Tired of feeling like a broken record? We feel you. At The James Agency (TJA), we go beyond Zoom calls and back-and-forth emails, getting our hands dirty (metaphorically… mostly) with client immersion.
We’re stepping into the “teacher” role, educating you on how hanging out with our clients (office tours, coffee runs, the whole shebang!) leads to stronger relationships, more effective marketing and ultimately, success for everyone.
Zoom Who?
We have expanded on what we feel are the most essential takeaways from our brand immersion sessions. We’re not all talk either — we’ve included experiences from several of our agency team members who recently spent time immersed in their client’s worlds.
Secret Sauce
Let’s face it, folks, the day-to-day of the marketing world can sometimes get a little… well, slow — stuck in an endless loop of emails, calls and briefs that feel more like grocery lists than blueprints for brand magic. With video conferencing and endless technology that gives us access to clients at the drop of a hat, we often get caught up in a tornado of communication with little-to-no understanding of our client’s day-to-day business.
Don’t get us wrong — we love a Google Meet hangout. But we wanted to bring our clients something more. We knew that the only way we could do our jobs at 100% was to understand the client and their business beyond our status calls and weekly email correspondence.
That’s why we integrated brand immersions. Think of it like this: you wouldn’t try to paint a masterpiece without ever laying eyes on the canvas, right? So why craft marketing campaigns from a distance? Client immersion is our secret sauce! (Minus the actual secret sauce. That’s for our restaurant clients to keep hush-hush.)
More Than Just Happy Hour (although, we do love a client HH)
Client immersion is:
- Spending a day in the shoes of your main point of contact
- Attending meetings
- Meeting key decision makers
- Shadowing product demos
- Touring offices
- Sitting down for lunch or coffee with your client
Our head of strategy at TJA, Alysha Wolfe, was the first at our company to test out this new way of building client relationships. Starting with an office tour of TJA’s beloved client, Fox Restaurant Concepts, she was able to see where the magic happens. What kind of space are they working in? How close are each of the contact’s offices to one another? Does their space allow for easy collaboration, as well as quality alone time?
From there, she made herself familiar with the team’s project management software and developed an understanding of how they organize certain projects. She then shadowed a concept photoshoot and attended a lunch with another brand’s team. The most important part? Alysha spent 1:1 time with each member of the internal marketing team, learning their daily schedules and what about their jobs keeps them up at night.
Lauren Clemence, Client Services Coordinator at TJA, spent the day with our client Sub-Zero shadowing their showroom consultations and participating in a consumer demonstration dinner, where she was able to witness the magic that are Sub-Zero appliances with her own eyes. This experience gave her the ability to experience the product in the way Sub-Zero’s target consumer would experience it.
The result? A client that feels seen and an agency team with a better understanding of the client business structure, allowing us to better communicate.
Ditch the Distance
We believe that client immersion is a must in the world of marketing partnerships. There really is no better way to break the ice and get to know one another than grabbing a coffee, touring the office and witnessing what makes your brand, your brand.
So, the next time we suggest hanging out at your office (don’t worry, we’ll bring the bagels!), don’t be scared. Think of it as a chance to unlock the full potential of your brand together.
Ready to ditch the distance and get down to business (literally)? Contact us today – we’re ready to take the plunge with you!
