Meeting and arranging work with a new client is the first step in your relationship. Getting reacquainted in a kickoff meeting when it’s time to move forward with your business agreement is generally the next step. This meeting serves as an important opportunity to set goals, boundaries, and guidelines. Without it, priorities and goals won’t be established, and potential mistakes can be made.
Expectations are important to discuss and understand from everyone’s point of view. And, though it may seem obvious, communication is always key. In the first 60 – 90 days with a client, be sure to stay in constant contact. This will help build a foundation between you and your client that sets you both up for success and makes complex questions easier to answer in the future.
Once you’ve reached an understanding of the criteria regarding their budget, target audience and style guidelines, there are other vital things to ask in an onboarding meeting with a new client, as you get settled in with their hopes and dreams in digital marketing.
Keep the following suggestions in mind:
What challenges have you faced in the past?
- What are your immediate desires and needs?
What are your expectations in our relationship?
What is your 1, 3 and 5-year vision for the brand?
What is your ultimate goal for the company?
Does your company support or partner with any causes?
Who gives final approval on content or campaigns?
Who is our point of contact for technical questions?
Let’s set up a routine meeting moving forward. What time of day/month is best to meet for you?
Could you provide us with some previous marketing materials and pieces that you liked and some that you did not?
These questions will help smoothly run administration processes during the transition of your client’s work – whether it was done in-house or with another agency.
Even if a complete rebranding is not involved, it is important to understand what worked in the past, and what should be avoided going forward – this is true for technical and creative purposes.
What questions do you make sure to ask in onboarding meetings? Let us know!