Whether you are new to the world of agency life or have 12 years of experience, you'll probably have an account transition at some point during your career. It can be an exciting and stressful time as you want to make sure that client goals stay on target, the account stays healthy & communication remains open. Here are 5 tips for having a successful account transition between specialists.
Tip #1: Detailed Transition Briefs
Before any account is moved to a new specialist, the first step should be completing a transition brief. This is a document that gives a high-level view of the account such as point of contact, monthly budget, account structure, login credentials for tracking or reporting tools & any pending action items. The latest report, whether it’s weekly, monthly or quarterly, should be included to give some insight into what information and data the client is used to seeing.
Tip #2: Internal Download
Schedule a meeting between the new & old specialist to go over things in more detail and answer any follow-up questions or concerns. This is the time to go over the client’s preferred method of contact, meeting cadence and any immediate plans for the account. Don’t forgot to review and handover the historical notes on the account, long and short-term goals, reporting methods or anything else that may come up during discussion. Finally, make sure to take good notes. Lots of information maybe covered and it is easy to forget what5 was discussed weeks or months later.
Tip #3: Full Account Audit
The best way to get a handle of an account is to do an audit. Dig into the account settings, keywords, device targeting, audiences, ad copy and ad extensions. Are all ad extensions being used? Any new keywords that can be added? Do the ads need a refresh? Even looking at the change history can give insights to the latest optimizations. Taking the time to do a thorough, complete audit is a way to ensure you are starting on the right path.
Tip #4: Do Your Research
This may go hand and hand during the auditing stage but doing your own research outside of what is in the advertising program is extremely important in understanding any client. Browse their website, social media or anything else that you can find. What are their services? What are their products? Any obvious competitors? Did they launch new products that we aren’t advertising for? This is also a great way to find new opportunities that you can implement once you fully take over.
Tip #5: Introduction
If possible, see if you can join one of the last meetings before the transition and just observe. This is a good way of getting to know the client with someone who already has a strong relationship with them. If that isn’t an option, the client should be notified separately that they will be getting a new specialist and that all historical information, goals and priorities have been communicated to ensure a smooth transition.
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