12 Signs You Need A NEW Marketing Agency

No one wants to set bad examples. However, honestly speaking, as a marketer, from my past work experience in marketing agencies, I have recognized some patterns in all failed digital marketing campaigns.

Now, I would like to share the 12 signs with you, so hopefully, you can avoid common pitfalls and get your online marketing operations back on track.

This edition of my post is for all those who work day-in-day-out in marketing agencies and to their lovable clients. Try to relate to your situation -

1. You think the client "should already know that"

Do not fall into the trap of assuming that clients "should already know that". Instead, consider why your client does not have the information they need and make sure your client knows what they need to know.

2. "Why not?" replaced by "no" or "later"

Saying "no" sometimes is fine but constantly to new ideas; I think that is a problem.

3. The team is work on weekends

Our actions set the tone of our project. When we stay late at the office or work on weekends consistently, not a small thing. It is a statement to team members that you do not value them or their time outside the workplace. Rethink if you are forming the behavior yourself that you would like others to show.

4. You are matchless and above the rest

A mood like you’re untouchable isn’t an honor  -  it can be your greatest downfall as a lead. Why? Because you often micromanage others or don’t delegate works. When you accept that others can do parts of your job with sincerity and maybe better than you, you are more willing to share responsibility, delegate tasks to others as a leader.

5. You think asking certain questions can go wrong

The reality is that clients have feedback for you already, whether or not you ask questions about your work. So by not asking questions, you’re simply inviting a problem faster. If you want to be a real front-runner, you’ll have to gather the courage to ask genuine questions at the right time and hear answers you may not want to hear. It’s better than not knowing the answer at all.

6. You think emotions have no room in the office

It’s simple - the way we feel about our work is directly proportionate to how well we do our work. The workplace is often defying us not to consider people’s emotions since the situations can feel oppressive and complex. But great leaders allow a range of emotions, to do the day-to-day process of working together calmly.

7. You think doing everything yourself is easier

As the popular African proverb goes: "If you want to go fast, go alone. If you want to go far, go together". So, train/guide others in such a manner so they can help you elevate to the next level of success.

8. You think favoritism is fair

Partiality is one of the few things that turn a manager from good to bad. Knowingly or unknowingly, if you are biased towards some people in your team than others, you are inviting resentment amongst the team. Impartiality is a critical characteristic of the best of the bests.

9. You feel breaks are non-productive actions

You feel comfortable to see an employee in front of a computer, at the office who is taking minimum breaks. That means s/he is working. The definition of productivity is to you that, right? No, it’s complete disgrace.

Watching people get work done doesn’t mean the work actually gets done. Similarly, off-the desk doesn’t necessarily mean wastage of time by a resource. Instead of caring about the result, focus on accuracy. Stop attempting to control others, instead grow the sense of the importance of their accurate work inside their mind or explain to them the aftereffects of delivery of their work within the stipulated time frame in the long run. Your utter desire to see people staring at their computers all the time is a burden to your team’s productivity in reality.

10. You are a great believer in open-door policies

Open door policies in most of the companies simply don’t work - commenting based on my past experience. An employee is concerned most of the time (if not always) with how the managers’ reaction is going to be? There’s no incentive for an employee to be honest with you if especially it’s not what you want to see or hear. So you’ve got to ask what problems, issues, or questions your team is having - you just can’t expect them to come to you always.

11. You "test" your employees’ resilience

You may assign small tasks (in the name of "ad hoc" work) just to make sure your team "is on their toes" always. Don’t do that, please. Trying to "keep busy" your employees always is counterproductive especially when the work is not so crucial. You’re challenging their morale, not constructing.

If you’re ever tempted to try to keep busy with your employees - resist the urge. Instead, encourage them to learn new things or try out experiments. Ask yourself, "Why do I feel the need to keep them busy unnecessarily? What am I not doing to create a situation where they can do their best?"

12. You are not giving people a reason to feel excited about coming to work

As a manager, it’s tempting to focus always on what your employees are not doing. They should stop taking such long lunch breaks, or stop wasting time on social media or attending personal phone calls. Rather, the best managers take the opposite approach. They focus on what they can provide to their employees so they feel motivated profitably and engaged meaningfully.

For instance, instead of explaining to them how many coffee breaks are reasonable, consider, explaining how their work is connected to the bigger picture to them over a cup of coffee.

Many of us have experienced some of these 12 signs at some stages in a professional career. The key is to be aware of it when it occurs. Don’t give yourself excuses for how did it happen? Calmly analyze it, question yourself - why did it happen? Adopt what you’d like to do differently next time if a similar situation will arise, and move forward.

I hope studying these 12 signs can help you, as much as it did to me.