The core of service industry depends upon the quality offerings and the satisfaction provided to the customers. Since, the marketing is a creative field, calculating the ROI of the campaigns implemented in rural areas can be very difficult; this leaves the appraisal of the agency’s performance in the hands of the client. A client’s review is never based on work alone, rather the experience of working with the agency. This suggests that the same rules apply to marketing agencies and thus, marketers should focus on keeping their clients happy, which might be a challenge several times.
Meeting the client’s expectation is not a one-time job, rather a progressive one. Therefore, rural marketing agencies should devise a code of conduct as well as an aligned strategy to achieve the same without extra efforts. The scope of the conduct can be varied and may range from qualitative inputs to behavioral patterns.
Let us assist you in kick-starting the process by suggesting 10 best practices that any rural marketing agency should follow in order to have a satisfied client base.
The Survival Guide – for Rural Marketing Agencies
1. Encourage Client’s Participation
Even though you are a marketing and brand building expert, your clients are well aware of your brand and unique offerings. In the interest of mutual benefit, a client should be encouraged to participate in the process of conceptualizing and devising the campaign. This not only helps you get valuable inputs but also instills a sense of importance in the client.
2. No Sales Pitch Please!
Your proposal should not reflect on you, but rather- them. It is a common practice for rural marketing agencies to start with their sales pitch which must be avoided. No client likes to hear about your achievements. Initially, your emphasis should be on what you can offer and your portfolio should be presented in a concise manner later.
3. Clear & Precise Discussions
This is the golden rule of communication; make it short and sweet while maintaining a clear line of focus. Let your discussion with your client be premeditated and choreographed to attain useful information and insights rather than discussing the things he/she is already aware of.
4. Inclusion of Trend Analysis
It is almost naive to expect a client to be clueless but at the same time, to expect them to be fully acquainted with the current scenario might not be a good idea as well. The best way to forward your idea is to include relevant trend analysis in your report. This helps attract and retain the client’s attention and getting them on the same page as you are.
5. Propose Value, Not Cost
As a rural marketing agency, you should never lead with costs, rather present the value added to their business by incurring this expense first. The focus of your proposal should be the ROI achieved through the campaign or activities being suggested.
6. Key Performance Indicator
As every marketer understands that it is very difficult to calculate accurate ROI when rural marketing is considered but at the same time it is important to take assistance from numbers to determine the true value. In this case, certain key performance indicators should be selected which can be monitored to indicate the performance metrics of the campaign.
7. Follow-Up through Action
Pitching ideas for a campaign might attract a client but what retains their interest and build their satisfaction is seeing those ideas being implemented. Therefore, it is always important to follow through on your promises and start on ground activation without any delay and interruptions.
8. Hurdles or Opportunities?
Never call your client with a problem, instead find a way to turn it into an opportunity. Nothing would make them happier than when their marketer performs this miracle for them. However, realistically speaking, hurdles are bound to occur but letting them put a full stop to the campaign progress is a choice. One thing every agency should ponder over is that your positive attitude in times of trouble will only impress your client.
9. Communication of results
The promise of keeping the client involved includes delivering real-time results to them. They like to stay in the loop even though they cannot assist in the activities being performed, every marketer should adhere to this to cement their trust.
10. Change Is the Spice
All said and done, flexibility will always be important in marketing and advertising. No client would deal with a conventional and rigid rural marketing agency. Changing with time and most importantly, with client’s needs is a necessity to keeping them happy and satisfied is essential.
