Agencies are responsible for making sure their clients achieve a return on their investment in the strategic initiatives they develop together. However, there are times when clients fail to see the outcomes they expected for the money and time they’ve devoted, which can lead them to feel disappointed in their agency partners.
Clearly communicating and setting appropriate expectations can help agencies get on the same page with clients before beginning work on a campaign. Below, 20 Forbes Agency Council members explore common reasons why agency clients fail to see the outcomes they’re seeking, along with effective steps agencies can take to ensure the ROI aligns with client expectations.
1. The Client Doesn’t Understand What The Agency Does
Failure to see or appreciate the ROI is directly linked to the client’s level of understanding of what the agency does and its value in terms of reputation and financial benefit. In PR, outcomes are often intangible. For example, how can you put a price tag on averting reputational damage? Clients who know or are willing to learn how the discipline works will see the ROI. – Carol Levine, energi PR Inc
2. The Client Lacks Brand Credibility
Many companies focus solely on advertising and promotional activities, without giving due attention to building a strong brand presence and credibility. This can result in campaigns that fail to resonate with the target audience and ultimately do not deliver the desired return on investment. – Taha Elghanai, PUR3 Branding
3. The Client Lacks Full Executive Buy-In On The Investment
In our experience, clients fail to see the ROI they seek because they do not have full executive buy-in on their PR investment. You can’t have a successful PR program without the support of key client stakeholders. This is something that should be discussed in negotiations, long before a contract is signed. PR is a team effort and should not be considered an afterthought by the internal team—ROI will not happen this way. – Catherine Seeds, Ketner Group Communications
4. The Client Expects To Generate Media Buzz Too Soon
Clients might fail to see the ROI they are looking for if they sign on too early in the development process. New companies are, understandably, often eager to begin marketing and generating media buzz right away. We have to remind them that it’s difficult to do so effectively until they have completed the early stages of business development and are nearly ready to launch. – Evan Nison, NisonCo
5. Reasonable Expectations Aren’t Discussed Up Front
When clear objectives and reasonable expectations aren’t discussed at the outset of a partnership, expectations become murky. Setting clear key performance indicators and explaining the “why” behind your efforts while connecting your PR strategy to your clients’ goals will help you better collaborate and communicate ROI more effectively. – Heather Kelly, Next PR
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6. There Is A Learning Curve Around Timelines And Metrics
In my experience, the client’s unrealistic expectations about timelines and metrics are one reason. As an agency, a solution we always implement is setting up SMART goals, educating the client on ROI calculation, communicating regularly and transparently, and showcasing the value of our work. There is always a learning curve, but once we overcome it, we end up with a client who trusts us. – Frank Rojas, Qode Media Inc.
7. Goals And Metrics Are Not Established From The Start
One of the main reasons clients fail to see ROI is the absence of clear goals and metrics, because agencies and clients have not established specific objectives and measurable indicators from the start. To address this, it is crucial for agencies to proactively work with clients to define and align goals and KPIs before initiating any marketing campaign. – Paula Celestino, SPRK Media Group Inc.
8. Expectations And Goals Are Misaligned On Both Sides
Often, it’s a misalignment in expectations and goals across the board, from individual projects all the way to the long-term growth strategies for both companies, that prevents clients from seeing the ROI. To be sustainable, ROI must be reciprocal. Share risk and reward. Strategize, have difficult conversations and grow together. When both parties value transparency over the transaction, we all win. – TJ Martin, Cramer
9. Clients Don’t Communicate Successes To The Agency
By far, the biggest reason for a lack of ROI is a lack of client attribution of the success we deliver being effectively communicated back to the agency. We provide all lead-generation clients with a dashboard that is simple for their team to use to score and report on the revenue of each and every lead we send their way. Our SEO and PPC teams monitor this daily to make adjustments and bring more good leads and signed clients. – Patrick Dillon, WISE Digital Partners
10. The Client Bases ROI Solely On Immediate Conversion
Seeking ROI in the digital marketplace is the primary objective of every market participant. Savvy businesses do not base ROI solely on immediate conversion, but also on customer lifetime value. The ROI of an ad budget based on immediate transactions will be disappointing for most. Every digital ad campaign should be followed by a nurturing strategy to drive up LTV and generate serious ROI. – Andy Etemadi, EYEMAGINE
11. The Client Omits Key Items From The Project Scope
Clients sometimes omit key items from the project scope to save on budget, but these are often essential to achieving maximal ROI. For example, if clients forgo market research to validate messaging or creativity, the final assets may not resonate or perform as well. Similarly, many clients launch campaigns without investing in building out key value pieces for lead bait that would increase conversion. – Jill Collins, Audacity Health
12. The Client Doesn’t Get Involved Or Share Accountability
A key reason for clients not seeing expected ROI is a lack of involvement and shared accountability with their agency. Instead of fully delegating, clients should actively participate in collaboration, planning and implementation to achieve their desired ROI. A business cannot expect an agency that does not live and breathe their business to build and be their business for them. – Vinny La Barbera, imFORZA
13. Clients Analyze Inappropriate Metrics And Unreliable Data
Using incorrect measures or subjectively selected metrics can result in inaccurate data, leading to flawed ROI analysis. To tackle this issue proactively, educate clients on appropriate metrics, ensure reliable data sampling, set realistic expectations and maintain open communication. This can improve the accuracy of ROI measurement and increase the likelihood of obtaining reliable insights. – Goran Paun, ArtVersion
14. Clients Expect Both Compounding Revenue And ROAS
I find that, generally, clients set themselves up for failure when they expect compounding revenue growth and compounding growth in return on ad spend. These two things are usually, but not always, mutually exclusive. This is a very tricky thing to navigate, and there is no fixed, one-size-fits-all answer. And of course, some agency somewhere will lie and say, “Yes, we can do both!” Such is life. – Brook Shepard, Mason Interactive
15. The Client’s Audience Is Not Identified And Segmented
Effective audience building is an important part of campaign ROI. One of the biggest marketing ROI setbacks is the failure to identify and segment the audience of decision-makers who are most relevant to your offers. To overcome this, marketers can elevate audience-building and make it more accurate at scale using tools such as deterministic identity graphs, intent monitoring and audience mirroring. – Paula Chiocchi, Outward Media, Inc.
16. Clients’ Previous Agencies Promised To Do Too Much
Typically, clients will have been let down by previous agencies promising the world and failing to deliver on their promises. As such, clients have expectations that aren’t feasible. It’s about being open, up front and honest from the get-go, showing what is possible, offering guarantees that we will hit those numbers, and furthering goals project by project as we continue to learn what works. – James Hacking, Socially Powerful
17. The Agency Accepts Client Goals Without Researching
ROI is hard to measure when the objective isn’t a lead or sale or the buying process is complicated. With fragmented media and intense direct and indirect competition, the process of driving conversions for most products and services isn’t getting simpler. Agencies shouldn’t take the client’s objective at face value. Dig into the customer journey and advocate for research when none exists. – Eric Gilbertsen, REQ
18. Clients Want Instant Results
It’s natural to want instant results, but a good agency can help a company plan and execute a long-term strategy. It all starts with a written plan addressing key areas, such as target ROI, strategies and tactics, key stakeholders and a timeline with action items. A good agency can help bring an outside perspective to this exercise, along with best practices from prior client engagements. – Justin Belmont, Prose
19. The Agency Hasn’t Defined The Vocabulary Of Metrics
Defining the vocabulary of metrics is critical. Bottom-line impacts come in many forms: direct and indirect, and short-term and long-term. For example, initiatives that create a social impact in communities where a company operates can deliver a return on reputation. Agencies can underscore the impacts this has on shoring up day-to-day license-to-operate issues and building lasting resiliency. – Bess Winston, Winston Agency, a FINN Partners Company
20. The Distinction Between Brand And Performance Marketing Isn’t Clear
It’s important to clarify the distinction between brand and performance marketing up front. When clients look to measure ROI, they are often thinking primarily in terms of the latter—which, by definition, is more tactical and measurable. Brand marketing is a long-term investment that is best measured over time and in a broader context than a click or conversion. – Howard Breindel, DeSantis Breindel
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