Marketing is an industry that’s all about understanding how people think and connecting with them, which is true throughout the entire process, not just when targeting audiences. As an agency, we know that we have to be able to connect with both our colleagues and clients to realize the best results.
At KWSM, one of our guiding core values is ‘Social.’ KWSM was founded in 2010 and has successfully served over a thousand clients over the years. This success is directly related to our commitment to being social and building relationships within our team and with our clients.
As a Copywriter at KWSM, I am proud to be a liaison between our agency team and our clients. Here’s what I’ve learned about why relationships matter.
How Strong Relationships Can Boost Marketing Effectiveness
How Internal Relationships Boost Marketing Performance
The work we produce as a marketing agency is greater than the sum of its parts. At KWSM, each team member brings unique skill sets to the table, and when we work together to combine them, great things happen. We have all seen first-hand that the better we know each other, the better we collaborate.
Having strong social connections requires building trust. We have regular coffee chats, team outings, and happy hours with one another, and each Monday we start our morning meeting by sharing what we did over the weekend. In doing this, we get a better idea of who the people we work with are on a deeper level, and learn how to communicate with our colleagues in a more effective way.
These little moments build trust, which allows us to feel more comfortable sharing ideas and brainstorming together, which has a direct effect on the results we produce for our clients.
Client Story: The Benefits of Internal Relationships for Clients
One of my clients, a financial accounting firm that helps seniors manage their finances, wanted to pivot the direction of their marketing campaign.
We had been targeting audiences for “trust accounting,” and decided to shift our focus to elder care. And I wanted to ensure I did it right.
I organized a brainstorming session with two key leaders at KWSM: Greg Colacino, Director of Content, and Taylor David, Director of Accounts. Having worked closely with both for the past year, I felt that they understood me well. Additionally, my skills have grown under Greg’s mentorship, where I’ve learned to apply constructive feedback effectively.
We spent time workshopping blog ideas and coming up with new keywords to support our new focus. When I took the ideas we crafted together to the client, she was ecstatic.
I sincerely believe my work is better because of the collaboration with the KWSM team.
“The social aspect of working at KWSM is probably the most underrated core value we try to embody. Whether it’s being social with each other or with clients, we understand that we are always stronger as a unit, and our marketing performance reflects that.” – Monty Montgomery, Copywriter, KWSM
How Client Relationships Boost Marketing Performance
At KWSM, the core value of ‘Social’ isn’t just about fostering good relationships with team members; it extends to client interactions as well. The client we previously discussed serves as an excellent illustration of this principle.
I have weekly calls with this client. During these calls, we have an agenda that usually involves going over the blog for that week, discussing the blog for the following week, and reviewing the monthly performance reports. But we cover more than that.
We celebrate our shared successes, and that motivates me to strive for better results before our next conversation. Additionally, conversations about our weekends, past experiences, and families have also been part of our interactions.
Our solid professional bond is a direct result of the personal connection we’ve built, which allows us to be true partners in her marketing program. Because we have gotten to know each other, I have a real understanding of what my client is trying to achieve, and I have been able to master the tone that represents her brand when writing on her behalf.
A Case Study: How Client Relationships Drive Marketing Success
During our weekly calls, while we are making small talk, my client will sometimes make an off-hand remark that I know would be valuable for a blog.
We usually talk about the remark and how it applies to our marketing efforts, and I always include it in the next batch of blog topics or in the blog we are working on, which results in stronger content because it leverages her real-life experience and expertise.
Because we have a relationship based on trust, she can give me honest feedback and tell me when something doesn’t sound right. She doesn’t always realize it, but these comments are what makes her content shine.
As a result of our collaboration, in a single month, we have achieved:
- 500 first-page keywords
- 5,200 sessions from Google
- 4,094 organic clicks on keywords
- 2-3 leads per week
My client’s marketing program performs so well because we have established a professional relationship based on trust and candor, and that is only possible because of the personal foundation we laid. This is an example of how KWSM’s ‘Social’ core value helps our clients.
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