7 Tips to Prepare for your Marketing Agency
Kick-off Meeting

We love a good kick-off meeting! They are the perfect opportunity to unite our teams, get curious and really sink our teeth into a project. When we join forces with a client, we consider ourselves an extension of their team, so it’s crucial that we figure out the best ways to work together and collaborate effectively.

As Insight’s Account Manager, I’ve led my fair share of kick-off meetings, and over time, I’ve experienced some really great ones and some that left everyone with more questions than answers.

Our commitment is to make our partnerships as enjoyable and effortless as possible. We understand you are busy running your business; the last thing you need is more work and stress from your agency. So, in order to ensure we can assist you to the fullest, we’ve pulled together seven quick tips on how to prepare for your agency kick-off meeting and get the most from the partnership!

Whether you are looking for a marketing, social media, campaign or brand strategy, you need to know what you hope to achieve from your partnership with your agency. Before the meeting, take some time to clearly outline your marketing objectives. Are you aiming to increase brand awareness? Generate leads? Expand your reach?

The more specific you are about your goals, the better your agency can tailor its strategies to meet your needs. This is also our chance to gather the information needed to create a framework for measuring success!

If you’re unsure about your marketing objectives, no need to worry. Don’t stress over technical jargon or specific details- your agency can help you define them.

To begin, simply ask yourself: What are my overall business goals? Where do I envision my business a year from now, and what challenges are keeping me from reaching that point? This can be a starting point for defining your marketing goals.

While saying “everyone” or the “general public” may be tempting, strategies are much more effective when specific. The truth is, if you try to target everyone, you end up reaching no one.

You don’t need a whole bunch of statistics and insights about your audience right off the bat, but it’s important to have a good understanding of whom you’re trying to help with your product or service. Who are they? What do they care about? Why do they need your product or services?

This valuable information will enable your agency to create a strategy and approach that truly resonates with your ideal clients and makes a lasting impact.

If you have existing customer data or market research, be sure to share it with your agency to provide additional insights.

When you work with an agency, they will be gatekeepers of your brand, which means it’s absolutely crucial for you to be able to effectively communicate it to them.

You don’t need to be an expert in branding—Your agency has got that covered. However, you are an expert on your business or organization, so they need your insight. Take some time to think about who you are, what you value, and why you do what you do!

What makes you unique? What sets you apart from competitors? When customers or clients interact with you, how do you want them to feel? Or my personal favourite – how would you want someone to describe you if you weren’t in the room?

Compile a list of adjectives and be prepared to describe your brand or your desired brand to your agency.

By sharing these insights, you provide your agency with the foundation needed to develop or enhance your brand, enabling them to craft marketing materials and messages that genuinely resonate with your target audience and effectively convey your message.

This can include examples of marketing campaigns, websites, social media pages, or just brands that you admire or believe have been executed exceptionally well.

Remember, these examples don’t need to be limited to your own industry. Inspiration can be drawn from various sources, as great ideas and compelling visuals can be found across diverse fields. It’s like giving your agency a little peek into your mind and what you like.

Open and transparent communication about budget empowers your agency to work collaboratively and efficiently toward your marketing goals.

Determine who the key decision-makers are, the preferred channels for communication, and the expected turnaround times for providing feedback or approvals. This information ties into how your agency schedule projects and build timelines to ensure you get what you need when you need it!

And in return, your agency should do the same- you should be assigned a point of contact and provided detailed processes and timelines on how you can expect to work with them.