In the agency business, there is always the possibility of winning and losing clients. Despite this, if you have the right processes in place, it should be possible to smoothly transition clients and maintain positive relationships regardless of the outcome.
The purpose of this article is to discuss best practices for onboarding new clients as well as offboarding those clients who leave so that the client experience can be improved, work can start quickly, and future referrals can be made easier.
First let’s explore the digital marketing client Onboarding and Offboarding procedure, which lays the groundwork for a fruitful collaboration and marketing plan.
What is Client Onboarding?
In digital marketing, client onboarding refers to the procedure of greeting new customers and making sure they have a seamless transition into a collaborative partnership. It entails being aware of the client’s objectives, target market, and business. Important actions include compiling pertinent data, defining key performance indicators (KPIs), defining clear objectives, and creating lines of communication.
Effective campaign planning and execution are made possible by a smooth onboarding process that guarantees alignment between the marketing team and the client and fosters trust.
What is Client Offboarding?
In digital marketing, client offboarding refers to the organized procedure of concluding a business engagement with a client. It entails completing all unfinished business, distributing any leftover materials, and making sure that platforms, accounts, and data are transferred without hiccups.
Important Phases in the Client Onboarding
- Kickoff phase: In this discovery phase, we conduct an initial consultation to determine the client’s goals, target audience, competitors, and overall needs for digital marketing.
- Strategy Development: After an initial discovery phase, a tailored marketing strategy is developed, which may include SEO, social media, content marketing, and paid advertising.
- Set up an account: Set up analytics platforms, social media accounts, and advertising channels as needed.
- Approval and Launch: Discuss the strategy with the client, make any necessary revisions, and launch the campaign.
Important Phases in the Client Offboarding
- Project Wind-Up: Provide performance reports highlighting results, successes, and insights from any ongoing campaigns.
- Knowledge Sharing: Share any remaining assets, such as social media posts, ad copy, and campaign data.
- Feedback & Transition: Gather feedback from clients regarding their experience and assist with the transition if necessary, to internal teams or another agency.
- Final Goodbye: Provide a professional thank-you note, express gratitude for the partnership, and invite the colleague to stay in touch for future projects.
Next, we will explore the effects that happen during client onboarding and offboarding in digital marketing to strengthen relationships and achieve successful outcomes.
Effective strategies for better results
Onboarding PPC Clients
Study the Business
It doesn’t matter whether you are learning a new business or working with your previous client, you should always consider two factors:
- In terms of language: In some cases, acronyms can be geared toward a specific vertical or industry and may be unique to that company. Each business has a culture and language unique to them. It is important to learn their language so that you can communicate with them.
- In terms of metrics: Delivering clicks or impressions is not main here there. You should understand the mechanisms that generate growth and profits for the business. You should not just be delivering search marketing services, but rather being a partner in their success. For you to achieve success, it is important to align with their KPIs, comprehend how they were set, and make use of them.
What to expect and what not
Since you are only getting to know them, you should be upfront about your working style and expectations. A capable project and account management team can excel in this situation.
- How often do you conduct meetings with them?
- Are you keeping up with the deadlines they provide?
- Are fees included in the budget that you have been given?
Make sure you don’t assume anything about these things.
Be curious about the client
You may not be responsible for creating landing pages and producing material, but the method by which those tasks are completed is crucial to your business’s success.
Even if anything seems unrelated to your task, you can share your suggestions with the client. The customer service and sales departments are the most frequently used options on a website, make sure they are actually working, since it is used by the audience.
It is not your responsibility but you should be concerned because it aids in bringing up objections that need to be addressed in order to close a deal.
Offboarding PPC Clients
Rule that rules
Let’s put yourself in the shoes of your client, how would you expect to be treated? Have you ever thought about this? Or have you overlooked this?
When a client decides to leave this could fall under one of the reasons.
You may wonder if it actually matters that much. Well yes, it is essential to regard such situations purely as business matters. But you should also keep in mind that the future remains uncertain.
As a leading digital marketing agency we firmly believe in the principle of treating all our clients well, if we wouldn’t have done that we wouldn’t have received many opportunities.
Sharing is healthy
Sharing can quite feel challenging, as there is a natural inclination to perceive one’s work as exclusive and distinct. While some aspects of it may indeed be original and specialized, it is crucial to recognize that the client may not always appreciate its value to the same extent.
When a client decides to part ways, you should involve the consideration of facilitating a smooth transition by ensuring they have access to their data and accounts.
The choice to share resources and support clients during transitions not only fosters trust but also strengthens the foundation for potential referrals in the future.
Get Feedback
Although losing a client is not enjoyable, it can serve as a valuable teaching moment. Why did this company decide to close its doors? What else might you have done?
- Did you fail to present a convincing narrative about your job or the prevailing market forces?
- Is this feedback consistent with other accounts belonging to the same team or with similar makeup?
- Is there any way you can take the initiative in your recent business victories?
Handle client transition respectfully.
While it is inevitable that clients will come and go in the agency world, there are best practices that can be implemented to seamlessly onboard new clients and gracefully offboard those who leave, in order to reduce bad impressions, build positive relationships, and generate referrals.
By asking for feedback during transitions, you can build trust and enable future success within your agency. The right process can help your agency to make the process of saying hello and goodbye as smooth as possible.
These are the few things to consider at the time of welcoming and departing a client.
Conclusion
In short, a good digital marketing plan must include both client onboarding and offboarding. By establishing clear communication and coordinating goals, a well-organized onboarding process paves the way for a strong collaboration.
On the other hand, a well-thought-out offboarding procedure guarantees a seamless transfer, providing clients with a favorable impression and insightful information. The significance of relationship management in building trust and satisfaction is emphasized by both procedures.
Businesses can improve customer retention, foster recommendations and establish a strong reputation in the field by devoting time and resources to these phases, all of which will eventually lead to long-term success.
