Uniquely, 1:1s with your digital marketing agency are a valuable opportunity to get tailored insights and actionable recommendations that can elevate your brand, improve website performance, boost conversions, and refine your overall marketing strategy. But lofty goals aside, more specifically, 1:1s can help you directly with your day-to-day tasks, objectives, and professional growth.
Why Have 1:1s?
If you’re only engaging your agency sporadically or for specific team requests, you might be missing out on the most valuable advantage they bring—their experience and an unbiased, outside perspective. Like our clients, we are learning every day, but as we gain experience and collect data, we get insights not just into what works for one website or brand, but what works for numerous websites and brands – knowledge that can save you time, resources, and budget.
1:1 Sample Agenda
At our agency, as part of our Digital Growth marketing program, we meet monthly with multiple team members from each of our clients’ marketing teams. These sessions follow a simple, streamlined agenda designed to keep progress steady and actionable:
- Good News: We celebrate wins and successes and care about the small stuff. Hearing big wins are great but understanding recognition or hearing about a finished project is really helpful in understanding the inner workings of a team and how to help individuals and the overall team better.
- Follow-ups: Reviewing previous action items keeps us and the client accountable for what we said we were going to do. It also ensures we aren’t spinning our wheels, but keep things moving forward.
- Questions & Concerns: Addressing pressing issues, blockers or anything that is on someone’s mind helps everyone get unstuck or talk through the work at hand.
- Next Steps: Outlining the path forward is another key to learning and growing and as we close out it’s important to have agreed upon to dos or action items.
Get the Most Out of Your 1:1s with Your Digital Marketing Agency
Whether your agency uses a similar format or not, here’s how you can make the most of your 1:1s:
1. Ask for Accountability
Hold both yourself and your agency accountable for delivering on action items. Use these meetings to track progress and ensure follow-through on tasks and goals. If you use a shared tool like Basecamp or Asana ask your agency to add in to dos and summaries.
2. Prepare for Your 1:1s
Spend 15 minutes before the meeting to gather your thoughts, review notes from the last session, and list out your top priorities or questions. This preparation ensures you maximize what you get out of your time together.
3. Use a Shared Google Document
A shared document for notes and action items is invaluable. It provides a record of what was discussed, agreed upon, and planned for the future. This helps maintain alignment and accountability between you and your agency.
4. Leverage Screen Sharing
Visual communication is powerful. Use screen sharing to walk through reports, demonstrate website updates, or review analytics in real-time. This ensures clarity and enables faster decision-making.
5. Bring Blockers
Use this time to address obstacles hindering your progress. Whether it’s a question about SEO for a piece of content or a technical issue you noticed on your website, your agency can help you overcome these challenges – either in real time or by resourcing to someone who can help.
6. Gain an Outside Perspective
One of the biggest benefits of working with a digital marketing agency is their broad experience. Ask them for insights on trends, successful strategies, or innovative tactics they’re seeing with other clients. This external perspective can spark fresh ideas and opportunities for your brand.
7. Avoid Overcommitting
Action items should be realistic and achievable. If a task feels overwhelming, ask your agency to help break it down into smaller steps. This will make it easier to stay on track and ensure consistent progress.
8. Prioritize Strategically
Focus your efforts on what will have the most impact. For example:
- Which high-traffic page should be updated first?
- What A/B test could yield the biggest improvement in conversions?
- Which content topics are most relevant to your audience right now?
By keeping your priorities clear, you’ll ensure the right balance of effort to impact.
Final Thoughts
Your digital marketing agency is more than just a service provider; they’re your strategic partner. By making the most of your 1:1s, you can unlock their expertise and insights to drive your marketing efforts forward. With preparation, clear communication, and a commitment to actionable next steps, these sessions can help individuals on your marketing team learn and grow – a benefit for everyone.
