March 4, 2025 • 19 mins
In this episode of the Vera Shafiq podcast, Vera explores the key challenges faced by CMOs and marketing leaders, including agency communication, internal team alignment, and overall marketing performance. Drawing from her experience on both the agency side and within franchise brand leadership, she discusses strategies for improving agency relationships, defining clear metrics, and determining an effective meeting structure.
The episode also covers the advantages and disadvantages of consolidating services under one agency versus working with specialized teams, the importance of structuring internal marketing teams for maximum efficiency, and integrating the right technology to track performance accurately. Vera emphasizes the importance of aligning agency efforts with business objectives and maintaining proactive, open communication between internal and external teams.
Lastly, she touches on how to effectively involve franchisees in marketing strategies, ensuring a balance between centralized control and local creativity.
00:00 Introduction and Overview
00:53 Improving Agency Communication
07:28 Internal Team Structure and Accountability
10:52 Marketing Performance and Strategy
14:00 Agency Transition and Alternative Approaches
16:04 Franchisee Involvement and Local Marketing
17:34 Conclusion and Final Thoughts
Mark as Played
Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
(00:13):
Hello and welcome back to theVera Shafiq podcast.
Today we're gonna dive headfirstinto some of the most pressing
challenges that marketingleaders and CMOs face every day,
whether it's improving agencycommunication, tightening up
internal team alignment, orboosting overall marketing
performance.
I know many of you have tried amultitude of approaches.
(00:38):
And today's conversation is lessabout reinventing the wheel and
more about fine tuning whatworks.
And I wanted to share my dualhat experiences from both the
agency side and inside franchisebrand leadership.
So let's kick it off.
Let's start off with agencycommunication and alignment.
I've seen firsthand, as I'm sureyou have, that even when the
(01:01):
ideas of the agency are strongand the promise of stellar
results sounds solid, theexecution can often suffer if
there isn't a truly alignedrelationship.
So how do you establish a betterworking relationship with your
agency or agencies?
I think it begins with settingthe right expectations.
So establish a clear strategiccommunication cadence.
(01:25):
I think that's firstly thepriority, and that might mean
regular check-ins, but theseshould be not just status
updates, but true strategysessions.
So I think it's really importantto have the right people on
these sessions with your agency.
So before even signing acontract with an agency.
I strongly recommend that youfind out who you and your team
(01:47):
will be working with from astrategic perspective.
So who is that person or personswho are going to really lead and
guide the strategy and be on thesame page as what you need in
terms of driving positivebusiness outcomes.
So push for meeting with thatindividual or set of
individuals.
(02:08):
To understand if they reallywill be able to translate your
business needs into a well-oiledmachine.
And then when you meet with youragency for strategy sessions,
consider setting an agenda thatcovers your brand's long-term
objectives so that you make surethat your agency understands the
nuances of your franchise modeland growth plans.
(02:30):
After all, the ideal agencypartner isn't just here to
execute your campaigns, butreally is a partner in your
long-term vision.
So I really think that it'simportant that agenda is covered
way ahead of time.
And while you may have tosometimes address under
performance with your agency,this is obviously something that
may come up.
The key is to do soconstructively.
(02:53):
So define clear metrics, whetherthat's lead quality, conversion
rates, franchise engagementlevels, and then hold your
agency accountable against thesebenchmarks.
Always ask them, are theydelivering beyond just vanity
metrics and are they actuallydelivering positive business
outcomes?
(03:13):
Because one thing that I'vereally seen way too often is an
agency reporting on metrics thataren't representative of the
brands overarching businessgoals.
So you probably, you've seen itas well, right?
An agency might try and framethe results as positive by
celebrating things like hightraffic volume or.
Lots of page views or lots ofclicks, or even high engagement
(03:36):
when the true revenue driversreally aren't there.
So I really think you need tohave someone on your internal
team who's acutely sensitized tothis and understands the
pitfalls of, reporting on thewrong metrics.
And, this person should reallyunderstand that, how to spot
that this is happening, numberone.
(03:57):
And secondly, if it does happen,how can they put things back on
the right track in terms offollowing the metrics that
matter?
What about meeting structureswith your agency?
I've seen many CMOs strugglewith repetitive unproductive
meeting structures.
And I think the main challengeis trying to streamline the
(04:21):
sessions that you have with youragency.
On focusing on strategic issuesthat are really gonna move the
needle rather than doing mundaneupdates.
So ask yourself, what are thekey topics that drive real
value?
And then ensure that everymeeting includes a discussion of
these key topics.
So if your agency isn't yetfamiliar with the local
(04:43):
challenges that each of yourfranchisees faces, or if the
agency is still not quitehitting the mark in terms of
optimizing towards seasonalityor understanding some key
factors behind your industry, itmight be time for a bit of an
extra education or even aworkshop to get them up to
speed.
(05:03):
Sometimes the agency partnershipcan fall into a rut of spinning
wheels or going through themotions, and this happens quite
a lot when you know things havejust been running on.
Autopilot, set it and forget it.
And sometimes, these meetingscan get really caught up in the
weeds of so much minutia thatreally is not important to
(05:25):
driving results.
And then you'll find thatnothing substantial is getting
achieved with the marketingprogram.
So when you, you know, senseeven an inkling of this
happening, make sure that youhave.
Number one, a set of ears andeyes on the agency relationship
that can prevent this fromhappening.
So whether that's yourself asthe CMO or the director of
(05:46):
marketing or whoever that maybe, make sure you have that
really sharp set of ears andeyes on the agency.
And then lastly, there's theclassic dilemma.
Should you consolidate servicesunder one umbrella agency or
work with specialized teams?
I think each approach has itstrade-offs.
A consolidated agency can offercohesive strategy, but might
(06:10):
lack specialized local insights.
On the other hand, multiplespecialized agencies can provide
depth in their respective areas,but this may lead to
coordination, chaos.
So my advice is evaluate yourpriorities.
If integration and brandconsistency are top of your
list, then a single agency mightbe more effective.
(06:31):
But I also know how hard it isto find a single agency that
does everything well.
There's so many aspects ofmarketing that can be really
niche and specialized.
So local marketing, creativedevelopment strategy, brand
advertising.
And then you've got pr, you'vegot SEO, conversion rate
optimization, and then socialmedia management.
(06:52):
So if anyone knows of one agencythat is really.
Excellent at doing all of thesethings, then please send me the
information because I have yetto find one.
And so I think if you're trulyneeding hyper specialized
skills, which I think mostmature franchise brands are in
need of then multiple agencypartners is the way to go.
(07:15):
And that's, something that youcan definitely do and pull off
really well.
You just need to carefullymanage those multiple vendors
with a dedicated internalliaison.
All right.
Let's move on to internalmarketing team structure and
accountability.
So switching gears to yourinternal team, how should you
(07:36):
structure that for maximumefficiency?
I see one common pitfall iscreating a scenario where your
team feels like they'reintermediaries, right?
And they're just simplyshuttling information between
leadership and the agency.
And to avoid this, I would saydefine clear roles and
responsibilities.
(07:58):
Have a dedicated agency liaison,as I mentioned before, on your
team.
And this person's not just gonnabridge the communication gap,
but also is gonna champion yourinternal strategic vision.
And can be the person I talkedabout who makes sure that
performance is really beingmeasured, using the right
metrics, deciding what should bein-house versus outsourced is
(08:21):
another balancing act.
And I think investing infull-time employees with
strategic insight, brandcontinuity culture, and all of
these things are important.
And then for tactical execution,I think it's great to have
external partners that can bereally effective in helping you
actually execute.
But I think it's all aboutplaying to your team's strengths
(08:44):
and making sure that they areeffectively conveying the right
information to and from youragency team.
So I think in order to help thisalong or facilitate this whole
process.
You'll need to utilizecollaboration tools that help to
align efforts.
So these could be tools thatlike, a shared project
(09:04):
management tool.
You have tools like Asana,Trello, you have so many tools
available on, the native systemsof Google and Microsoft.
But make sure that you do havean agreed upon tool and then use
these tools during your regularstrategy Syncs.
I cannot stress enough.
The importance of having thatpredetermined, centralized set
(09:28):
of tools or platforms that bothyour team and your agency
partners agree upon.
Because this is where you'regonna share documents and
assets.
You're gonna have project statusin one single place, single
source of truth.
You're gonna be able tocommunicate efficiently and
you're gonna be able to agree onsuccess criteria.
(09:48):
And then.
Really keeping your internalteam motivated is critical,
right?
Many of you have likely facedthe challenge of re-energizing a
group that's worn out or burntout from constantly managing
external partners.
It can get pretty, demanding andtiring.
And at the end of the day, youneed to encourage innovation by
(10:11):
giving your internal team spaceto experiment with new ideas.
So empower them with the righttools and then a clear vision so
that they feel invested in theoutcome rather than just giving
them directives to follow.
And I know it's easier said thandone, but I really do think
having regular time set asidewith your team to talk candidly
(10:32):
about agency partners and howit's going, if anything isn't
working, whether from acommunication performance or
alignment perspective.
It needs to be fixed beforethings get out of hand.
So having these internalcheck-ins very regularly is
critical.
Alright, that's a nice segueinto marketing, performance and
(10:56):
strategy.
So at the heart of everydiscussion is marketing
performance.
How do you align your effortswith the broader business
objectives?
The answer lies in a constantevaluation of impact versus
effort.
So it's essential to focus onhigh impact initiatives that
(11:18):
drive real business growth.
So I keep hammering this home,right?
The business growth needs tocome first.
We don't wanna be chasing vanitymetrics, so we need to really be
ensuring that the agency'scampaigns are scrutinized not
only for creative quality, butfor the ability to drive revenue
and ROI.
We touched on this earlier, butI again cannot stress it enough.
(11:43):
And then, in order to improveperformance and strategy, you've
got to identify theinefficiencies.
Inefficiencies are gonna creepup every now and then.
You're gonna start seeingrecurring areas where your time
and your budget are drained.
And often the answer lies in alack of integration between your
technology system.
(12:03):
So this is shifting focus nowinto MarTech and really doubling
down on your marketingtechnology systems.
If you can't tell if yourmarketing efforts are driving
quality leads, or you're notsure if sales are, coming out of
marketing efforts.
That's probably because there'sa big black hole between your
(12:24):
marketing dollars and thedollars that you are getting
back as revenue.
And this is a really tough onefor many marketing leaders, and
again, easier said than done,but I think embracing automation
and going after a really robustMarTech stack is going to help
streamline communication anddata sharing.
And then it will be easier toreport on performance and easier
(12:47):
to see.
What actually is driving goodvalue in terms of your marketing
program?
So make technology integrationsa priority initiative on your
roadmap, and then be smart aboutit.
So this could be, I would saythis could be the single most
effective action you'll take toimprove accountability, but also
(13:08):
to ensure that you have a realtime pulse on what's working and
what's not.
Finally on the subject ofperformance, as you plan your
marketing budget, find the rightbalance between national
branding and local franchiseessupport.
This decision should be guidedby clear data, so should
franchisees have more controlover their local budgets, or is
(13:30):
a centralized approach betterfor maintaining brand
consistency?
The best practices heretypically involve a mixed of
centralized strategy.
With localized execution that'ssupported by regular feedback
loops and performance data.
But depending on how mature yourbrand is, you could be ready for
more of a national, regional,and a local approach to
(13:51):
marketing.
And this one's a really bigrabbit hole that we could go
down.
So I'll save it for a futureepisode.
All right, let's move on toagency transition and
alternative approaches.
So sometimes the hard truth isthat an agency just isn't
cutting it.
Okay, when should you consider aswitch?
(14:13):
This is, again, a question thatI hear a lot.
Red flags might includepersistent under performance,
misalignment with your long-termstrategy or a breakdown in
communication.
So if you decide that a changeis needed, plan the transition
meticulously.
So be sure that you have an exitstrategy and a roadmap for
(14:33):
onboarding a new agency partnerto avoid disruption.
Obviously, this is.
A no brainer, but easier saidthan done.
So this is the third time I'msaying this.
It is easier said than done andreally does require courage and
conviction.
I would say if it's time to makethe change, then bite the
bullet.
Because one thing you shouldreally avoid is sticking with an
(14:54):
agency that's not the right fitfor you.
And you stick with them becauseyou feel like you have no other
option that can get verydangerous.
So I strongly urge you to justplay it calm and create that
exit strategy, create the plan,and then move on and find the
partner that's right for you.
(15:16):
There's also the question ofwhether to build more in-house
capabilities.
So this is another one that'scoming up a lot, which is, how
much of the work can we doin-house versus outsourcing to
an agency?
And I think bringing functionsin-house can lead to greater
control and potentially deeperbrand understanding.
But it also does come withrisks, and those risks are
(15:37):
primarily around resourceallocation and talent
availability.
So evaluate your internalcapabilities honestly.
Do you have the skills, thebandwidth, and the culture to
support a fully fledged internalmarketing team?
Usually a hybrid approach is themost effective, and you can
maintain strategic oversightinternally while leveraging
(15:59):
external expertise forexecution.
All right, and finally,franchisees and franchisee
involvement.
How do we look at this and.
Handle this whole layer ofcomplexity, right?
You need your franchisees notjust to follow directives, but
you need them to be activepartners in your marketing
(16:21):
strategy.
Again, communication here iskey, and I know most franchise
brands have regular franchiseemarketing meetings or workshops
where you can present casestudies, you can share data and
collaboratively refinestrategies.
But striking the right balancebetween that centralized control
and local autonomy is essential.
(16:44):
While franchisees running theirown campaigns might risk
inconsistent messaging and allof that Wild West, right?
The dangers of that, going crazyand not following brand
guidelines and everything thatcomes with that.
I also think too much of a rigidoversight.
Can stifle local creativity.
And after all, the magic in themarketing happens when you equip
(17:07):
those franchisees with, you knowhow to do local marketing at its
best, right?
And so this only comes withcompelling training, providing
some vivid success stories andreal world examples, and
mobilizing your franchisees tofully leverage the corporate
marketing resources for theirlocal efforts, while also
empowering them.
(17:28):
To offer valuable ideas andfeedback as true strategic
partners.
Phew.
That's a lot to be thinkingabout and staying on top of.
And it truly is a lot of platesto keep spinning at one time.
And really what makes the job ofa franchise CMO or marketing
leader such a wild ride?
And I completely understand andI completely empathize with each
(17:52):
and every one of you that aregoing through this right now.
If I had to give you one pieceof advice and I had to fix one
thing, the first thing that Iwould do is to create the clear
strategic alignment between youragency and your internal team.
So ask yourself, what's thesingle most impactful action you
(18:13):
can take today to improve thisalignment?
Many times we tend to struggleby treating agency relationships
and internal team management asseparate silos.
Instead, think of them asinterconnected pieces of the
same puzzle.
So streamline communication,clarify roles, leverage
(18:34):
technology, and mostimportantly, maintain a
proactive and strategic mindset.
I will say the strategiesdiscussed today aren't
necessarily new.
But to stay on top of all ofthem and be successful means you
will need to continually refinethem and be open to adapting and
evolving.
So whether you are re-energizingan existing team or evaluating a
(18:58):
long-term agency partnership,the key is to always keep your
overarching business objectivesfront and center.
Thanks for joining me on thepodcast today.
I hope these insights got youthinking and maybe sparked some
ideas for changing things up andtrying new approaches.
Until next time, keepchallenging the status quo and
striving for marketingexcellence.
Hello and welcome back to theVera Shafiq podcast.
Today we're gonna dive headfirstinto some of the most pressing
challenges that marketingleaders and CMOs face every day,
whether it's improving agencycommunication, tightening up
internal team alignment, orboosting overall marketing
performance.
I know many of you have tried amultitude of approaches.
(00:38):
And today's conversation is lessabout reinventing the wheel and
more about fine tuning whatworks.
And I wanted to share my dualhat experiences from both the
agency side and inside franchisebrand leadership.
So let's kick it off.
Let's start off with agencycommunication and alignment.
I've seen firsthand, as I'm sureyou have, that even when the
(01:01):
ideas of the agency are strongand the promise of stellar
results sounds solid, theexecution can often suffer if
there isn't a truly alignedrelationship.
So how do you establish a betterworking relationship with your
agency or agencies?
I think it begins with settingthe right expectations.
So establish a clear strategiccommunication cadence.
(01:25):
I think that's firstly thepriority, and that might mean
regular check-ins, but theseshould be not just status
updates, but true strategysessions.
So I think it's really importantto have the right people on
these sessions with your agency.
So before even signing acontract with an agency.
I strongly recommend that youfind out who you and your team
(01:47):
will be working with from astrategic perspective.
So who is that person or personswho are going to really lead and
guide the strategy and be on thesame page as what you need in
terms of driving positivebusiness outcomes.
So push for meeting with thatindividual or set of
individuals.
(02:08):
To understand if they reallywill be able to translate your
business needs into a well-oiledmachine.
And then when you meet with youragency for strategy sessions,
consider setting an agenda thatcovers your brand's long-term
objectives so that you make surethat your agency understands the
nuances of your franchise modeland growth plans.
(02:30):
After all, the ideal agencypartner isn't just here to
execute your campaigns, butreally is a partner in your
long-term vision.
So I really think that it'simportant that agenda is covered
way ahead of time.
And while you may have tosometimes address under
performance with your agency,this is obviously something that
may come up.
The key is to do soconstructively.
(02:53):
So define clear metrics, whetherthat's lead quality, conversion
rates, franchise engagementlevels, and then hold your
agency accountable against thesebenchmarks.
Always ask them, are theydelivering beyond just vanity
metrics and are they actuallydelivering positive business
outcomes?
(03:13):
Because one thing that I'vereally seen way too often is an
agency reporting on metrics thataren't representative of the
brands overarching businessgoals.
So you probably, you've seen itas well, right?
An agency might try and framethe results as positive by
celebrating things like hightraffic volume or.
Lots of page views or lots ofclicks, or even high engagement
(03:36):
when the true revenue driversreally aren't there.
So I really think you need tohave someone on your internal
team who's acutely sensitized tothis and understands the
pitfalls of, reporting on thewrong metrics.
And, this person should reallyunderstand that, how to spot
that this is happening, numberone.
(03:57):
And secondly, if it does happen,how can they put things back on
the right track in terms offollowing the metrics that
matter?
What about meeting structureswith your agency?
I've seen many CMOs strugglewith repetitive unproductive
meeting structures.
And I think the main challengeis trying to streamline the
(04:21):
sessions that you have with youragency.
On focusing on strategic issuesthat are really gonna move the
needle rather than doing mundaneupdates.
So ask yourself, what are thekey topics that drive real
value?
And then ensure that everymeeting includes a discussion of
these key topics.
So if your agency isn't yetfamiliar with the local
(04:43):
challenges that each of yourfranchisees faces, or if the
agency is still not quitehitting the mark in terms of
optimizing towards seasonalityor understanding some key
factors behind your industry, itmight be time for a bit of an
extra education or even aworkshop to get them up to
speed.
(05:03):
Sometimes the agency partnershipcan fall into a rut of spinning
wheels or going through themotions, and this happens quite
a lot when you know things havejust been running on.
Autopilot, set it and forget it.
And sometimes, these meetingscan get really caught up in the
weeds of so much minutia thatreally is not important to
(05:25):
driving results.
And then you'll find thatnothing substantial is getting
achieved with the marketingprogram.
So when you, you know, senseeven an inkling of this
happening, make sure that youhave.
Number one, a set of ears andeyes on the agency relationship
that can prevent this fromhappening.
So whether that's yourself asthe CMO or the director of
(05:46):
marketing or whoever that maybe, make sure you have that
really sharp set of ears andeyes on the agency.
And then lastly, there's theclassic dilemma.
Should you consolidate servicesunder one umbrella agency or
work with specialized teams?
I think each approach has itstrade-offs.
A consolidated agency can offercohesive strategy, but might
(06:10):
lack specialized local insights.
On the other hand, multiplespecialized agencies can provide
depth in their respective areas,but this may lead to
coordination, chaos.
So my advice is evaluate yourpriorities.
If integration and brandconsistency are top of your
list, then a single agency mightbe more effective.
(06:31):
But I also know how hard it isto find a single agency that
does everything well.
There's so many aspects ofmarketing that can be really
niche and specialized.
So local marketing, creativedevelopment strategy, brand
advertising.
And then you've got pr, you'vegot SEO, conversion rate
optimization, and then socialmedia management.
(06:52):
So if anyone knows of one agencythat is really.
Excellent at doing all of thesethings, then please send me the
information because I have yetto find one.
And so I think if you're trulyneeding hyper specialized
skills, which I think mostmature franchise brands are in
need of then multiple agencypartners is the way to go.
(07:15):
And that's, something that youcan definitely do and pull off
really well.
You just need to carefullymanage those multiple vendors
with a dedicated internalliaison.
All right.
Let's move on to internalmarketing team structure and
accountability.
So switching gears to yourinternal team, how should you
(07:36):
structure that for maximumefficiency?
I see one common pitfall iscreating a scenario where your
team feels like they'reintermediaries, right?
And they're just simplyshuttling information between
leadership and the agency.
And to avoid this, I would saydefine clear roles and
responsibilities.
(07:58):
Have a dedicated agency liaison,as I mentioned before, on your
team.
And this person's not just gonnabridge the communication gap,
but also is gonna champion yourinternal strategic vision.
And can be the person I talkedabout who makes sure that
performance is really beingmeasured, using the right
metrics, deciding what should bein-house versus outsourced is
(08:21):
another balancing act.
And I think investing infull-time employees with
strategic insight, brandcontinuity culture, and all of
these things are important.
And then for tactical execution,I think it's great to have
external partners that can bereally effective in helping you
actually execute.
But I think it's all aboutplaying to your team's strengths
(08:44):
and making sure that they areeffectively conveying the right
information to and from youragency team.
So I think in order to help thisalong or facilitate this whole
process.
You'll need to utilizecollaboration tools that help to
align efforts.
So these could be tools thatlike, a shared project
(09:04):
management tool.
You have tools like Asana,Trello, you have so many tools
available on, the native systemsof Google and Microsoft.
But make sure that you do havean agreed upon tool and then use
these tools during your regularstrategy Syncs.
I cannot stress enough.
The importance of having thatpredetermined, centralized set
(09:28):
of tools or platforms that bothyour team and your agency
partners agree upon.
Because this is where you'regonna share documents and
assets.
You're gonna have project statusin one single place, single
source of truth.
You're gonna be able tocommunicate efficiently and
you're gonna be able to agree onsuccess criteria.
(09:48):
And then.
Really keeping your internalteam motivated is critical,
right?
Many of you have likely facedthe challenge of re-energizing a
group that's worn out or burntout from constantly managing
external partners.
It can get pretty, demanding andtiring.
And at the end of the day, youneed to encourage innovation by
(10:11):
giving your internal team spaceto experiment with new ideas.
So empower them with the righttools and then a clear vision so
that they feel invested in theoutcome rather than just giving
them directives to follow.
And I know it's easier said thandone, but I really do think
having regular time set asidewith your team to talk candidly
(10:32):
about agency partners and howit's going, if anything isn't
working, whether from acommunication performance or
alignment perspective.
It needs to be fixed beforethings get out of hand.
So having these internalcheck-ins very regularly is
critical.
Alright, that's a nice segueinto marketing, performance and
(10:56):
strategy.
So at the heart of everydiscussion is marketing
performance.
How do you align your effortswith the broader business
objectives?
The answer lies in a constantevaluation of impact versus
effort.
So it's essential to focus onhigh impact initiatives that
(11:18):
drive real business growth.
So I keep hammering this home,right?
The business growth needs tocome first.
We don't wanna be chasing vanitymetrics, so we need to really be
ensuring that the agency'scampaigns are scrutinized not
only for creative quality, butfor the ability to drive revenue
and ROI.
We touched on this earlier, butI again cannot stress it enough.
(11:43):
And then, in order to improveperformance and strategy, you've
got to identify theinefficiencies.
Inefficiencies are gonna creepup every now and then.
You're gonna start seeingrecurring areas where your time
and your budget are drained.
And often the answer lies in alack of integration between your
technology system.
(12:03):
So this is shifting focus nowinto MarTech and really doubling
down on your marketingtechnology systems.
If you can't tell if yourmarketing efforts are driving
quality leads, or you're notsure if sales are, coming out of
marketing efforts.
That's probably because there'sa big black hole between your
(12:24):
marketing dollars and thedollars that you are getting
back as revenue.
And this is a really tough onefor many marketing leaders, and
again, easier said than done,but I think embracing automation
and going after a really robustMarTech stack is going to help
streamline communication anddata sharing.
And then it will be easier toreport on performance and easier
(12:47):
to see.
What actually is driving goodvalue in terms of your marketing
program?
So make technology integrationsa priority initiative on your
roadmap, and then be smart aboutit.
So this could be, I would saythis could be the single most
effective action you'll take toimprove accountability, but also
(13:08):
to ensure that you have a realtime pulse on what's working and
what's not.
Finally on the subject ofperformance, as you plan your
marketing budget, find the rightbalance between national
branding and local franchiseessupport.
This decision should be guidedby clear data, so should
franchisees have more controlover their local budgets, or is
(13:30):
a centralized approach betterfor maintaining brand
consistency?
The best practices heretypically involve a mixed of
centralized strategy.
With localized execution that'ssupported by regular feedback
loops and performance data.
But depending on how mature yourbrand is, you could be ready for
more of a national, regional,and a local approach to
(13:51):
marketing.
And this one's a really bigrabbit hole that we could go
down.
So I'll save it for a futureepisode.
All right, let's move on toagency transition and
alternative approaches.
So sometimes the hard truth isthat an agency just isn't
cutting it.
Okay, when should you consider aswitch?
(14:13):
This is, again, a question thatI hear a lot.
Red flags might includepersistent under performance,
misalignment with your long-termstrategy or a breakdown in
communication.
So if you decide that a changeis needed, plan the transition
meticulously.
So be sure that you have an exitstrategy and a roadmap for
(14:33):
onboarding a new agency partnerto avoid disruption.
Obviously, this is.
A no brainer, but easier saidthan done.
So this is the third time I'msaying this.
It is easier said than done andreally does require courage and
conviction.
I would say if it's time to makethe change, then bite the
bullet.
Because one thing you shouldreally avoid is sticking with an
(14:54):
agency that's not the right fitfor you.
And you stick with them becauseyou feel like you have no other
option that can get verydangerous.
So I strongly urge you to justplay it calm and create that
exit strategy, create the plan,and then move on and find the
partner that's right for you.
(15:16):
There's also the question ofwhether to build more in-house
capabilities.
So this is another one that'scoming up a lot, which is, how
much of the work can we doin-house versus outsourcing to
an agency?
And I think bringing functionsin-house can lead to greater
control and potentially deeperbrand understanding.
But it also does come withrisks, and those risks are
(15:37):
primarily around resourceallocation and talent
availability.
So evaluate your internalcapabilities honestly.
Do you have the skills, thebandwidth, and the culture to
support a fully fledged internalmarketing team?
Usually a hybrid approach is themost effective, and you can
maintain strategic oversightinternally while leveraging
(15:59):
external expertise forexecution.
All right, and finally,franchisees and franchisee
involvement.
How do we look at this and.
Handle this whole layer ofcomplexity, right?
You need your franchisees notjust to follow directives, but
you need them to be activepartners in your marketing
(16:21):
strategy.
Again, communication here iskey, and I know most franchise
brands have regular franchiseemarketing meetings or workshops
where you can present casestudies, you can share data and
collaboratively refinestrategies.
But striking the right balancebetween that centralized control
and local autonomy is essential.
(16:44):
While franchisees running theirown campaigns might risk
inconsistent messaging and allof that Wild West, right?
The dangers of that, going crazyand not following brand
guidelines and everything thatcomes with that.
I also think too much of a rigidoversight.
Can stifle local creativity.
And after all, the magic in themarketing happens when you equip
(17:07):
those franchisees with, you knowhow to do local marketing at its
best, right?
And so this only comes withcompelling training, providing
some vivid success stories andreal world examples, and
mobilizing your franchisees tofully leverage the corporate
marketing resources for theirlocal efforts, while also
empowering them.
(17:28):
To offer valuable ideas andfeedback as true strategic
partners.
Phew.
That's a lot to be thinkingabout and staying on top of.
And it truly is a lot of platesto keep spinning at one time.
And really what makes the job ofa franchise CMO or marketing
leader such a wild ride?
And I completely understand andI completely empathize with each
(17:52):
and every one of you that aregoing through this right now.
If I had to give you one pieceof advice and I had to fix one
thing, the first thing that Iwould do is to create the clear
strategic alignment between youragency and your internal team.
So ask yourself, what's thesingle most impactful action you
(18:13):
can take today to improve thisalignment?
Many times we tend to struggleby treating agency relationships
and internal team management asseparate silos.
Instead, think of them asinterconnected pieces of the
same puzzle.
So streamline communication,clarify roles, leverage
(18:34):
technology, and mostimportantly, maintain a
proactive and strategic mindset.
I will say the strategiesdiscussed today aren't
necessarily new.
But to stay on top of all ofthem and be successful means you
will need to continually refinethem and be open to adapting and
evolving.
So whether you are re-energizingan existing team or evaluating a
(18:58):
long-term agency partnership,the key is to always keep your
overarching business objectivesfront and center.
Thanks for joining me on thepodcast today.
I hope these insights got youthinking and maybe sparked some
ideas for changing things up andtrying new approaches.
Until next time, keepchallenging the status quo and
striving for marketingexcellence.
Popular Podcasts
On Purpose with Jay Shetty
I’m Jay Shetty host of On Purpose the worlds #1 Mental Health podcast and I’m so grateful you found us. I started this podcast 5 years ago to invite you into conversations and workshops that are designed to help make you happier, healthier and more healed. I believe that when you (yes you) feel seen, heard and understood you’re able to deal with relationship struggles, work challenges and life’s ups and downs with more ease and grace. I interview experts, celebrities, thought leaders and athletes so that we can grow our mindset, build better habits and uncover a side of them we’ve never seen before. New episodes every Monday and Friday. Your support means the world to me and I don’t take it for granted — click the follow button and leave a review to help us spread the love with On Purpose. I can’t wait for you to listen to your first or 500th episode!
The Breakfast Club
The World's Most Dangerous Morning Show, The Breakfast Club, With DJ Envy And Charlamagne Tha God!
The Joe Rogan Experience
The official podcast of comedian Joe Rogan.