Do you ever wonder if you and your clients are thinking the same about marketing?
That’s exactly the question I asked heading into 2021. Specifically, how are agency clients thinking about marketing, and how close to that perception are agencies getting it right?
That’s why I conducted a nationwide survey of marketing firms and marketing firm clients, to figure out exactly what metrics and priorities mattered most to the marketing strategies of the future.
Goals, Objectives and KPIs in 2021 Marketing
A major part of this study emphasized the importance of goal setting within the context of business and marketing. Based on myriad studies that have helped prove the link between business goal setting and the achievement of business success (click here for further reading), this study hypothesized that businesses with clear goals, objectives and key performance indicators (KPIs) would be more likely to achieve marketing success in 2021.
Likewise, we also know that marketing measurement plays a major role in how businesses value marketing – specifically how likely a client is to know their marketing performed,
as well as whether their agency provided value (click here for further reading). With that in mind, this study also sought to demonstrate what share of clients are measuring marketing, and what metrics they’re using within that measurement plan.
In a hurry? Here’s the top-level insights!
Below is a quick overview of the highlights from this study’s findings.
Clients are placing social media, digital marketing, SEO and content at the forefront of their 2021 marketing strategies.
Clients are planning to measure their marketing in 2021, and have specific plans in place to do so. Most often, the metrics they’re measuring involve customer satisfaction above all else.
The majority of clients have already established measurable 2021 marketing goals. They’re most interested in partnering with agencies who can support those goals and their existing strategies.
The majority of agencies are not in alignment with their clients when it comes to thinking about marketing measurement. The agencies that can demonstrate that their thinking and measurement strategies are similar to their clients’ will have the highest likelihood of winning new business this year.
The majority of agencies have established 2021 marketing goals for their own firms, but lower shares are also tracking objectives and KPIs with their marketing as well. Research has shown us that measuring all three of these factors helps businesses succeed more often, and the agencies with a higher priority on internal measurement will see the highest results.
BONUS: The 2021 Agency Client Buyer Persona
As I was putting this study together, I realized I had a ton of great information to develop an effective agency client buyer persona that you could use with your marketing team today!
Marketing Pro Tip: If you’re an agency, you need to be using Buyer Personas in your marketing. Personas align your entire team on messaging, strategy, and segmentation priority. Simply put, they help you produce better results! Even better, developing marketing personas annually for your clients can also become a new revenue driver for your business – and clients appreciate it because they see the results! Everyone wins!
Note: While based on much of the data found in this report, I’ve also incorporated information from several other studies I’ve conducted recently, along with a few additional secondary sources. To take a look at the full list of the agency research studies available, click here.
Buyer Personas for Marketing Agencies
There’s a reason so many marketing masters are preaching the importance of establishing buyer personas in their agencies. It’s because they’re proving incredibly powerful in modern marketing settings at keeping marketing teams laser-focused on the person that matters most to their marketing: the client.
Buyer personas are the story behind your audience – in this case, your future clients. It answers the important marketing questions, helping you paint a picture of who your marketing is truly trying to reach. And it takes that information and shares it back in a way that’s deeper and more engaging than traditional stats and facts. Personas are literally creative inspiration for your marketing team!
A buyer persona is the difference between ‘young-adult farmers seeking intergalactic adventure’ and ‘Luke Skywalker.’ Which description would help you create better marketing?
About the 2021 Marketing Agency and Client Goals, Objectives and KPIs Survey Study
The S2 Research Marketing Agency and Client Goals, Objectives and KPIs survey was designed to understand two major components about agency clients:
What are the goals and tactics agency clients are most emphasizing in 2021?
How are they measuring marketing success – both their own work, and their agency’s?
Based on these priorities, a 20-question survey was developed, designed to measure both client marketing priorities, and agency expectations of their own clients to measure alignment. To view this survey yourself, click here. Please note, the survey remains open for review, but collection for this project has been completed.
Marketing Research Survey Methodology
The S2 Research Marketing Agency and Client Goals, Objectives and KPIs Survey was administered through an online outreach program through LinkedIn. Individuals who worked in marketing at any level – including in-house marketing teams, those with agency decision-making power, and agency employees themselves – across a variety of industries, company-sizes and North American regions were contacted, and their responses aggregated and included in the results.
From the period of October 1 through December 14, 2020, a total of 309 usable survey responses were collected. Based on a total est. 286k individuals working in advertising, promotions and marketing management roles (according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics), at the 95% confidence level this study has a margin of error of ±5.6%. That means, if the survey were to be replicated again exactly the same with different respondents, 95 times out of 100 the responses would be within 5.6 points of the results presented in this report.
The survey results were then cleaned and checked for accuracy, and cross-tabulated using advanced data analysis and visualization software, in order to compare agency clients and agencies separately.
Want to learn more about using surveys to better understand your marketing audiences? S2 Research can help! Click here to find out more.
Download the Report, and Level Up Your 2021 Agency Marketing Strategy!
The report is free and available now. Remember, the insights in this study will help your agency do better marketing in 2021. We’re all in this together, and I can’t wait to see you succeed!
By the way, if you want even more info, I’m available to share these insights with your team via webinar too. Click here to get in touch!