Running and operating a creative agency can be rewarding in so many ways. But like every other business, it comes with its own unique set of problems and creative agency challenges. Most creative agencies need to find a way to grow and scale their business while still keeping processes in place that allow team members to work in ways that suit their individual styles.
In other words, there are both internal and external areas that you have to continually focus on. The way to do that is through an actionable framework for project management for creative agencies.
We have gathered the top 5 creative agency challenges along with some practical strategies that you can implement for better project management for creative agencies.
How to stand out from the crowd
The number one challenge for creative agencies is to distinguish themselves from their competitors. Far too often, creative agencies focus on brand building for their clients with little attention to their own brand identity.
Every agency sounds the same and offers similar services. This makes it difficult to acquire and retain clients and importantly, get the fees that you deserve. It also becomes a challenge to hire top talent when your agency brand has no unique value.
The solution
For clients to trust you with their projects, your creative agency communications should convey what makes you distinct. Position your agency based on your process, domain, people, or technology.
Share insights and analyses through your website, social media pages, email newsletters, and videos. Become the authority in your chosen area and you will start attracting clients.
How to hire and retain the right talent
Creative agencies have to now compete with not just their competitors but also their clients to get top talent. What makes the job difficult is the fact that it’s difficult to measure the creativity of an individual.
On top of that, without the right environment, creative people can leave agencies for places that offer a more encouraging work culture. Having to continuously hire people can cost agencies both time and money.
The solution
Consistently communicate what you do in your creative agency with a focus on individual employees and their successes. When you hire, be honest about what the new employees can expect.
Make sure that your team members have adequate resources to do their jobs. Encourage employees to have a work-life balance and give them ownership of the work they do.
How to establish viable processes
Due to the nature of the work, workflows in agencies can be chaotic. Without clear processes, projects would take longer to finish, and client acquisition and onboarding will become complex.
Just because the core function is creative doesn’t mean that there can’t be a method to the madness. With due processes, all aspects of a creative agency can be optimized for greater collaboration between departments.
The solution
Every creative agency should have a project management tool designed for transparency and enhanced productivity. The objective should be to automate low-value tasks, reduce friction, and empower teams with the necessary resources.
Heycollab comes with Project Boards that allow you to easily duplicate tasks, processes, and projects while still maintaining streamlined communications between teams.
How to improve collaboration
Creative agencies are unique because they have individuals with fundamentally different skill sets. While the creative function requires imagination and out-of-the-box thinking, account management and planning domains rely on more structured approaches.
Effective collaboration ensures transparency in the system. When everyone knows about the precise client requirements, resources at their disposal, the status of the project, contributions of team members, timelines, and client feedback, productivity will soar and there will be no roadblocks.
The solution
Project management for creative agencies will be successful when it can enable seamless and real-time communication between various stakeholders. But the software you choose should have been designed specifically for creative agency communications.
Heycollab’s Video Calling and In-app Messaging allow your team members to focus on their work and not have to constantly shuffle between various tools and apps to communicate. It’s the only app your creative agency will need for effective communication on all aspects of project management.
How to keep up with digital trends
The digital marketing, design, and advertising landscapes are constantly evolving. The creative agencies that will grow are the ones that proactively learn how to incorporate the latest technologies for the benefit of their clients.
But it can be challenging to keep track of the latest digital trends since your teams would already have enough on their plates. Plus, it will be difficult to figure out which trends you can deploy and which ones you can ignore.
The solution
Empower teams to up-skill and then impart their learnings to other employees. Make training an essential aspect of your creative agency with dedicated resources. Offer training sessions and create a culture that values constant learning.
In short
Through effective project management for creative agencies, you can not only overcome these challenges but discover new opportunities to grow your business and produce outstanding work for your clients.
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Heycollab is a project management tool built for teams like yours. With a free 14-day trial you can try out all the cool features. To get started visit https://heycollab.com/