Agency Blind Spot: Audience Data

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Prove your value. Agencies have different ways of stating this idea to their clients and staff. Everyday this idea is top-of-mind for agency leaders. Whether you are a creative agency, public relations, or public affairs shop you need to demonstrate to your current and prospective clients that you can have a meaningful impact on their business goals.

Exceptional customer service. Extraordinary ideas. Flawless execution. These are all essential elements to your agency’s success. But how do you prove your worth? How do you ensure your counsel and campaigns are anchored in the best knowledge possible?

It’s all in how you leverage research.

We all know how interns and junior staff are tapped to count social engagement numbers, compile clips, and summarize analytics reports gleaned from various tools your team subscribes too. Some teams are fortunate to have in-house data science resources they can tap for deep dive market analysis or even behavioral change assessments.

But how do you know where to start?
How do you develop the most refined target?
How are you accounting for customer sentiment and perception?

The value of quantitative reporting with full data transparency cannot be understated.

As an agency, imagine anchoring your counsel and reporting in a knowledge set that is customized to the exact topics or competitive set that matter to you. The demand for this is why we’re seeing a rise in “audience strategist” roles at companies across the country.

Proprietary data-driven strategies that delivered measured results are likely already what your agency promises to clients. The question is whether you’re actually leveraging the right data to deliver on that brand promise.

How are you currently quantifying or identifying the following?

Competitive Benchmarking
Providing a unique lens into end-user perceptions and needs.

Checking for Blind Spots
Making sure you’re not missing sentiment or perception issues emerging around a brand/product/service.

Owning Marketing Impact
Showing your commitment to measuring results and standing behind your work.

Leading Business Development
Ensuring your edge in the pitch is more than idea.

Content Development
Developing ideas that are rooted in actual customer demand.

Being smart with data doesn’t have to require long lead times, expensive subscriptions, or deep existing knowledge. You simply need a resource that can provide you easy-to-understand Voice-of-the-Customer (VoC) data that can be executed quickly, efficiently, and cost effectively.

In the same way core tools like Google Analytics and Cision or Meltwater, have become standard in providing numbers and analysis that you then share with your clients, the market is shifting to expect the same consistent reporting on Voice-of-the-Customer data.

Is your agency ready?

George Assimakopoulos is the Founder and Principal Manager of Metric Centric, an advisory practice that helps businesses and organizations to better understand the marketplace through the analysis of key market intelligence. He is a successful serial entrepreneur who is passionate about content marketing, lead generation, and leveraging data for business growth.