This interview is part of a Boardroom Insight article series exploring the marketing consulting landscape from the perspective of industry executives. Jenny Green is the chief marketing officer of Fisher Green Creative, a full-service digital marketing agency based in Maine.

Boardroom Insight: At the day-to-day level, what does delivering a good client experience involve from a marketing agency’s perspective?

Jenny Green: At the day-to-day level, delivering a good client experience from our perspective is answering a client’s marketing questions before they even realize they have them. Because they are investing in their business by way of our services, it’s important to help them feel confident that they chose wisely. 

More often than not, our clients are small business owners and have little to no marketing experience. I would never want them to come to us and ask “Why aren’t we doing XYZ?”. Instead, we take the lead and provide regular updates on the initiatives we are taking to make their marketing efforts a success. This leaves no room to question because it assures them they are in good hands. 

Boardroom Insight: When a small business is shopping for an agency to take over its ad work, it can be tricky to decide which firm to hire when there are multiple good options available. Can you talk a bit about what factors a small business team should look at when making that decision?

Jenny Green: Small businesses should look for a marketing team that will provide regular reports and show ways that they will be held accountable for their efforts. 

Before ever starting, there should also be a clear explanation of how conversions will be measured, an estimated projection of results (conversion rates between 1.8 and 5%), and an exit strategy should the results be subpar. 

No marketing firm can guarantee results, so be wary of anyone who says otherwise. Look for firms that do not lock you into any long-term contract. Marketing firms that feel confident in their ability to perform, don’t need to tie their clients into annual contracts. 

Boardroom Insight: Larger companies that already have an established marketing workflow often implement internal brand voice guidelines, especially for social media posts. What value does that generally add to marketing teams’ work?

Jenny Green: Consistency is critical in marketing, as it helps build brand validity and consumer trust. The faster a customer can recognize your business, the faster they will get to know you and trust you. If they find themselves having to work at figuring out who you are and what you offer when they run into your posts on social media, they will likely run the other way. 

Additionally, if a company already has brand guidelines, this saves time, energy, and money in developing the direction of a social media strategy by the marketing team, while also ensuring brand consistency across channels no matter who is working on the content. 

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