• Marketing
• 22 July 2017

Times are always a-changing in the fast-paced world of marketing.

What always worked before no longer does and hasn’t for a while. Consumers are more tech-savvy, aware of marketing tactics, and way pickier. Gone are the days when marketers could dictate to customers about their needs and wants or trick them into a purchase decision.

How do the top marketing agencies win favor with this selective bunch? We did some investigation and found that there is no magic formula. The one thing these giants have in common is the desire to win customers by earning their trust and building long-lasting relationships with them.

Here’s how they go about it.

Top Marketing Agencies…

1. Stay Focused

The very first piece of the marketing puzzle is to determine what the client wants. Top marketing agencies set goals, go after them and don’t shift the goalposts.

At every step of the marketing process, focus is vital in maintaining momentum and getting results. The experts aren’t tempted to start off with a big bang and leave themselves nowhere to go.

Strategies are planned so that the client has reasonable expectations at every stage and there is always room to go even bigger.

According to William Ury, author of Getting to Yes with Ourselves, “The biggest obstacle is actually our own selves—our natural tendency to react in ways that do not serve our true interests.”

Getting everyone on the same page and keeping them there is step 1 on the path to marketing greatness.

2. Engage listen and respond

How top marketing agencies communicate with their clients and with consumers is key to their success.

Talking about Marriot’s production ‘Two Bellmen’ David Beebe, VP of Marriott International’s Global Creative and Content Marketing wing, says “We need to stop interrupting what people are interested in, and become what they’re interested in.”

They find ways to relate to the consumer. To be real. Offer entertainment when they want to be entertained, engagement when they want to have their say, and listen when they interact.

Answering the needs of the consumer has far superseded the tactics of yesterday’s aspirational marketing. The man on the street has wised up to the liberal use of the airbrush and the stereotypes rammed down their throats every day.

Social media influencers are the new trusted advisors of the global village. Marketing has entered the realm of the real.

Hence the success of Coca Cola’s ‘Share a Coke campaign’. Your audience wants to feel like you know them and their needs. Ditto interactive marketing, where images of real people enjoying their vacations have replaced the posed images, as in Loews Hotels’ #travelforreal efforts.

When top marketing agencies are done listening, they respond. Every single item of correspondence must be answered whether it is via email or social media – and not with an obviously scripted note.

Live chat on websites and actual people answering the phones are the way it’s done today. Showing customers that you care goes a lot further than even the best-laid plans and most complicated tactics.

3. Have assembled a great team

Before you go a doctor you want to see some credentials right?

The same applies to your marketing. The top marketing agencies have gathered a team of trusted experts around them and they are not afraid to outsource if something is beyond their scope.

Teamwork really does make the dream work when deadlines are looming and you need everyone to be at their posts at 4 am finalizing an important campaign. The best agencies are no strangers to the extra mile when it comes to winning over customers.

Top teams are comprised of experienced, qualified, and talented individuals bonded into a cohesive and communicative unit where the client’s needs are the top priority.

4. Know how to crunch the numbers

You don’t know if you’re winning unless you look at the scoreboard.

The best marketing agencies constantly monitor and evaluate their digital campaigns and client’s sales figures. Keeping up to speed with even slight changes helps them to gauge consumer response to their efforts and adjust their plans accordingly.

Their efforts are not restricted to measurable data either. Great agencies keep up to date with market trends and competitor analysis to refine their efforts. The ongoing battle between luxury vehicle manufacturers is a great example of these quick-fire responses.

5. See the big picture

Creativity and innovation are naturally very important aspects of any marketing campaign, but how many of these brilliant campaigns have stood the test of time?

MasterCard’s ‘For everything else, there’s MasterCard‘ slogan first came to light in 1997 and has become synonymous with the brand. What makes this marketing effort great is its ability to move and shake with the times – priceless!

Top marketing agencies think long-term. Reinventing yourself too often gives your brand a reputation of schizophrenia. Top firms find something original that works and make it last.

Repeating the same old, same old doesn’t work either. Innovation involves harnessing bucket loads of creativity to come up with a campaign that can be updated easily without losing its essence.

6. Make it happen

Great ideas remain just ideas unless they are implemented. The best of the best marketing agencies have the tools to see their campaigns through.

They know how every kind of marketing platform works and how to gain the most visibility for their efforts. A strong online presence and knowledge of how to maintain it is imperative in today’s internet-driven society and is an important way to gain international brand awareness. The top agencies stay up to date with the latest SEO and online tactics to get maximum exposure for their clients.

7. Think Big

Going global is a daily event for top marketing companies. They are not afraid to take big risks and have the resources to get brands out there in a big way.

The Bottom Line

In the end, it all boils down to budget. Top agencies can come up with a marketing plan regardless of a client’s budget and will always remain transparent about costs.

Let’s talk about taking your brand places you never dreamed it could go.