Are you currently working with an agency or planning to hire one soon? Register now for the next sponsored Search Engine Journal webinar. Paxton Gray, CEO at 97th Floor, will discuss the keys to building a productive relationship with your marketing agency, as well as some of the warning signs to look out for when hiring one.  In this presentation, you will learn: - How to know the right time to bring in an agency (and when not to). - Why trust is a two-way street. - Ways to align goals with work and guarantee success. - Effective communication, or, how to make sure you get what you want. - How to foster true innovation. It doesn’t take much to have a bad experience with an agency. A few common mistakes and it can very quickly turn into a huge waste of everyone’s time and money.    But when you use an agency correctly (yes, there is a right way), you’ll get not only a go-to team of experts with specialized knowledge but a true partner that can generate stunning results.   We’re giving insider info to help people and companies understand steps they can take to get the most value out of the relationship with their agency.

1. 5 Ways to Get the Most Out of
Your Agency
And how to avoid getting burned

2. Paxton Gray
CEO | 97th Floor
/PaxtonGray
@PaxtonMGray

3. Brands we work with

4. seo
Keyword Research
Link Building
Technical SEO
Reputation
Management
advertising
Social
Search
Programmatic
Retargeting
creative
Copywriting
Graphic Design
Interactives
Content Marketing
cro
Multivariate Testing
Heat Mapping
Landing Page Design
Analytics

5. How can I be sure I’m
hiring the right agency?

6. How can I be sure I’m
hiring the right agency?
Will this agency take
work off my plate or
add more?

7. How can I be sure I’m
hiring the right agency?
Will this agency take
work off my plate or
add more?
How can I know the
agency will do what
they say they will?

8. What has been your experience working with marketing agencies?
Poll
I haven’t worked with agencies
I’ve had pretty bad experiences in the past
Good not great, I’m open to suggestions
Excellent, I love working with agencies
I work at an agency!

9. Return on Agency Spend =

10. Return on Agency Spend =
Agency
Value

11. Return on Agency Spend =
Agency
Value
Agency
Cost
-

12. Return on Agency Spend =
+ Results
+ Innovation
+ Capability
Agency
Value
Agency
Cost
-

13. Return on Agency Spend =
+ Results
+ Innovation
+ Capability
- Agency Fee
- Time
- Integration
Complexity
Agency
Value
Agency
Cost
-

14. Return on Agency Spend =
+ Results
+ Innovation
+ Capability
- Agency Fee
- Time
- Integration
Complexity
Agency
Value
Agency
Cost
-

15. Return on Agency Spend =
+ Results
+ Innovation
+ Capability
- Agency Fee
- Time
- Integration
Complexity
Agency
Value
Agency
Cost
-

16. Tip #1
Goal and SOW
Alignment

17. Be very clear about
what you want.

18. Deliverable, goal-based, or
hourly contracts?

19. Deliverable-Based Goal-Based Hourly-Based
You wish to be solely accountable for the strategy
and results
Agency should have more skin in the game Most flexible, option to scale up and scale down
quickly
Great when bandwidth is the primary issue Great when looking for strategy Least level of accountability on the agency
Generally lower cost, less chance of success. Typically requires higher budgets, higher chance
of success
Danger of going over budget, make sure the
agency has a quick feedback mechanism on hour
usage
Your procurement team requires all vendor
agreements must be based in deliverables or
hourly figures
You have the personnel and expertise to act on
the optimizations given by your agency
Your business doesn’t have enough historical data
to create a reasonable goal
You have a reliable source of historical data you
can trust to form accurate goals
SOW Formats

20. The pros and cons of goal setting contracts
vs. deliverable based contracts.
Aligning Goals With Work to
Guarantee Success
/PaxtonGray

21. What happens if KPIs are not
met?

22. What happens if KPIs are not
met?
- Performance Based SOW:

23. What happens if KPIs are not
met?
- Performance Based SOW:
- % refund or bonus based on
% of goal complete

24. What happens if KPIs are not
met?
- Performance Based SOW:
- % refund or bonus based on
% of goal complete
- Caps on both ends

25. What happens if KPIs are not
met?
- Performance Based SOW:
- % refund or bonus based on
% of goal complete
- Caps on both ends
- Ideally focused on 1 main KPI

26. What happens if KPIs are not
met?
- Performance Based SOW:
- % refund or bonus based on
% of goal complete
- Caps on both ends
- Ideally focused on 1 main KPI
- KPI should be as closely tied to
revenue as possible.

27. Tip #2
Know Exactly What
You Need

28. Before you hire, know
what you want.

30. Questions For Yourself to Prepare Your Search:
- What is my company goal?
- What is my marketing goal?
- What are my channel goals?
- Where will an agency to fit into my channel/marketing/company goals?

31. Questions For Yourself to Prepare Your Search:
- What is my company goal?
- What is my marketing goal?
- What are my channel goals?
- Where will an agency to fit into my channel/marketing/company goals?
KPIs
- How will you measure the relationship?
- What #s will you look at to know if things are going well?
- What are the current baselines for those KPIs?

32. Questions For Yourself to Prepare Your Search:
- What is my company goal?
- What is my marketing goal?
- What are my channel goals?
- Where will an agency to fit into my channel/marketing/company goals?
KPIs
- How will you measure the relationship?
- What #s will you look at to know if things are going well?
- What are the current baselines for those KPIs?
Relationship
- How do you want to communicate?
- How do you expect reporting will work?
- Are you looking for foot soldiers, strategists, or something in between?

33. Know What To Ask

34. Questions For Your Agency:
- How long have you been in business?

35. Questions For Your Agency:
- How long have you been in business?
- How many people will be working on my account?
- Who will be working on my account?

36. Questions For Your Agency:
- How long have you been in business?
- How many people will be working on my account?
- Who will be working on my account?
- What makes your agency different?

37. Questions For Your Agency:
- How long have you been in business?
- How many people will be working on my account?
- Who will be working on my account?
- What makes your agency different?
- How will you help us achieve our goals?
- Why do you recommend that strategy?

38. Questions For Your Agency:
- How long have you been in business?
- How many people will be working on my account?
- Who will be working on my account?
- What makes your agency different?
- How will you help us achieve our goals?
- Why do you recommend that strategy?
- How will the work be executed?

39. Questions For Your Agency:
- How long have you been in business?
- How many people will be working on my account?
- Who will be working on my account?
- What makes your agency different?
- How will you help us achieve our goals?
- Why do you recommend that strategy?
- How will the work be executed?
Ask For References

40. Questions For Your Agency:
- How long have you been in business?
- How many people will be working on my account?
- Who will be working on my account?
- What makes your agency different?
- How will you help us achieve our goals?
- Why do you recommend that strategy?
- How will the work be executed?
Ask For References
What To Look For:
- Happy employees and solid culture

41. Questions For Your Agency:
- How long have you been in business?
- How many people will be working on my account?
- Who will be working on my account?
- What makes your agency different?
- How will you help us achieve our goals?
- Why do you recommend that strategy?
- How will the work be executed?
Ask For References
What To Look For:
- Happy employees and solid culture
- Much larger fulfillment team than sales team

42. Questions For Your Agency:
- How long have you been in business?
- How many people will be working on my account?
- Who will be working on my account?
- What makes your agency different?
- How will you help us achieve our goals?
- Why do you recommend that strategy?
- How will the work be executed?
Ask For References
What To Look For:
- Happy employees and solid culture
- Much larger fulfillment team than sales team
- Honesty and competency

43. /PaxtonGray

44. Tip #3
Make Them
Believers

45. Believers
go the extra mile.

47. How to make them believers
- Give the team space to learn about your company, where you’ve been, what
you’re doing as an organization, and where you’re planning on going.

48. How to make them believers
- Give the team space to learn about your company, where you’ve been, what
you’re doing as an organization, and where you’re planning on going.
- Introduce them to people they may not be working with directly. The more
people they know, the more they’ll feel like the know your company and the
more they’ll understand how their work impacts others.

49. How to make them believers
- Give the team space to learn about your company, where you’ve been, what
you’re doing as an organization, and where you’re planning on going.
- Introduce them to people they may not be working with directly. The more
people they know, the more they’ll feel like the know your company and the
more they’ll understand how their work impacts others.
- Show them behind the scenes. Show them how the company operates and how
it’s organized. This context will help with future ideas they may bring to the table.

50. How to make them believers
- Give the team space to learn about your company, where you’ve been, what
you’re doing as an organization, and where you’re planning on going.
- Introduce them to people they may not be working with directly. The more
people they know, the more they’ll feel like the know your company and the
more they’ll understand how their work impacts others.
- Show them behind the scenes. Show them how the company operates and how
it’s organized. This context will help with future ideas they may bring to the table.
- Where applicable, get your marketing team trying your product or experiencing
your service.

54. When getting external help, do you prefer to hire multi-disciplined agencies,
single-disciplined agencies, or consultants.
Poll
Multi-disciplined agencies
Single-disciplined agencies
Consultants
Either, I just want results
I prefer to hire employees vs external help

55. Tip #4
Trust Is The Ultimate
Discount

56. When you have mutual
trust:
- results improve

57. When you have mutual
trust:
- results improve
- ego goes out the door

58. When you have mutual
trust:
- results improve
- ego goes out the door
- agency costs go down

59. When you have mutual
trust:
- results improve
- ego goes out the door
- agency costs go down
- mental investment goes up

60. When you have mutual
trust:
- results improve
- ego goes out the door
- agency costs go down
- mental investment goes up
- stress goes down

62. When you have mutual
trust:
How do you build
mutual trust?
- results improve
- ego goes out the door
- quarterly reviews become
celebrations
- agency costs go down
- mental investment goes up
- stress goes down

63. When you have mutual
trust:
- regular calls should be organic
discussions rather than formal
meetings
How do you build
mutual trust?
- results improve
- ego goes out the door
- quarterly reviews become
celebrations
- agency costs go down
- mental investment goes up
- stress goes down

64. When you have mutual
trust:
- regular calls should be organic
discussions rather than formal
meetings
- speak up when something is out
of place
How do you build
mutual trust?
- results improve
- ego goes out the door
- quarterly reviews become
celebrations
- agency costs go down
- mental investment goes up
- stress goes down

65. When you have mutual
trust:
- regular calls should be organic
discussions rather than formal
meetings
- speak up when something is out
of place
- allow your agency the space to
provide input
How do you build
mutual trust?
- results improve
- ego goes out the door
- quarterly reviews become
celebrations
- agency costs go down
- mental investment goes up
- stress goes down

66. When you have mutual
trust:
- regular calls should be organic
discussions rather than formal
meetings
- speak up when something is out
of place
- allow your agency the space to
provide input
- spend some time in person
How do you build
mutual trust?
- results improve
- ego goes out the door
- quarterly reviews become
celebrations
- agency costs go down
- mental investment goes up
- stress goes down

68. Tip #5
Expect & Foster
Innovation

69. A good agency should be
bringing new ideas.

70. How To Foster
Agency Innovation

71. How To Foster Agency
Innovation:
- Find an agency that is known to
do boundary-pushing work

72. How To Foster Agency
Innovation:
- Find an agency that is known to
do boundary-pushing work
- Make the agency aware of your
marketing stack

73. How To Foster Agency
Innovation:
- Find an agency that is known to
do boundary-pushing work
- Make the agency aware of your
marketing stack
- Make the agency aware of larger
goals, beyond the work they’re
doing

74. How To Foster Agency
Innovation:
- Find an agency that is known to
do boundary-pushing work
- Make the agency aware of your
marketing stack
- Make the agency aware of larger
goals, beyond the work they’re
doing
- If they’re not bring new ideas at
least quarterly, ask for them

75. How To Foster Agency
Innovation:
- Find an agency that is known to
do boundary-pushing work
- Make the agency aware of your
marketing stack
- Make the agency aware of larger
goals, beyond the work they’re
doing
- If they’re not bring new ideas at
least quarterly, ask for them
- Continue to build rapport and
your agency will be thinking
about you regularly, which is
where the ideas are born

77. 77

78. 78

79. 79

80. 80

81. 81

82. 82

83. 83

84. 84

85. 85

86. Objectives
✅ ✅ ✅ Increase Organic Traffic
✅ ✅ ✅ Increase MQLs
✅ ✅ ✅ Build eFileCabinet’s Brand

87. 97thfloor.com/proposal
/PaxtonGray