Along with the rest of the world, you’re probably reading this from home.
A lot has changed in the past few weeks – and no doubt you’re spending a lot of time and energy adapting to a new way of working.
But life goes on, and lots of those crucial business decisions still have to be made. For example – do we cease marketing altogether? Or do we use this time to focus even more on it?
We’re huge believers that this is the perfect time to double down. You just need to be thoughtful about your perspective, and focus on general brand-building and helping your audience rather than pushing a product.
So – with that in mind, how do you find a remote marketing agency to work with when you can’t meet face-to-face?
We’ve put together a few questions you need to be asking any potential marketing agency you’re thinking about working with, to ensure their remote working processes are up to scratch and you’re getting the best value for your investment.
It’s a strange thought to be speaking to someone about work while they’re in their living room or kitchen – but that’s the reality we’re getting used to! We’ve been doing the remote working thing since the beginning, so we’re used to keeping meetings on-track and professional when Zooming in – an underrated skill, as we’re all discovering.
It’s more important than ever that any potential marketing agency has its project management down to a fine art. A lot of business are struggling to transfer that face-to-face element into their workflow – and things are slipping through the cracks.
So – check how they do the following:
At TMP we’ve been remote for years now – so our regular team Zoom catch-ups, structured tasks in Monday and standards for communication are just part of the everyday.
There are many different ways to structure a marketing agency. Not all will work well remotely.
Most have full-time employees, plus a few contractors and maybe a partnership with other (specialised) marketing businesses. It’s important to know which aspects of your work will be handled in-house and which will be outsourced. Also, it’s good to know where your agency’s suppliers are located and if they’re all still working during the lockdown.
And as the team is working from different places, ask how can they’ll ensure your projects will be handled collaboratively and delivered on time.
If you’re used to being in the office every day, the lack of constant communication can often result in small issues turning into big blockers.
Ask your agency contact what processes they have in place for making sure everything runs smoothly – and how they handle tricky, short-notice requests while working remote.
It’s not just important that teams talk regularly – the communication needs to be well-structured, giving everyone a chance to raise blockers and potential speedbumps early rather than clean up messes later.
We’ve tailored our communication channels and schedules to help us be great at handling situations as they come in, so that we can quickly and easily squash any issues that may pop up.
The changing situation has made it tough to do anything – let alone source a new marketing supplier.
The more businesses you can lean on at the moment who have experience with remote working, the better. Not only will you get a superior end product – you might learn a thing or two about remote working as well. For instance, many of our clients have picked up on the process we have honed over time – stealing our years of expertise and experimentation for their own gain. And we love it!
Like this? Want to know more? We’re The Marketing Project, a remote digital marketing agency based in Melbourne. Get in touch here.
Let's talk!
