{"id":5821,"date":"2022-09-01T10:02:59","date_gmt":"2022-09-01T10:02:59","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/craighordlow.com\/index.php\/2022\/09\/01\/7-tips-for-transitioning-from-in-house-marketing-to-agency-life\/"},"modified":"2022-09-01T10:02:59","modified_gmt":"2022-09-01T10:02:59","slug":"7-tips-for-transitioning-from-in-house-marketing-to-agency-life","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/craighordlow.com\/index.php\/2022\/09\/01\/7-tips-for-transitioning-from-in-house-marketing-to-agency-life\/","title":{"rendered":"7 tips for transitioning from in-house marketing to agency life"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>Have you been working in an in-house marketing role and considering a switch to agency life?<\/p>\n<p>Agencies are great because you can gain exposure to various types of businesses and learn to optimize against different marketing objectives. But they\u2019re also fast-paced and come with significant differences relative to working in an in-house marketing role.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>One of the most significant differences between in-house marketing and agency life is that you may be responsible for several accounts at once and need to focus on time and attention management more than ever.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>Making the switch to agency life can be a little intimidating, especially if you\u2019ve been working in-house or focused on one brand for a long time. <\/p>\n<p>The following seven tips can help you hit the ground running so that your agency career is as awesome as you hope it will be.<\/p>\n<div id=\"ez-toc-container\" class=\"ez-toc-v2_0_81 counter-hierarchy ez-toc-counter ez-toc-grey ez-toc-container-direction\">\n<div class=\"ez-toc-title-container\">\n<p class=\"ez-toc-title\" style=\"cursor:inherit\">Table of Contents<\/p>\n<span class=\"ez-toc-title-toggle\"><a href=\"#\" class=\"ez-toc-pull-right ez-toc-btn ez-toc-btn-xs ez-toc-btn-default ez-toc-toggle\" aria-label=\"Toggle Table of Content\"><span class=\"ez-toc-js-icon-con\"><span class=\"\"><span class=\"eztoc-hide\" style=\"display:none;\">Toggle<\/span><span class=\"ez-toc-icon-toggle-span\"><svg style=\"fill: #999;color:#999\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" class=\"list-377408\" width=\"20px\" height=\"20px\" viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\" fill=\"none\"><path d=\"M6 6H4v2h2V6zm14 0H8v2h12V6zM4 11h2v2H4v-2zm16 0H8v2h12v-2zM4 16h2v2H4v-2zm16 0H8v2h12v-2z\" fill=\"currentColor\"><\/path><\/svg><svg style=\"fill: #999;color:#999\" class=\"arrow-unsorted-368013\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" width=\"10px\" height=\"10px\" viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\" version=\"1.2\" baseProfile=\"tiny\"><path d=\"M18.2 9.3l-6.2-6.3-6.2 6.3c-.2.2-.3.4-.3.7s.1.5.3.7c.2.2.4.3.7.3h11c.3 0 .5-.1.7-.3.2-.2.3-.5.3-.7s-.1-.5-.3-.7zM5.8 14.7l6.2 6.3 6.2-6.3c.2-.2.3-.5.3-.7s-.1-.5-.3-.7c-.2-.2-.4-.3-.7-.3h-11c-.3 0-.5.1-.7.3-.2.2-.3.5-.3.7s.1.5.3.7z\"\/><\/svg><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/a><\/span><\/div>\n<nav><ul class='ez-toc-list ez-toc-list-level-1 ' ><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-1\" href=\"https:\/\/craighordlow.com\/index.php\/2022\/09\/01\/7-tips-for-transitioning-from-in-house-marketing-to-agency-life\/#1_Adhere_to_the_8020_rule\" >1. Adhere to the 80\/20 rule<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-2\" href=\"https:\/\/craighordlow.com\/index.php\/2022\/09\/01\/7-tips-for-transitioning-from-in-house-marketing-to-agency-life\/#2_Plan_your_schedule_to_create_room_for_ad_hoc_work\" >2. Plan your schedule to create room for ad hoc work<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-3\" href=\"https:\/\/craighordlow.com\/index.php\/2022\/09\/01\/7-tips-for-transitioning-from-in-house-marketing-to-agency-life\/#3_Get_comfortable_working_with_imperfect_information\" >3. Get comfortable working with imperfect information<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-4\" href=\"https:\/\/craighordlow.com\/index.php\/2022\/09\/01\/7-tips-for-transitioning-from-in-house-marketing-to-agency-life\/#4_Sync_with_your_peers_to_get_up_to_speed_quickly\" >4. Sync with your peers to get up to speed quickly<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-5\" href=\"https:\/\/craighordlow.com\/index.php\/2022\/09\/01\/7-tips-for-transitioning-from-in-house-marketing-to-agency-life\/#5_Respond_quickly_without_dropping_other_priorities\" >5. Respond quickly without dropping other priorities<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-6\" href=\"https:\/\/craighordlow.com\/index.php\/2022\/09\/01\/7-tips-for-transitioning-from-in-house-marketing-to-agency-life\/#6_Control_the_conversation_by_planning\" >6. Control the conversation by planning<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-7\" href=\"https:\/\/craighordlow.com\/index.php\/2022\/09\/01\/7-tips-for-transitioning-from-in-house-marketing-to-agency-life\/#7_Learn_to_track_your_time\" >7. Learn to track your time<\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/nav><\/div>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"1_Adhere_to_the_8020_rule\"><\/span>1. Adhere to the 80\/20 rule<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p>One of the most important things in any agency is working quickly and efficiently. It\u2019s helpful to timebox yourself and think about where the 80\/20 rule applies. This is where I\u2019ve seen people struggle the most during a transition from corporate life, especially on smaller client accounts where hours are limited.<\/p>\n<p>For example, a client may have a 20-hour-per-month contract, and you have to deliver as much value as possible using those hours. Approach the problem this way \u2013 delivering several things at 80% will likely add more value to their business than going 100% on one thing.<\/p>\n<p>For example, you could spend two hours researching keywords to target and get a lot of the information you need <strong>or<\/strong> spend five hours and come up with some additional words you may not work on for six months. Think of what else you could do with the extra three hours that might be more valuable than additional keyword research.<\/p>\n<p>Another rabbit hole is doing competitive backlink research. Spend a couple of hours developing an initial target list, but be realistic about what you\u2019ll use over the next few months.<\/p>\n<p>It\u2019s easy to keep digging and lose track of time when something doesn\u2019t have a finite end (like <a href=\"https:\/\/searchengineland.com\/keyword-research-key-element-seo-content-marketing-246418\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">keyword research<\/a> or <a href=\"https:\/\/searchengineland.com\/search-competitor-analysis-backlinks-keywords-pages-257341\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">reviewing backlinks<\/a>), so block an hour or two to work on it and then see how you feel about the results. <\/p>\n<p>You\u2019ll want to think about delivering value constantly and consistently. Remember that every day you hold back or delay sharing information is a day that clients can\u2019t move forward in growing their businesses and achieving their goals, so don\u2019t overthink things and aim for \u201cperfect!\u201d<\/p>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"2_Plan_your_schedule_to_create_room_for_ad_hoc_work\"><\/span>2. Plan your schedule to create room for ad hoc work<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p>Managing simultaneous clients can be daunting for people coming over from in-house marketing roles. I\u2019d recommend blocking meetings out on your calendar with specific tasks assigned to each. It\u2019s even better if you can book recurring meetings at the same time each week to build a rhythm.<\/p>\n<p>For example, \u201cClient A content briefs\u201d every Monday at 2 p.m. or \u201cClient B weekly report\u201d on Wednesday at 3 p.m.<em>\u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n<p>If you can plan out 80% of your time, this should allow you to absorb ad hoc requests from your manager, colleagues, or clients without them getting in the way of completing your projects.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>Friday afternoon is a great time to plan out the following week so that you don\u2019t stress about it over the weekend!<\/p>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"3_Get_comfortable_working_with_imperfect_information\"><\/span>3. Get comfortable working with imperfect information<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p>When you work in-house, it\u2019s easy to put things off until you get all the information you need from your colleagues or your research. <\/p>\n<p>However, you have to get comfortable working with imperfect information when you work for an agency. This might include not receiving information about audience demographics, a rough estimate of cost-per-lead targets, or historical performance data.<\/p>\n<p>You will rarely get everything you need from a client. It\u2019s essential to move forward and work around constraints. Waiting for all data will lead to burning through days and weeks on projects that generally already have tight timelines.<\/p>\n<p>Think of your time as perishable inventory or like an unsold hotel room \u2013 once the day passes, it\u2019s gone, and there\u2019s no getting it back.<\/p>\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-text-color has-background has-cyan-bluish-gray-background-color has-cyan-bluish-gray-color\">\n<p><!-- START INLINE FORM --><\/p>\n<div class=\"nl-inline-form border py-2 px-1 my-2\">\n<div class=\"row align-items-center\">\n<div class=\"col-12 col-lg-3 col-xl-4 pe-md-0 pb-2 pb-lg-0\">\n<p class=\"inline-form-text text-center mb-0\">Get the daily newsletter search marketers rely on.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<div class=\"col-12 col-lg-7 col-xl-6  pe-lg-0\">\n<div class=\"form-nl-inline\">\n<div class=\"row g-0\">\n<div class=\"form-group col-12 col-lg-8 mb-0\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"col-12 col-lg-4 col-xl-4 mb-0\">\n<div class=\"d-none\">\n<p>Processing&#8230;Please wait.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<button class=\"btn btn-dark inlineButton w-100 rounded-0 font-weight-bold\" type=\"submit\" name=\"submit_button\">SUBSCRIBE<\/button>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<div class=\"col-12 col-lg-2 col-xl-2 ps-1\">\n<p class=\"text-center mb-0\"><a class=\"nl-terms\" href=\"https:\/\/searchengineland.com\/termsofuse\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">See terms.<\/a><\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p><!-- END INLINE FORM --><\/p>\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-text-color has-background has-cyan-bluish-gray-background-color has-cyan-bluish-gray-color\">\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"4_Sync_with_your_peers_to_get_up_to_speed_quickly\"><\/span>4. Sync with your peers to get up to speed quickly<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p>When you work for an agency, you should get comfortable with the fact that sometimes \u201cand other duties as assigned\u201d may be the biggest part of your job and that you might enter a project or take over a client mid-stream.<\/p>\n<p>Usually, it\u2019s faster to learn about a new industry or client by listening to what your peers have already figured out rather than trying to get up to speed on everything by yourself.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>Peers may be able to communicate enough background information in a one-hour call to get you started, where it would otherwise take you hours to dig through all of the original materials or old emails.<\/p>\n<p>This is tougher if the person you\u2019re taking over has already left. In that case, you may want to ask for a copy of an original kick-off document, dig through Slack, or review the past four or five weekly \/ monthly reports.<\/p>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"5_Respond_quickly_without_dropping_other_priorities\"><\/span>5. Respond quickly without dropping other priorities<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p>Offering high-touch service doesn\u2019t mean dropping everything or your existing commitments for ad hoc requests. Responding to an email, text, or Slack immediately can disrupt your workflow \u2013 unless it\u2019s a true emergency (like a site outage, broken data feed or similar issue).<\/p>\n<p>While clients (and colleagues) expect that you\u2019ll communicate promptly, don\u2019t confuse offering excellent service with doing the work immediately.<\/p>\n<p>Schedule time to check your email and Slack (or similar) several times throughout the day, and get familiar with sending these types of responses:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>\u201cGot it! When do you need this by?\u201d<\/li>\n<li>\u201cI can get it to you by the 15th \u2013 will that work?\u201d<\/li>\n<li>\u201cSure thing. I\u2019m tied up this week but can start on that on Tuesday. Is that okay with you?\u201d<\/li>\n<li>\u201cConfirming I got your email. Unfortunately, we can\u2019t commit to getting this done in the time frame you need. We\u2019ll do our best but can definitely get it to you by Friday. Please let me know if that will work for you.\u201d<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>You can preserve your relationships by learning to set realistic timeframes and sticking with your other commitments. Juggling conflicting priorities is tough \u2013 make sure you don\u2019t confuse \u201cimportant\u201d with \u201curgent.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>If you have multiple emails from clients with different requests, you may want to consolidate the answers into a single email. Consolidating different threads should help reduce the number of responses you get back!<\/p>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"6_Control_the_conversation_by_planning\"><\/span>6. Control the conversation by planning<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p>A surefire way to make an impression with your colleagues and clients is to plan ahead. As an in-house marketer, you were likely either just tackling whatever felt most important, getting ready for seasonal spikes, or doing analysis. <\/p>\n<p>Clients will look to you to push them forward in their marketing \u2013 that\u2019s why they\u2019ve hired an agency!<\/p>\n<p>Here are a couple of planning opportunities:\u00a0<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Early in the month, or ahead of it: Ask clients if there are any important product launches, meetings, or conversations that they\u2019ll need help with (i.e., board meeting) so you can plan accordingly<\/li>\n<li>Build 30-, 60- and 90-day plans and get alignment with clients on tests, projects and initiatives. Plan for most likely scenarios. You can always pull things forward, but it looks worse to push things out.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>This also works really well with organizing your schedule \u2013 once you have an approved 30-, 60- or 90-day plan, you can block time out on your calendar to get the work done on time.<\/p>\n<p>Plans inspire confidence and let clients know you\u2019re thinking ahead, not just reacting to their requests.\u00a0<\/p>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"7_Learn_to_track_your_time\"><\/span>7. Learn to track your time<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p>This is one of the most challenging things for people transitioning into agencies from in-house roles, but it\u2019s important. Time tracking helps agency leaders plan for capacity and staffing, understand client profitability, and bill clients accurately.<\/p>\n<p>I\u2019ve found it easiest to track in real-time, leaving a browser tab with the time tracking tool (e.g., Harvest, Toggl) open next to my email so it\u2019s always visible. But, as I suggested earlier, you can also track your time at the end of the day or week if you block projects out of your calendar.<\/p>\n<p>Agencies also keep an eye on utilization and billable time, so keeping up with time tracking will help ensure you get \u201ccredit\u201d for your hard work!<\/p>\n<p>The post <a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" href=\"https:\/\/searchengineland.com\/transition-in-house-marketing-agency-387654\" target=\"_blank\">7 tips for transitioning from in-house marketing to agency life<\/a> appeared first on <a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" href=\"https:\/\/searchengineland.com\/\" target=\"_blank\">Search Engine Land<\/a>.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Have you been working in an in-house marketing role and considering a switch to agency life? Agencies are great because you can gain exposure to various types of businesses and learn to optimize against different marketing objectives. But they\u2019re also fast-paced and come with significant differences relative to working in an in-house marketing role.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 One of the most significant differences between in-house marketing and agency life is that you may be responsible for several accounts at once and need to focus on time and attention management [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":0,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"h5ap_radio_sources":[],"cybocfi_hide_featured_image":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-5821","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-best-seo-blogs"],"featured_image_src":null,"featured_image_src_square":null,"author_info":{"display_name":false,"author_link":"https:\/\/craighordlow.com\/author\/"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/craighordlow.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5821","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/craighordlow.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/craighordlow.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/craighordlow.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=5821"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/craighordlow.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5821\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/craighordlow.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=5821"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/craighordlow.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=5821"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/craighordlow.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=5821"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}