The initial days of collaboration between a marketing agency and its clients can set the tone for the entire relationship. But if you’ve worked with other agencies, you know it’s not always a smooth transition into the partnership. You’re often asked to do a lot of upfront work to educate the agency team — when you can’t help but feel they should put in more time to get educated on your business.
At GK3, we recognize the transformative power of effective onboarding — and we're committed to guiding our clients through this crucial phase without putting too much on their plates
Good onboarding lays the groundwork for a successful partnership, establishing clear expectations, goals, and communication channels from the outset.
While some moments of confusion are inevitable — you may email the wrong person while typing quickly or approve something you later want to take a second look at — given the right foundation, those are easy to get through. Deeper confusion, though, can lead to misalignment throughout the partnership.
Without proper onboarding, clients may feel adrift or uncertain: “What comes next? Are you waiting on me?” This type of confusion can lead to misunderstandings, delays, and missed opportunities for growth.
The best onboarding does the opposite.
Before we begin work, we’ll share our onboarding expectations and needs with your team in a period called pre-onboarding. This happens during our sales process, giving you plenty of time to get into position before the starting gun.
While the account setup phase may seem straightforward, its implications are profound. That’s why we ask for critical platform access before Phase 1 begins. Access to essential platforms is the lifeblood of our collaborative efforts, enabling us to leverage data, analytics, and marketing tools effectively to create value in Phases 2 and 3.
When platform access proves challenging, we work tirelessly to resolve issues swiftly, minimize disruption, and ensure a seamless transition. Because these instances are fairly common (mostly due to software ownership within our clients’ companies), we are happy to get on the phone with any IT member or outsourced partner to get exactly what we need in one simple session.
Also during account setup, we have our first touchpoint with your entire GK3 team: The Kickoff. This call helps establish a good communication cadence that works for everyone, get familiar with one another’s processes, and start everything off as a single unit, working toward a common goal.
As we’ve mentioned, inadequate onboarding often manifests in a lack of strategic alignment.
Once our audits are completed, we’ll gather to review the roadmap and discuss any new challenges or opportunities that arise during the audit period. It’s time for total alignment before we take off into Phase 3.
The campaign development phase represents the culmination of our strategic efforts. A super effective Phase 2 empowers us to develop tailored campaigns that resonate with your target audience and drive meaningful results. Without a strong foundation established during onboarding, campaigns may lack direction or fail to achieve desired outcomes. By prioritizing collaboration and communication, we ensure that every future campaign reflects your process and your goals.
We also use the campaign development phase to create any new technological connections that must be established prior to launch. As members of our team create new assets for your first major campaign that follows digital distribution best practices, others create the backend to support it. For instance, if you need specific notifications when you get a new lead, we need to create those notifications.
Phase 3 is about bringing everything together; at the end, we get to celebrate with a successful campaign launch.
When it comes to developing lasting marketing partnerships, effective onboarding leads to increased satisfaction, better outcomes, and stronger long-term relationships.
That’s why the GK3 onboarding process is not just a series of tasks; it's a strategic investment in our partnership's success. By prioritizing transparency, collaboration, and strategic alignment, we pave the way for remarkable results and sustainable growth.
Together, we'll navigate the complexities of the financial services landscape with confidence and clarity, unlocking new opportunities that don’t come from just scratching the surface.
Reach out to us today and experience the transformative power of strategic onboarding with GK3.