Every year, I get to hang out with 30+ digital team members from various AMI agencies hailing from California to Connecticut and everywhere in between. They come together once a year to pick each other’s brains, learn about new tools, and share best practices on how to manage a digital marketing team.
One of the things that impresses me the most about them is that their focus is bigger than tools, tactics, and techniques. They’re also asking about agency new business strategies, how to help the agency’s social media get on track, and how to streamline processes so the agency is more profitable.
These are employees who care about their agency and the agency’s performance. As I listen to them strategize together on how to bring even more value to the shop and your clients.
I also identified some unspoken needs that would make a digital marketing team’s work easier and better.
- Require everyone in your agency to get some basic digital certifications so they have a better understanding and can work together better in identifying opportunities, writing proposals, and spec’ing projects.
- Use your agency as the test dummy — try video, voice, social experiments — but be out there and be bold.
- Be smart about tools versus time. You may be saving a buck or two by having them do something manually but if there’s an automated tool out there — use it so they have more think/learn time.
- Keep your own digital saw sharp — there’s always something new to learn and as their mentor and leader, you chart the course.
I’m impressed and encouraged by the drive, curiosity, and hunger that these professionals display. It is definitely to your advantage to help them help your agency!
Invest in Your Team
Sound familiar? Even if you’re a natural-born leader, invest in leadership training for yourself and your entire team. Communication and teamwork programs such as Crucial Conversations can help you better understand how to manage a digital marketing team.
