<div class="gn-article"><div class="gn-hero gn-reveal"> <div class="gn-hero__image"><img src="https://cdn.prod.website-files.com/687a235da6861294eec73166/68fa11eaf0a77b7ca7c8b5be_651d3d463501be4e9e080f27_628c989f2033ef051359616f_Outside-In%252520-%252520Cultivating%252520an%252520Internal%252520Culture%252520with%252520an%252520External%252520Team.png" alt=""></div> <div class="gn-hero__head"> <span class="gn-kicker"><span class="dot"></span>Growth</span> <h1 class="gn-title">How to Create Effective Team Cultures – Including your Agencies</h1> <div class="gn-meta"> <strong>The GO Network</strong> <span class="pip"></span> <span>27 July 2022</span> <span class="pip"></span> <span>6 min read</span> </div> </div> </div> <div class="gn-body"> <p class="gn-lede gn-reveal">'We're an extension of the team'. It's something leaders hear a lot when speaking to potential new agencies, freelancers, or otherwise.</p> <p class="gn-reveal">Whilst building a great culture in your own office might come naturally, expanding that team culture to your external marketing agencies, freelancers, or even remote team members, is often a little more complicated.</p> <p class="gn-reveal">This week, we spoke to <strong>two marketing leaders from our network</strong> to share their advice and experiences in cultivating a strong team culture across both in-house and external members of your marketing function.</p> <p class="gn-reveal"><strong><em>This article contains key learnings from our virtual workshop, 'Outside-In – Cultivating an Internal Culture with an External Team.' To join an upcoming event, take a look <a href="https://www.thegonetwork.com/events">here</a>.</em></strong></p> <h3 class="gn-reveal">In this roundup:</h3> <p class="gn-reveal"><strong>The benefits of creating a strong team culture</strong></p> <p class="gn-reveal"><strong>Why team culture is harder to cultivate with hybrid teams or agency support</strong></p> <p class="gn-reveal"><strong>7 strategies for building a great culture with your external marketing partners</strong></p> <h2 class="gn-reveal"><span class="num">01</span>What makes a great team culture?</h2> <p class="gn-reveal">Having a thriving team culture means one where <strong>the whole team is aligned on purpose, values, behaviours, and the way of working</strong> while also feeling like they are celebrated as individuals.</p> <h2 class="gn-reveal"><span class="num">02</span>The challenges of integrating external teams into your company culture</h2> <p class="gn-reveal">Because external partners mostly work remotely from your offices, <strong>creating a team culture</strong> with external partners <strong>can be more challenging</strong> than with in-house teams. Marketing leaders can fall into the mindset of seeing agencies only as 'service providers,' someone who is there to get a job done and doesn't need to be engaged beyond delivering a project.</p> <h3 class="gn-reveal">What are the benefits of creating and nurturing a team culture?</h3> <p class="gn-reveal">This type of 'delivery-focussed' relationship can work for some, but it's <strong>important to understand the benefits</strong> a strong team culture can bring:</p> <p class="gn-reveal"><strong>Improved productivity</strong> – Teams that work well together are <strong>more productive and motivated</strong> towards company goals.</p> <p class="gn-reveal"><strong>New learnings</strong> – Agency partners are often experts in a certain skillset. In-house teams can learn a lot from <strong>working with a diverse team of people</strong> from different specialisms, backgrounds, and knowledge levels.</p> <p class="gn-reveal"><strong>Increased innovation</strong> – A shared culture between teams means that people are more likely to share ideas, suggestions, and concerns, making a better environment for <strong>continuous innovation.</strong></p> <p class="gn-reveal"><strong>Going above and beyond</strong> – If an internal team/marketing manager engages external partners and makes them feel part of their team, they are <strong>more likely to go above and behind to ensure overall success.</strong></p> <p class="gn-reveal"><strong>Overcoming challenges</strong> – If part of your external or internal team comes up with a challenge, a strong culture means that one can lean on the other to come up <strong>with solutions to tackle the problem.</strong></p> <p class="gn-reveal"><strong><em>Download: </em></strong><a href="https://www.thegonetwork.com/resources/mutual-success-the-best-of-brand-agency-relationships"><em>Mutual Success – The Best of Brand-Agency Relationships</em></a></p> <div class="gn-divider gn-reveal" aria-hidden="true"></div> <h2 class="gn-reveal"><span class="num">03</span>6 strategies to help your marketing agencies feel part of the team</h2> <p class="gn-reveal">In our recent event 'Outside-In, Cultivating an Internal Culture with an External Team,' <a href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/nikki-dixon-bb05a4a/">Nikki Dixon</a>, Marketing Director at <a href="https://www.thwaites.co.uk/">Daniel Thwaites</a>, and Industry Leader <a href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/sally-rasmussen-716481139/">Sally Rasmussen</a> discussed different tactics for <strong>building successful team cultures</strong> with external support.</p> <h3 class="gn-reveal">#1 – Find a partner that is interested in your business</h3> <p class="gn-reveal">For Sally, it's important that an agency is <strong>aligned to what you want to achieve</strong>. 'Freelancers and agencies need to be interested in what my customers want so that we can achieve our goals together.'</p> <figure class="gn-fig gn-reveal"> <div class="gn-fig__media"><img alt="Sally Rasmussen on how to create effective team cultures - including your agencies" src="https://cdn.prod.website-files.com/687a235da6861294eec73166/68fa11e9f0a77b7ca7c8b592_62e10d06746e4e733c52b6cf_Sally%2520Rasmussen_Article%2520Quote.png" width="auto" height="auto" loading="auto"></div> <figcaption>Sally Rasmussen on finding agency partners that are aligned to what you want to achieve.</figcaption> </figure> <p class="gn-reveal">Nikki follows this up by saying, 'I want to feel important to the people that are working with us.' There are <strong>three questions</strong> she says you should ask yourself:</p> <p class="gn-reveal"><strong>Is an agency actually interested in working with you, or are you just part of their mass-mailing list?</strong></p> <p class="gn-reveal"><strong>What does the agency know about you?</strong></p> <p class="gn-reveal"><strong>Is the agency asking questions and challenging your thinking?</strong></p> <p class="gn-reveal">In terms of process, Nikki doesn't initially give a precise brief to the agencies. 'I want to understand <strong>how the agency will interpret that brief</strong>, and how they would respond to it. Do they interpret it themselves, or do they take a greater interest and ask further questions?'</p> <h3 class="gn-reveal">#2 – Watch out for red flags</h3> <p class="gn-reveal">In terms of knowing whether an agency might be the correct fit for your business, there are <strong>a couple of red flags</strong> that our panel suggested to look out for.</p> <p class="gn-reveal">'A red flag for me is the 'cookie-cutter' presentation,' says Sally. '<strong>I don't want generic slides</strong> where someone else's logo has been swapped out for ours.'</p> <p class="gn-reveal">Similar to above, look out for agencies who aren't asking questions to challenge your thinking or have a lack of initiative in building the relationship beyond the transactional side of things. <em>(This is something discussed by Gareth Turner, former Head of Marketing at Weetabix <a href="https://www.thegonetwork.com/news/brand-guardians-gareth-turner-head-of-marketing-at-weetabix-on-invigorating-your-heritage-brand">when we interviewed him recently</a>.)</em></p> <h3 class="gn-reveal">#3 – Bring the outside in</h3> <p class="gn-reveal">As mentioned before, one of the issues with creating a strong team culture with external support is that <strong>they're often physically removed from your business</strong>, working either at home or in their own agency offices. For Nikki, one of the ways she breaks down this barrier is by <strong>letting external partner know that they're always welcome</strong> to come in and work with them.</p> <p class="gn-reveal">Beyond meeting physically, Nikki holds weekly huddles with her team. 'Agencies and external partners are able to join these at any time, where we talk about performance updates, and inspirational things that they've seen.'</p> <p class="gn-reveal">'Just <strong>going for a coffee together can really help</strong>,' Sally advises.</p> <h3 class="gn-reveal">#4 – Recognise individual effort within teams</h3> <p class="gn-reveal">In many instances, a brand-agency relationship <strong>is managed by an account manager</strong> who will lead communication with the brand. To help your external marketing agencies feel like they are a part of your team, Sally believes it's important to 'take the time to thank personally within those teams. <strong>You need to recognise their effort</strong> and treat people how you want to be treated yourself.'</p> <h3 class="gn-reveal">#5 – Use chat functions that work for your team</h3> <p class="gn-reveal">Of course, it's not always possible for external teams to regularly <strong>meet face-to-face</strong>. In this instance, it can help to find chat functions that work with your team. Nikki shared some advice on how they achieved this during the COVID lockdown.</p> <blockquote class="gn-blockquote gn-reveal">'As well as using tools like Zoom and Teams, I found that <strong>WhatsApp groups can help make people feel like part of a team</strong>. These chats don't always have to be work-related; they can be relatable memes. We wanted to interact like we would face-to-face, but in a way that people don't feel forced to get involved.'<cite>Nikki Dixon · Marketing Director, Daniel Thwaites</cite></blockquote> <p class="gn-reveal"><strong><em>Read more: </em></strong><a href="https://www.thegonetwork.com/news/freelancer-in-house-or-agency"><em>What Works for You: Freelancer, In-House or Agency?</em></a></p> <h3 class="gn-reveal">#6 – Be honest about challenges</h3> <p class="gn-reveal">Like all relationships, it's possible that you might hit a few bumps along the way. You might feel like <strong>your agency partner is pulling away from you</strong> and your culture, or that they're losing interest. In this instance, Nikki's advice is to 'talk.'</p> <figure class="gn-fig gn-reveal"> <div class="gn-fig__media"><img alt="Nikki Dixon on how to create effective team cultures - including your agencies" src="https://cdn.prod.website-files.com/687a235da6861294eec73166/68fa11e9f0a77b7ca7c8b596_62e10d3c18f402014bba43c8_Nikki%2520Dixon_Article%2520Quote.png" width="auto" height="auto" loading="auto"></div> <figcaption>Nikki Dixon on the importance of honest communication when challenges arise in agency relationships.</figcaption> </figure> <p class="gn-reveal">'Things happen and influence people in a way that you don't necessarily know about. <strong>Emails can be misinterpreted</strong>, so I always pick up the phone for a chat if I think something isn't right.</p> <p class="gn-reveal">Be honest. I prefer people to be upfront and say, "there might be something down the line that might affect the delivery of this project," and that's ok. <strong>Communication is critical.</strong> Through talking, you can find a resolution.'</p> <p class="gn-reveal"><strong><em>Download: </em></strong><a href="https://www.thegonetwork.com/resources/the-marketing-agency-evaluation-checklist"><em>The Marketing Agency Checklist</em></a></p> <div class="gn-divider gn-reveal" aria-hidden="true"></div> <h2 class="gn-reveal"><span class="num">04</span>Final advice for marketing leaders wanting to build a stronger team culture</h2> <p class="gn-reveal">No matter what type of relationship you'd like to have with your external partners, <strong>it's always important to get along and understand each other's needs</strong>. Having worked agency side, Nikki understands the pressures agencies have. 'Don't treat them like they are inferior.'</p> <aside class="gn-quote gn-reveal"><q>You get out what you put in. If you invest the time, you will have a more fruitful relationship.</q><cite>Sally Rasmussen · Industry Leader</cite></aside> <aside class="gn-callout gn-reveal"> <div class="gn-callout__label">What this means for you</div> <h4>6 strategies to help your marketing agencies feel part of the team</h4> <ul> <li><strong>Find a partner that is interested in your business.</strong> Freelancers and agencies need to be interested in what your customers want so that you can achieve your goals together.</li> <li><strong>Watch out for red flags.</strong> Look out for agencies who aren't asking questions to challenge your thinking or have a lack of initiative in building the relationship beyond the transactional side of things.</li> <li><strong>Bring the outside in.</strong> Let external partners know that they're always welcome to come in and work with you, and include them in regular team huddles.</li> <li><strong>Recognise individual effort within teams.</strong> Take the time to thank personally within those teams and treat people how you want to be treated yourself.</li> <li><strong>Use chat functions that work for your team.</strong> WhatsApp groups can help make people feel like part of a team, and these chats don't always have to be work-related.</li> <li><strong>Be honest about challenges.</strong> Communication is critical. Through talking, you can find a resolution.</li> </ul> </aside> <p class="gn-reveal"><strong><em>Using The GO Network to find your next agency partner cuts the risk of a rocky relationship. We endorse not only on based on their ability to do a great job, but also on whether we think they will be a good fit for your team. If you'd like to know more, you can book a call with the team <a href="https://www.thegonetwork.com/get-in-touch">here</a>.</em></strong></p> </div></div> <aside class="gn-related gn-reveal" data-auto="related-reading"> <div class="gn-related__label">Related reading</div> <ul class="gn-related__list"> <li class="gn-related__item"> <a href="/articles/marketing-to-midlife-women" class="gn-related__link"> <span class="gn-related__category">Expression</span> <span class="gn-related__title">Marketing to Midlife Women with The Behaviours Agency</span> <span class="gn-related__excerpt">The Behaviours Agency reveals new shopping behaviours, semiotics insights, and how agencies can help brands represent midlife women to build</span> </a> </li> <li class="gn-related__item"> <a href="/articles/outside-in-cultivating-an-internal-culture-with-an-external-team" class="gn-related__link"> <span class="gn-related__category">Expression</span> <span class="gn-related__title">Outside-In - Cultivating an Internal Culture with an External Team</span> <span class="gn-related__excerpt">Senior marketing leaders share tools, processes, and frameworks for onboarding agencies and freelancers so they genuinely extend your intern</span> </a> </li> <li class="gn-related__item"> <a href="/articles/finding-your-fit-managing-external-support-in-a-fast-growth-business" class="gn-related__link"> <span class="gn-related__category">Expression</span> <span class="gn-related__title">How to Use Marketing Agency Support in a Fast-Growth Business</span> <span class="gn-related__excerpt">Discover the triggers that signal when to bring in external partners, plus how to manage them for stronger ROI and a more focused in-house t</span> </a> </li> <li class="gn-related__item"> <a href="/articles/offline-to-online-tracking-attribution-finding-lost-conversions-with-esales-hub" class="gn-related__link"> <span class="gn-related__category">Expression</span> <span class="gn-related__title">Offline to Online Tracking &amp; Attribution - Finding lost conversions</span> <span class="gn-related__excerpt">Call analytics reveals which leads convert and where spend is wasted, so agencies can align teams and stop leads falling through the cracks.</span> </a> </li> </ul> </aside>