The role of the Account Manager, by nature, brings strategy to fruition in several different ways. From the outside looking in, the day to day work reveals strategy in more tangible ways very similar to the role of a project manager. Account management involves checking with teammates on the progress of tasks, analyzing project progress and timelines, meeting with strategists to set goals, and analyzing data to put together valuable reporting on a client’s key performance indicators.
The other realm of strategy, the more abstract side that opens you up and enhances your ability to practice those more tangible forms of strategy, involves the personal relationship and partnership you work to develop with your clients.
Account Management, Strategy, & Partnership
One way that true partnership has been defined is having the other party’s absolute best interest in mind, knowing what they want and need, and providing the best option for achieving those wants and needs. So no matter what the industry, in order to be a true partner in business, you must be allowed to get to know that business in-depth, uncovering what really makes that business tick.
However, knowing a business on that level goes way beyond simple access to data or analytics, the number of leads they’re getting, and where they’re coming from. It’s only once you’ve learned things like a business’ internal processes, departments they invest in, plans and goals for the future, and things of that nature you can call on expertise to find the best way to evolve and grow it.
For instance, if you’re a dentist and you want to expand the number of patients you serve, your digital partner should have a thorough understanding of the demographics in that region and what it takes to reach them. Perhaps your new patient efforts will mean a combination of a paid media campaign and new website content, or social media strategy may be a better fit to capitalize on your existing audience and their networks. An account manager facilitates the creation of projects with other people working on your projects and continues to report on the impact your campaign has had on the website leads, incoming calls, and other measurable growth we can track in the digital space.
But in order for a business to let you in on that intimate of a level, you have to prove you have their best interest in mind, develop that trust, and foster that strong relationship. To do so, you have to know when to listen and when to advise, be proactive and swiftly reactive when situations arise, and always be transparent and set correct expectations.
The bulk of strategy for an Account Manager, in essence, is actually in building that authentic relationship with transparency as its foundation. When you can be completely transparent with your partner, and they with you, you can really learn about their business in-depth, call on your expertise to develop the most effective strategy, then go to your team to execute that strategy. Only when all of these components are working together do you have the opportunity to be the best partner possible and ultimately grow your partner’s business in a profound way.
If you’re interested in learning how our digital marketing strategy can impact your business, contact us today!
