Business is all about relationships. The relationship may be between a company and its customers, between partnered companies, between a company and its shareholders, and so on. One of the most important business relationships is between a business and its advertising agency. The ability of a company and the agency that provides its marketing, search, video, advertising, or public relations services to work closely together in positive ways is essential to the ongoing success of both entities.

This vital client agency relationship is the key to producing successful marketing campaigns that accurately and proactively represent the client’s advertising goals. The client’s success is the agency’s top priority as well as the client’s satisfaction with the ongoing efforts, all of which will result in a positive, productive experience for all!

The best business relationships feature collaboration, trust, mutual respect, chemistry, honesty, and regular communication. It is the objective of the agency to satisfy the needs of its clients. Here are some keys to the role agencies play:

Understanding the client’s business – In order to deliver the best possible results, the agency must have a thorough understanding of the client’s business and their objectives so they can accurately provide the client with the right tools to fulfil the things they desire from the relationship.

Setting clear goals – The goals of the client-agency relationship must be carefully considered. They must be achievable, realistic, and agreed to by both parties in advance. The agency will be unable to give their best work to the client if the expectations are not made clear from the start!

Get it in writing – It’s also important to keep a record of these goals by making sure everything agreed upon is in writing, and both parties are on the same page! If something is discussed in a meeting and decided verbally, the agency should follow up with a document that outlines their understanding of what was decided and wait to begin work on it until the client has provided written confirmation.

Honest reporting – The client wants to be kept informed with regular reports from the agency. The reports should cover all progress made upon the current set of goals as well as honest feedback on how things are proceeding. If a targeted customer reacted poorly to an ad, the agency must figure out what went wrong, report it honestly to the customer, and take immediate steps to rectify the error. 

Consistent excellence – The agency’s goal must always be to deliver consistent excellence by providing a high level of service, which includes great marketing strategies, superior supplier alignment, and a dedication to meeting and surpassing the client’s needs and expectations.

Out-of-the-box creativity– A great agency is always seeking new ways to bring customers to their client’s door. They must challenge the status quo and find fresh new opportunities to delight the client with, building excitement and making the relationship one full of praise and admiration.

A fantastic client-agency relationship is desired by companies all over the world, maintaining one successfully is a great and worthy goal that will always be profitable. We are always stronger when we work well together!