When you engage with a marketing agency or consultant for the first time, you’re bound to have some questions. What happens first? What is the process? How much will this cost? At Agency 102, a typical first step with a new client starts with an onboarding and ramp-up period we like to call a marketing discovery. This one- to two-month period is where we get to know you, your team, and your company in order to best recommend marketing strategies. 

To help you understand the value and benefits of a discovery phase, check out some more information about our process below. 

What is “Discovery”? 

Discovery is just what it sounds like — a discovery session to uncover the ins and outs of your business. It is a “Phase One” approach to a marketing partnership where marketing experts like us get to know your business on a deeper level. After all, no one knows your company better than you. 

You can expect discussions around the company’s brand, look and feel, voice and tone, as well as your past successes (and failures) with marketing. We want to soak up as much as we can about your business.   

Do I really need it? 

This step is especially important if you have never done formal marketing before or have never taken a deep dive into your business or brand. 

And, even if you have done a discovery before with another agency or consultant, we still recommend a smaller onboarding session with us so we can get a better understanding of your business from our lens. If you have already completed a discovery session, part of our discovery process will be reviewing those materials. 

No matter your marketing experience, this phase allows us to set benchmarks including quantitative metrics such as website traffic and social media engagement, and qualitative metrics like internal approvals and communication processes. 

What’s the discovery process?

The marketing discovery process varies depending on your industry, business needs, and size. But you can expect some version of the following to occur during your immersion: 

• Stakeholder interviews: Conversations held with both internal stakeholders (C-suite, board members, employees) and external influencers (customers, partners) to get a better understanding of how your business operates. You can expect questions ranging from basic business inquiries such as “What defines a qualified lead?” to more probing questions like “What marketing tactics haven’t worked in the past?” 

• Market research: A deep dive into the current landscape of your industry in order to capture trends and opportunities. This uncovers data such as current market share and competitors, and trends among your audience. 

• Competitor review: A comprehensive dive into a handful of your competitors (both direct and indirect) to determine gaps and opportunities in marketing and positioning. Depending on your business, you may only have one or two competitors, or you may have more than five! Either way, we investigate what makes these companies tick and how you can get ahead. 

• Persona creation: A breakdown of your key target audience members, organized in “personas.” This will clarify motivators, pain points, and key messaging in order to best communicate with your end-users.   

• Digital audit: A closer look at your online presence, including but not limited to social media platforms, keyword rankings, website analytics, paid media, and email marketing efforts. 

What are the benefits of a marketing discovery? 

There are many benefits that come from a marketing discovery, including data points you may have never seen before. This process also leaves you with tangible next steps and strategies, including comprehensive insights about your industry and business recommendations, answering the question, “What now?” 

One of the biggest benefits, however, is building an informed foundation for all of your marketing decisions moving forward. While it can be tempting to jump right into social media or a paid media campaign, a prior discovery period provides critical answers into what your audience wants and where they are. In fact, we have seen some clients completely pivot their marketing tactics due to an insufficient research period to fully understand their audience and strategy. 

How much does this cost? 

Short answer: it depends. I know, no one likes that answer. But let me share why it’s true. 

If you are an international, enterprise-level company, that discovery will involve a bit more work. It will have more interviews to capture all of the insights from different departments, different customer types, and different geographic regions. We will likely have to dig through more historical data on social media channels, CRMs, analytics platforms, and more. 

On the other hand, if you represent a small, one or two-person startup, that discovery session will look different. There will be fewer people to interview, fewer digital channels and analytics to scour through. 

The good news is that we customize each discovery session to fit the needs of our clients. During our intake call, we will ask preliminary questions including your budget and timeline. Our goal is to present you with something that is digestible and realistic. Agency 102 comes from humble beginnings, so we understand the importance of investing in your business the right way. 

And the really good news is that once the discovery phase is complete, we will have a rock-solid marketing plan moving forward — meaning you won’t have to pay for unnecessary marketing mistakes or backtrack on tactics. We’ll get it right the first time! 

How can I get started? 

If you’re ready to start your own discovery session with us, reach out to info@agency102.com or fill out this contact form with a brief introduction of your company and marketing needs. From there, we will set up a short phone call to get into more details and see if we’re a good fit.

We look forward to working with you!