"This is perfect, I just need to run it by a few other people"

Attention business owners and CEO’s I’m going to tell you a simple way to save time and ultimately money when working with Fat Atom or any other marketing agency: Give us (your marketing team) one point of contact, who we can be certain has final authority on all marketing decisions. Then, allow that person to actually have final authority on all marketing decisions.

Almost nothing is more frustrating for a designer or marketing team, than thinking you’ve completed what the client asked for, only to find out that someone higher up in the company, uninvolved until now, has the final say and a completely different take on what needs to be accomplished. Not only is it frustrating for your marketing team, it can be demoralizing for your employees, and can double or triple the amount of time needed to complete a project. When too many decision-makers are involved, the original goal of a project often gets lost in the endless phone calls, meetings and emails. Find someone in your company, who you can trust, who “gets” your brand and what you’re all about. Empower them to make decisions and take ownership of the results. Trust them to work with your marketing team to implement your strategies. With one trusted “keeper of the brand”, marketing decisions can be made faster and your message will remain consistent. More time can be spent developing new ideas and refining what works. Over time, your trusted employee and your marketing agency will become one cohesive team, each understanding what the other needs to get the job done efficiently and get results.

What if you don't have one person you feel comfortable entrusting with your brand?

That's fine. Communicate to your marketing agency that YOU are the final decision maker. Get involved in the marketing process, come to meetings, share ideas and feedback from the beginning. It is a worthwhile investment of your time to make sure your company's marketing is properly reflecting your brand. Perhaps you've got an employee who, with a little mentorship from you, could grow to become the keeper of your brand. Bring them to meetings and include them in the process. Eventually you may feel comfortable enough to step back and let someone else make the decisions. Your marketing is an important part of running a business and should be given the dedicated attention it deserves.