Analyzing the mistakes people make working with a marketer led to the discovery of a common thread. It turns out, working with a marketer is a lot like entering into a romantic relationship.
That is to say; if you do not have good communication, trust, and respect, you will not succeed.
For example, if your partner failed to regularly communicate important information, would your relationship be considered successful?
Or maybe you set goals for your relationship but didn’t share them with your partner. Would you be upset when they failed to live up to your standards?
When one thinks about business marketing in these terms, it suddenly becomes obvious what not to do.
Red Flags: Mistakes You Can Make When Working With a Marketer
Lack of Communication
Communication is the ultimate key to happiness when in a relationship or working with a marketer. After all, clients task marketers with the all-important job of communicating on their behalf.
In order to succeed, a marketer needs to know the target audience, the business’s goals, and the marketing budget.
With proper communication, a marketer can develop an effective marketing strategy that will help the brand grow and succeed.
Without proper communication, it can feel like the client and marketer are talking in circles. The marketing campaigns will not feel authentic, nor will they achieve the desired goals.
Lack of Trust
Trust is imperative for marketers to do their jobs effectively. It allows marketers to innovate and test out marketing tactics. It will enable them to use their expertise to create plans that the client may have never considered.
Clients often have a difficult time with this process. It can be challenging to let go of something after investing time and effort to build it. However, it is important to remember that marketers are on the same team as you.
Without trust, any relationship would not make it very far. If a client does not initially grant trust to their marketer, the investment will never reach its true potential.
Acting Distant and Dismissive
A sure-fire sign something is wrong is when a partner begins to act distant and dismissive.
The same goes for how a client interacts with their marketer. Let’s be clear; we know from experience that there is a slim chance a marketer will be the one to start pulling away from the business relationship. If anything, one marketers can by clingy as they desperately want to know and understand the business.
However, clients can be notoriously dismissive. In the struggle to balance responsibilities, marketing can easily slip through the cracks.
Failing to value the importance of company participation, or ignoring the marketer’s thoughts and opinions, also fall in this red flag category.
Micromanage
To contrast becoming cold and distant, another big mistake when working with a marketer is micromanaging their every move. If a company is spending hours reviewing and editing content, its marketing team can start to feel a little useless.
Let’s be honest, no one enjoys being the one in the relationship that’s told they load the dishwasher incorrectly.
While things like social media seem simple and within grasp to the average Joe, marketers know better. That is why businesses hire them; for their expertise.
Wanting to Take Things Too Fast
Nothing says red flag more than when a partner starts rushing the relationship before the other one is ready.
The same goes for marketers when clients mention their desire for immediate results or a viral video.
Just as a relationship takes time to build and grow, successful marketing requires time and understanding. Marketing cannot achieve goals overnight.
Strategic and effective marketing might try your patience or feel like it’s moving too slowly, but you will always walk away knowing your company made a positive investment.
How to Take Your Relationship to the Next Level
Businesses hire marketing professionals to advance their goals and elevate their brand. Like a good relationship, the partnership should feel complimentary.
When everyone spends less time nit-picking and second-guessing, they grant themselves space to see real results and avoid big mistakes.