Whether you have chosen a new marketing team to work with, or are still interviewing to find the right one, you may be wondering what items you need to have in place to help it start off right. By getting these details together, you can launch this relationship with clarity and prepare to scale. 

To have a successful working relationship, you need a roadmap in place. Here is a checklist to get you started.

Marketing Strategy 

Make sure your team is aligned internally. You need to understand your long-term goals in order for marketing to plug into them. Without this, you’ll just be checking off tasks without a real understanding of where you’re going. Make sure you address the following critical questions: 

Take A Look Around (More insights on developing a marketing strategy here.)

• What have you done in the past for marketing? What has worked and what has not? 
• Who are your primary competitors?
• What is your primary competitive advantage?

Use Long-term Planning to Drive Day-to-Day Decision-Making

This is about the bigger picture. Having goals written down helps give everyone a starting place. These are goals for your company, not just marketing goals. Don’t get lost in the details. Provide enough to help the team understand major priorities and focus. 

• What are your company’s vision, mission, and values?
• What are your one-, three- and five-year goals?
• What are your long-term goals (10+ years)? 

Know Your Audience

• What are your current and ideal target markets?
• What core problem do you solve for ideal clients?

At Out & About, we have a marketing discovery process that helps us understand where you are now and where you want to go. We’ll ask the questions above and more.

Communication Decisions

Make sure you have the time to ensure your marketing strategy doesn’t just get off to a running start, but is set up to run a marathon. Make sure you answer:

• Who is the day-to-day contact? Who will the marketing team interact with?
• Who is your administrative coordinator? This person will help with printing, event prep, and other administrative items.
• Who manages operations and has access to email list management?

What Should You Expect When You Onboard With A Marketing Company?

In addition to having clarity on the above items, you can also expect some introductory steps from your marketing company. Here are the first things you’ll need to do to move forward with the Out & About team: 

• You will receive a checklist of files, logins, and more.
• You will get onboarded with our project management tool.
• You should prepare for meetings and communications.

We’ll share more details at kickoff. 

This early preparation can set you up for a great working relationship with your new marketing team. The best digital marketing firms come alongside you and support your goals, values, and mission. While it takes some time and energy on the front end to get that set up, the payoff is worth it. 

If you’d like to learn more about the process of working with us, we’d love to share. Just click here. 

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