While the perfunctory query “What are your goals” is part of any initial agency/prospect meeting (and, honestly, every job interview), it’s what happens next where better insights are born.
This simple, four-word question can — and should — take you and your prospective agency partner down many paths via a range of follow-ups that will open the conversation to not only understand your present situation but also your outlook on what you want to accomplish.
Initial responses are telling about how just how deep thought about the question goes.
For example, a financial services client responded with “find more people with a million dollars to invest”. That was a 30-thousand-foot view in our estimation that required more conversation about “the right prospect”.
Compare that with event industry company that responded with “by targeting medium to large corporate clients to grow gross revenue by 10 percent”. We call that tight and specific.
But as we said, that’s just the beginning. Here are some examples of the kinds of questions that will come next to give context about how to reach those goals and what could be standing in the way:
Yes, you likely recognized a general SWOT analysis with these queries. This is intentional, as you’ll want to give the agency an honest account about the state of the business.
Be willing to share what you’re looking to change. Or disclose why you might be looking to keep on the current path in a different way.
Of course, far more granularity and other directions of inquiry will begin coloring in the initial line drawing that began your conversation.
So, why do we ask? Understanding client goals are vital when it comes to creating campaigns customized to a client’s distinctive goals. The resulting program and services rendered should be tailored to you.
Getting the agency properly dialed in to the state of the business, understanding expectations, and establishing milestones delivers an optimized campaign that tracks the right data to deliver the expected outcomes.
Asking goal-related also gives your prospective marketing partner insight if there are potential gaps in understanding. We call this establishing a definition of terms.
Since marketing is a very broad field, it’s likely you are looking for help with something more specific under that umbrella. While you might be looking for help with public relations, for example, the agency should probe a bit deeper to help clarify, asking about specific aspects of public relations, such as content marketing, social media, strategic communications, email marketing, social media advertising, media relations, crisis communications, and so on. This helps simplify the process and can greatly reduce any misunderstandings in expectations.
Asking about goals ultimately enables your prospective marketing partner to understand what you’re looking to achieve (or problem to solve) so they can help you determine what the business needs to do reach its goals, and where to prioritize attention and resources. It’s the runway that allows an exceptional marketing program to take flight.
Demanding an innovative departure from predictable product introductions, USG tapped Element-R to help unveil new, patented technology.
We created a high impact event for industry leaders by an industry leader, using several non-traditional elements to make the launch distinctive:
The event achieved the objectives of generating excitement around the new technology while seeding long-term market interest among the 70+ guests from 35 companies. The majority of survey respondents rated the event as outstanding.
In the early days of personalized medicine, few people understood the new science of pharmacogenetics – how medicines interact with an individual’s genes, often causing avoidable side effects. YouScript software by Genelex (now owned by Invitae) was a pioneering technology giving physicians detailed input on these interactions for the benefit of patients.
To gain industry media attention for the relatively unknown company, Element-R recommended a purely educational webinar for the media only. Delivered entirely by an M.D., the webinar effectively informed editors and reporters about the topic – with a bonus: several covered the burgeoning science and the company’s leadership in feature-length articles.
All high-end professional AV and event staging companies show off their best events to attract prospects. Stage Right, Inc. needed to revitalize its digital doorstep and deliver key differentiators.
Element-R created a new, from the ground up website that made the company stand out on two fronts. First, instead of simply showing off glitz, we organized and showcased its capabilities by category, allowing prospects to identify and pair their challenges with a clear solution. Second, we branded and spotlighted the company’s proprietary planning protocols, now known as StageCraft™. Stage Right, Inc. has a modern, responsive site that places its distinctive competencies out front.
When the nation’s oldest senior living community in the U.S. needed to reinvigorate its marketing, Element-R Partners helped Three Crowns Park play to its strengths in a crowded marketplace.
Through a deep dive with residents and staff, we developed messaging that appealed to retirees who don’t want to live in a cold institution or ritzy resort/hotel setting. The new website faithfully presents this welcoming and close-knit community of friendship and relaxed, suburban style living.
To meet a changing world of special education with funding and competitive challenges, the O-School needed to reacquaint its many publics about the organization’s mission and capabilities.
Interviewing staff and multiple influencer groups, Element-R developed a “messaging playbook” that served as the basis for all aspects of its external communication to encourage student enrollment and support funding. The backbone of this effort were two new websites, www.oschool.org and www.bw-center.org, creating a cohesive presence for the School in all of its materials, and bringing it into the 21st Century.
Go bold! Evolved Selling™ software maker Mediafly offers a sophisticated content management and sales enablement solution to organizations worldwide. To really make a statement at its channel partners’ annual conferences, Dreamforce and Sapphire, Mediafly nixed the typical descriptive booth copy, instead drawing visitors in with bold problem statements its audience could relate to.
Together with design partner DoubleTake Design, Element-R developed channel partner messaging and several alternative creative concepts for the booth. We couldn’t have been happier that Mediafly selected this unusual and compelling way to present itself. Traffic was steady at the booths as visitors walked up to say, “can you really solve that problem for us?” The creative concept continues to be used successfully to bring attention to Mediafly’s many capabilities – proving that B2B marketing doesn’t have to be boring!