impressed by the turnkey solutions this agency team was able to ideate and carry out, with expertise and presentation materials to match. They brought possibilities to the conversation, along with the right experts to consult on strategy, and even carry out the tactics once agreed. My confidence in the brainstorming process was restored!
I wasn’t on an island anymore and had a team that spoke my language. The agency brought immediate project management value and functioned as a communications buffer with my internal sales teams. As a result, I spent less time chasing unanswered emails and unmet deadlines. This shift reduced the “push” required from me to align priorities across teams, and created more “pull” for my department.
The Proof is in the Perks
Hiring my agency partner increased a sense of accountability with my internal sales teams. I received more prepared and timely responses from internal teams with third-party oversight. They helped me develop more C-suite savviness and prepared well-designed reports that were ready for leadership.
Instead of mastering slide design, my time was available instead to explain and present report information internally, and be the resident expert in marketing and data analytics. I was able to spend my time empowering an organizational understanding of marketing and attribution efforts, and ultimately demonstrating my own value in the role.
A Smart Investment
Points can be awarded to those companies who recognize that an investment in a third-party communications agency is an investment in the work-life balance of in-house marketers. It will likely support employee retention when marketers fighting burnout are able to plan vacation time with ample campaign coverage in their absence.
Agencies bring dynamism to your dollar by offering an “A” team of experts to take lead as needed for the project at hand, instead of hiring individual specialists with limited scope of talents. This also eliminates 40-hour minimums for “full-time” headcount additions, and the extra draw on HR hiring resources to identify the right individuals.
To be clear, an agency is an excellent complement to your existing marketing resources but not a salve for cutting such an integral department altogether. It’s wise to maintain internal roles and resources with designated ownership of your brand to ensure you maintain quality control and consistency of internal processes for scalability. It could become a liability to rely too heavily on an outsourced brand - who is potentially servicing multiple clients with divided attention and priorities - for your most crucial brand assets and communication strategies.
Relatable Experience
Now an experienced member of agency life in my own right, I still draw on this early career experience in my client work. I coordinate with Marketers and brands every day who are short on resources, time, headcount, budget, or contextual know-how.
In conversations like these, I enjoy fully validating my clients’ experiences with a whole-hearted, “I’ve been there too!” and, “I’m here to help.” The sigh of relief that follows is often palpable and the trust built in that moment is invaluable.
Summary
My agency helped me find my way from under-resourced bottleneck to Marcomm expert and data reporting rockstar.
It gave me:
C-suite savvy
Project management
Expert reporting
Added credibility
Accountability with internal teams
Digital alternatives to traditional tactics
Strategic planning AND execution
Beyond-industry insights
Budget planning
Accessibility of vacation/sick time
Opportunity to mature into bigger role
Multi-industry network
Some brands need copywriters, some need SEO experts, some need sales collateral, or social media content. Some need these things in combination and on an unpredictable schedule. Others need help looking at the big picture to see which tactics are working and which are spreading resources too thin for little gain. Still others need assistance with brand identity and understanding the right conversations and platforms to participate in.
I have walked a mile in the shoes of those who just need to keep a set of efforts afloat so they can fully own one area of expertise, or even take some much-needed time out-of-office. Your communications agency partner can give you a balanced perspective of the right narrative and strategy for your brand while offering resources for delivery with out-of-the-box tactics for your industry.