Listen now on YouTube, Spotify, and Apple.

—

Sarah Aird-Mash runs one of my favorite design and marketing communications agencies, and even finds time to run a nonprofit, Together Equal, in her free time.

Here’s some of my takeaways from this week’s episode…

1/ 🎯 Clarity Beats Complexity: Keep briefs short and focused on a single message. A good brief answers: Who are you talking to? What do they need to know? What’s your single-minded message? What are your KPIs? Supporting docs can be lengthy, but core brief must be crystal clear.

2/ 🤝 Chemistry Rules Agency Selection: Look beyond portfolios when choosing agencies. Focus on team chemistry, communication style, and listening skills. Red flags: agencies that badmouth competitors or showcase senior leadership that won’t work on your account.

3/ 📊 Data Democracy Demands Trust: Agency/client relationships often break down over data access. Solution: Define clear KPIs upfront and establish what data can be shared. This creates accountability without compromising confidential info.

4/ 💪 Project Management Is Your Secret Weapon: Success hinges on consistent updates and timeline adherence. Keep everything in writing, use a single source of truth (like a simple spreadsheet), and maintain transparent communication channels.

5/ 🌱 Scale Smart with Freelancers: Use freelancers to handle growth spurts while evaluating long-term needs. Don’t rely on permanent freelance relationships; instead, use them as a bridge while building permanent team capacity.

6/ 🎭 Agency vs In-House Balance: In-house teams excel at quick-turn production work and data response, while agencies often attract top creative talent wanting diverse projects. Consider a hybrid model: in-house for production, agency for creative innovation.

7/ 🎓 CMO Reality Check: Many companies can’t afford experienced CMOs, leading to title inflation. Consider fractional CMOs with broad experience (brand, performance, omnichannel) as a cost-effective alternative to hiring underqualified full-time leaders.

8/ 🔄 Client Partnership > Service Provider: The best agency relationships function as true partnerships. Share business context, maintain open communication, and treat agencies as extensions of your marketing team rather than mere vendors.

—

Where to find Sarah Aird-Mash:

* How to brief an agency: https://hubs.ly/Q03Hz_qZ0

* How to choose an agency: https://hubs.ly/Q03Hz_K50

* LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/sarahairdmash/

—

In this episode, we cover:

00:00 The Importance of Clear Communication02:30 Agency vs In-House Experience05:34 Managing Client and Agency Dynamics09:17 Writing Effective Creative Briefs13:27 Choosing the Right Agency Partner18:51 Project Management Best Practices24:43 Building Company Culture27:17 Starting and Growing an Agency31:35 Early Agency Success Stories34:37 Project Management Skills39:07 Tools and Systems for Client Management42:26 Lightning Round Questions

—

Obligatory disclaimer: I've worked at YouTube and Google for about a decade in various marketing teams. Nothing I say in my personal spaces is necessarily endorsed by them.

This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit horizonspod.substack.com