Want better marketing results? Learn how top-performing businesses get the most from their marketing team with these three simple strategies. Read the full blog to start optimizing your approach today
At the time of writing this, Launch Kit's been in business for 8,723 days (but who’s counting?). Since Launch Kit was founded on April 1, 2020, we’ve had the opportunity to work with over 100 businesses to help share their stories online.
Along the way, we’ve taken notes on what separates our top-performing clients from the pack. Today, I’m compiling three findings to help you get better results from your digital marketing agency—whether you work with us or another marketing team.
You’re the expert in your business. We’re the experts in marketing. When we work with a client, we ask for insights on business objectives. This keeps us up to speed on which direction the ship is sailing and what the priorities are at this time. We don't need you to bear the responsibility of creating the next marketing campaign; we've got that part covered as long as you provide us with which direction to run.
The best results happen when a marketing team has the freedom to lead creative strategy and execution. Our goal is to efficiently create, analyze, refine, and optimize campaigns that are directly in line with business objectives. To pull this off, all we ask is that you keep us updated on the latest business objectives so that we can do our job effectively.
You can’t improve what you don’t measure. You’d be surprised how many businesses we work with that don’t have clear business goals or systems to track performance.
Yogi Berra said it best: “If you don’t know where you’re going, you might not get there.”
The good news? There’s a simple, free solution you can start using today—our Marketing Scorecard Template. If you're not already a Launch Kit client, that's cool; you can still make your own scorecard using our template link here.
Using a marketing scorecard ensures that everyone on your team is on the same page about key performance indicators (KPIs) and objectives. It’s easy to assume that everyone knows what’s important, but priorities get lost in the day-to-day shuffle. Just because you thought about it doesn’t mean your team knows it’s a focus.
A key takeaway here is to choose the right KPIs. Poorly chosen metrics can drive the wrong behavior. Early on, I made this mistake at Launch Kit. I built a compensation model based on commission from recurring revenue. I thought this would motivate the team, but instead, it incentivized them to keep taking on more clients rather than focus on quality work. Over time, that would have hurt both our team and our clients. Lesson learned. That model is long gone.
The bottom line? Be intentional about the KPIs you set—they shape the behavior of your team and the long-term success of your business.
A good marketing strategy isn’t a one-time effort—it’s an ongoing system. Just because your brand reaches a certain level of awareness doesn’t mean you stop advertising.
There’s a reason McDonald’s still runs billboards, and Ford still invests in TV commercials. Marketing isn’t a sprint; it’s a long-term play. Think of it like going to the gym. One great workout won’t change much. But three workouts a week for three years? That moves the needle.
The most successful businesses we work with take the time to understand their marketing process. They:
When you engage with your marketing team in a structured, intentional way, you empower them to do their best work. You’ll also see better results faster.
As I was writing this, I came up with nine more takeaways. Rather than turn this into a novel, we’re calling this Part 1—stay tuned for Part 2.
We’ve had a blast helping businesses across the U.S. build their online presence and grow. Sharing these insights is a way to help more businesses apply what works.
At the end of the day, business leaders aren’t paid to be right—we’re paid to be successful. That means staying open-minded, learning, and adapting along the way.
Each year, we take a fresh look at the various marketing efforts a small business can make. We've built this framework to get started optimizing your business's online presence.
