5 creative agency tips for launching a successful project

With over two decades of skin in the creative comms game, we’ve been around the block a little. Having worked with clients of all shapes, sizes and industries, we’ve pretty much seen it all when it comes to the collaboration process.

Here are our top tips for working with an agency.

1. Determine who ‘the boss’ is

We know, we know – taking the reins can feel a little intimidating – especially if you’re new to it. However, from an agency’s perspective, having someone in charge is a super effective remedy for the frustrating ailment of ‘too many cooks’.

Having a clear ‘boss’ in place is important whether the project is solely yours, or if you’re collaborating with other stakeholders on it. It helps agencies like us to know where we stand in terms of pitching ideas and gaining sign-off.?

Plus, it usually means we’re able to work more efficiently, and get your project over the finish line sooner. Win-win.

Top tip: The sooner you have your head honcho in place, the sooner you can start deliberating about your vision, objectives and main milestones going forward.

2. Get your ship together

An age-old agency woe. Mixed messaging is one of the biggest productivity blockers when working with clients. When we’re told different things from across the same client team, it slows progress and makes it challenging to achieve an end product everyone is happy with.?

Before approaching an agency, it’s a good idea to get your team together for a thorough briefing on the project. Not only is this a good opportunity for you to identify – or iron out – any potential issues before you approach an agency, it means once the project arrives on our desk we gain the confidence of knowing the client team is all on the same page, and we can hit the ground running.???

Psst: we use project briefing sheets for design and editorial projects, which we can take you through when we kick off the project.?

3. Have a clear vision (and set SMART objectives)

It’s surprising how many clients approach us with an idea to create a product, but when the kick-off call comes around, there’s a distinct lack of clarity about what the product is, who it’s for and how it will be consumed.

While we can work with you on a brief to help you work towards your end goal, having a clear idea of what you hope to achieve from the project will help it to come together more efficiently.?

Remember: Using SMART (Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Realistic/Relevant and Time-bound) objectives can be really useful to help you gain a clear picture of what you’re looking for out of your project, too.?

4. Nail down your approvals process

As an agency, there are few things more frustrating than working hard to meet a client’s approaching deadline, and at the eleventh hour receiving feedback requesting time-consuming changes.

At the start of the project, we encourage our clients to set clear roles and responsibilities within their team. Ideally, everyone should know their role, who they should report to and how the workflow should be carried out.?

By ensuring everyone is on the same page, it’s easier to work more efficiently, with minimal chance of delays, mistakes and wasted time.?

Top tip: Confusion happens when there are different lines of communication. We can set you up on our project management system, Basecamp, to centralise comms and ensure we all meet deadlines.?

5. Don’t ghost us!

We’re not going to lecture you (well, we’ll try our best); but the red flag on this one gives matadors a run for their money. Life is busy, we get it (really, we do), and keeping on top of communication can sometimes feel almost impossible.?

Any good agency will have the confidence and experience to take a brief and run with it. So while no hand-holding is required, similarly, never hearing from you means we have no way to tell if we’re on the right track. Having no regular sign-off or feedback throughout the project slows progress and means we can’t take the project over the finish line for you as quickly as we’d like.?

If we send content through for review or approval, we don’t need oodles of detailed feedback every time. A simple yes or no is fine, and if necessary we can have a call to go into finer detail. We know how precious time is – and how difficult it can be to manage! – so brief but regular check-ins can help us all work more effectively.?

Important!:?Let the agency you’re working with know your preferred method of communication at the start of the project. Ideally this will be one platform, so messages have less chance of being missed, overlooked or forgotten about (sad face).?