The rush of pitching a new creative campaign, the late nights tweaking copy or putting final touches on a pitch deck and the feeling of accomplishment when the results show real impact for a client’s bottom line. We know them all, all too well. And from that experience and in our work every day with our agency customers, we have seen the time, creativity and commitment that agencies put in to deliver clients the best and most creative campaigns possible. We’ve also seen that running and working at an agency brings its own challenges. From managing the day to day on client projects, to staying on top of the most recent trends in the industry, to working through new pitches, proposals and project requests … the work can pile up. In many ways, all agency team members are responsible for sourcing new business, executing on the client services cycles and growing client relationships: And as the martech ecosystem continues to grow, the options for agencies and clients are endless. Managing an agency’s or a client’s ever-growing tech stack can quickly shift your role from client service provider to tool manager.
The agency <> client opportunity
Research on how and when clients outsource work to agencies tells us that the biggest challenge in front of marketing agencies is meeting the client’s expectations and proving value. And data from our social media and digital marketing agency customers tell us that the most common pain points for agencies are to meet client expectations and continue to educate on the value of the services provided.
For those agencies that provide social media services as part of their digital marketing offering, that expectation-to-value gap is even more prominent. In the Sprout Social Index Edition XV, 90% of social marketers agree that investing in social media has a direct impact on their business revenue, yet communicating its value across departments remains their largest roadblock. So, how do social media and digital marketing agencies deliver on client expectations and prove the value of their work in an ever-changing digital landscape, where social plays an increasingly important role in building brand, generating revenue and managing customer experience?
Putting partnership first
Since we launched our Agency Partner Program in 2017, we’ve been committed to the idea that agencies shouldn’t have to go it alone. The opportunity is for SaaS platforms to recognize the role that we play in helping agencies execute and report on their client services, and invest accordingly. Which is why we’re excited to relaunch our Agency Partner Program under the rallying cry that All Agencies are Partners. Now, all agencies that work with Sprout are eligible to take advantage of partner program benefits. No longer limited to one specific plan type, Sprout is invested in making the tools agencies need to make their business successful — from marketing resources and industry intel to education and training. And with a global community of agencies with whom to network and collaborate, the power of the partner community only increases as it grows. And since every agency’s goals may be different, the program is built to meet you where you are. We’ve provided agency partner benefits in co-marketing, communities, growth and product at every tier level. So, program participation unlocks growth … not the other way around.
Partnership plus platform
We see time and again that our agency customers come to Sprout for help with managing and reporting on their client social media services. Whether they’re managing a client’s social media campaigns, using social listening for a global brand or operating a client’s social customer care strategy across hundreds of social profiles, the power of the Sprout platform gives them confidence that they are tapping into world-class technology to run their business. Our promise is to couple our best-in-class platform with best-in-class partnership. The Agency Partner Program is now built to help all of our agency customers, whether they need to:
quickly and effectively train their teams; leverage pre-built tools, templates and creative to efficiently market their agency; or partner on growth opportunities that help increase their client base or deepen their service offering,
All you have to do is get certified. We’ll provide the tools, templates, knowledge and know-how to stay on top of social and industry trends and help deliver best-in-class social media services.
A global community of agencies, helping each other
If we’ve learned one thing from our first two years investing in partnership with agencies, it’s that agencies are more than willing to help each other. Whether it be through our Agency Facebook Group, at in-person agency events or through virtual meetups in our Agency Partner Slack workspace, agencies are tapping into the collective mindshare to raise all boats…and help each other deliver excellence in client social media services. To get a glimpse of the impressive array of expertise of our Certified Agency Partners, you need to look no further than their ongoing social conversation or their capabilities, as featured in our Partner Directory.
The Power of Partnership
This new phase of our Agency Partner Program is and will be built to help all agencies succeed. We’re doubling down on our belief in agencies as critical to helping organizations and brands of all sizes make real connection through social. Clients come to agencies to help them elevate their strategies and produce results. Agencies can and should rely on the platforms they use and the teams that support them to not only help them deliver on what they need today, but to be a partner in getting to where they want to be tomorrow. We believe in the power of agencies … treating all agencies like partners is how we turn that belief into action. And we’re just getting started. To find out more about our Agency Partner Program and the growth, co-marketing and education benefits available at each partner tier, check out our plan options for agencies or apply to be a partner today.
