Why We Prefer Partnerships vs. Client/Agency Relationships

From our very first days in 2008, Blue Lynx Marketing has had an alternative viewpoint to the typical agency/client approach.

In most cases, a client will engage a marketing agency with the goal of outsourcing specific creative services. In these agreements, the agency is usually responsible for providing their client with specific project deliverables, reports, and maybe some fresh creative ideas.

Our approach is different and is heavily based on ideals of a healthy “Partnership”. Of course we are still responsible of providing creative ideas, ad campaigns and reports. However, our ultimate goal and purpose is to understand your business objectives and then do everything we can to help you reach them. In other words, your goals and objectives also become ours.

We understand this approach is not best suited for every one. There are many businesses who will prefer a strict client/agency styled relationship for a variety of reasons. Some may be in a situation in which they only need a quick result to solve a short term problem. Or, their budget allows for the hiring of a freelancer to complete a small task their internal department does not have the ability to do. The reasons are many and all are valid.

What Are The Downsides?

While partnership’s seem ideal, there are some potential downsides that deserve to be discussed.

From our perspective, the partnership approach forces us to be very selective with who we work with – and for good reasons.
To authentically buy in to the partnership, we must genuinely be committed to reaching the set realistic objectives, be in alignment with the overall corporate mission, and also love the people we’re going to be partnering with.

From the perspective of the business, the partnership approach requires more patience. Partnership usually require some evaluation period, a planning phase and an on-boarding phase. Compare this to a task assigned to a vendor or freelancer who is supposed to start the project ASAP with a deadline of two to three weeks.

Why A Partnership With Your Digital Marketing Team Is Especially Important.

As the world changes at an incredible pace, the world of digital marketing is advancing even faster. This is why it benefits you have a dedicated partner on your team that is able to help you. Not only will your partner keep your company up to speed, they’ll also be better prepared to help you navigate though any business challenges or sea change that may effect your entire industry.

Here are some tips to help you find a digital marketing agency that has the traits of being a good partner:

• The right digital marketing partner will begin to learn about your industry and your business before you sign any contract or pay your first dollar.
• The right digital marketing partner will assess your current marketing situation and provide an honest evaluation of your real needs.
• The right digital marketing partner will be honest with you – and themselves. The best agencies are those that are able to walk away from a “bad fit”. There must be realistic expectations, alignment of personalities and other factors including current resources and abilities.
• The right digital marketing partner will be thinking and planning ahead based on a multi-year time cycle. Our SOSTAC methodology allows us to develop holistic strategies and plans designed to create long term success.
• The right digital marketing partner will be transparent. There is no reason to hide anything. We’re not going to be perfect but we will always strive to deliver our best efforts towards reaching your objectives. If performance metrics are less than ideal, we’ll share this with you and also explain what we learned in the process. A good marketing plan is iterative. You only “lose” if you don’t measure, fail to gain insights, and don’t optimize.
• The right digital marketing partner will be proactive and forward thinking. As mentioned, the digital marketing industry is constantly changing. Your partner agency should routinely discuss new trends, technology upgrades, and new campaign ideas based on their research.
• The right digital marketing partner will be provide you proper guidance even when it means they’ll make less money. We’ve advised against partners assigning us work even though we would have been paid handsomely for the project (ie asked us to develop an native mobile app they clearly did not need).
• The right digital marketing partner will put the focus on the relationship, business results, and goals of both organizations – not the invoices, billing, additional work orders, etc. This ensures trust when recommendations are made for additional services or when critical actions need to be handled with urgency. One concrete example of this we can point to is that we never invoice based on a % of ad spend. The % of ad spend model incentives the agency to spend more of your money, not less.