Working with a Marketing Agency: One Team Member’s Perspective

Marketing agencies don’t just work with business owners, or in our case, dentists. In fact, most of the time, our main point of contact for a practice is an office manager, a marketing specialist, or a senior team member with coordinating marketing for the practice as one of their many responsibilities. Karinna, who is the marketing liaison for her practice and an MDA Clinical Advisory Board member was kind enough to record a quick video with advice for others in her position. This is what she had to say:

1. The marketing agency is there to help.
   It’s true. Our job is to help make marketing the practice easier. We are very eager to lend a hand whenever needed, whether that’s conducting trainings, providing ideas, or explaining processes. We understand that the office is a busy place, and we’re willing to do most of the heavy lifting so team members can focus on other responsibilities. However, we still need everyone’s cooperation to execute strategies because marketing has to be a team effort to be successful.
2. Trust the process.
   Results do not usually happen overnight. Marketing, like all worthwhile pursuits, takes time and dedication. Your marketing partner knows what to do and should have a detailed plan to get the practice from point A to point B. As the liaison between the practice and the marketing agency, it is important to have some faith in that plan and be patient as it develops. As Karinna hints in the video, soon enough the results will come flooding in.
3. We’re in this together.
   We never want our clients to be stressed out about marketing. Our goal is to take the bulk of the burden off the practice. However, we understand that there are other important daily tasks that may sometimes take priority. We like to let the practice set the pace and always encourage communication if it starts to feel overwhelming. We’ll gladly slow down if needed. We would rather things get done right than rushed.

I’m going to add one more piece of advice, or rather a reminder: marketing is a partnership. Your marketing agency should feel and act like an extension of the practice, reflecting its values and working toward achieving its goals. The relationship between the marketing agency and your team should be trusting and comfortable. Ideally, reaching out to your marketing partner should be like talking to a familiar colleague. Everyone should feel free to express their ideas and know that they are taken seriously rather than simply brushed aside. A good marketing agency will always listen to your goals, include you in decisions, and elicit your input, because a good marketing agency respects your experience and knowledge.

MDA is lucky to work so closely with its clients and the team members who help ensure that things runs smoothly behind the scenes day in and day out. We are also very lucky to have people like Karinna on our side who are willing to share their experiences to help others succeed.