So, What’s it Like to Work With Oneupweb?

“Welcome to Oneupweb!”

45 shiny, happy people have formed a human hallway for you to pass through, all cheering your name, slapping you high five. As you near the end of your personal walk of fame, she appears. A crisp, white, linen towel draped over her arm. Champagne in hand. One glass for you and one for her. She guides you into the golden elevator—symbolic for the new heights it has promised to usher your business to.

Who knows how many floors you ride up, but you step off of the golden elevator and are greeted by yet another human hallway, a corridor of your new biggest fans—smiles bigger and warmer than you’ve ever seen. Their tunnel leads you to a conference room.  When you enter, like soldiers, they follow in succession.

This is it. You’ve arrived at the absolute nirvana, the kickoff call.

Slightly embellished, yes, indeed.

One of the most common questions I get from prospective clients is “what can I expect once the contract is signed?”  Here’s the unembellished version.

1. THE KICKOFF

Every Oneupweb project begins with a kickoff call. Typically done via video conference, but sometimes done in person, the kickoff call happens about a week after the contract is signed.

Oneupweb’s Role:

We’ll bring the team of people who will be working on your account, including your sales contact. In advance of the kickoff call, we prepare an internal brief detailing the scope of the project, background on your company, your target audience, your goals (as they have been explained in the sales process), project deadlines,  intended outcomes from the partnership and more. The brief will be shared with the Oneupweb team well in advance of the kickoff call and from that, each member of your account team will identify where they need further input from your team. That’s right, we’ll be coming with (more) questions.

And that’s not all, in addition to questions, you will also be meeting your Account Manager who will very clearly outline next steps to get the ball rolling. Most often, you’ll be asked to deliver your brand or style guide, any current market or customer research you have and to grant access to accounts pertinent to the project (Google Analytics, Adwords, your CMS, image libraries etc). Your Account Manager will also get your team setup in STAN®, our proprietary project management system. In STAN®, you will be able to see the timeline for the project, when you can expect your first deliverable from Oneupweb and when items that you need to deliver are due to your Oneupweb team.

Your Role:

Bring your team. We’ll let you know who we think might need to be there in advance of the call, but a good rule of thumb for the kickoff call is to bring everyone who will be guiding and or impacted by the work that Oneupweb does.  While many of them will be hands off throughout the actual life of the project, we aim to ensure that the kickoff call actually starts the project and that no one leaves having to seek further approval or insight. Sometimes it’s impossible to get everyone together for the call, and that’s ok, we understand. Best case scenario however, is that all necessary players are present.

2. GETTING TRACKING & REPORTING IN PLACE

Transparency. One of the great beauties of online marketing. But to get there, we’ll need you to implement some tracking code, a pixel or two and some tagging. We’ll guide you through it, making it clear and simple.

Once all necessary tracking code is in place—we’ll test it to make sure it’s working as it should.

When data accuracy is confirmed, we’ll get to work building the necessary dashboards and reports you need to measure the success of your partnership with Oneupweb through Google Analytics.

3. YOUR FIRST DELIVERABLE

Usually within a few weeks of the kickoff call, you can expect your first deliverable from Oneupweb—your first glimpse at our work. The actual deliverable can vary wildly depending on the scope of the project but you’ll be able to see when you can expect the first deliverable and just what it will be through the project timeline in STAN®. Your Account Manager will likely setup a time to review the deliverable with you (and/or your team) via a video conference.

It’s important that you spend time reviewing the work thoroughly to provide comprehensive feedback to your Oneupweb team. Don’t hold back. This first round of feedback is exceedingly critical to the project.

From the first deliverable on, of course, it’s back to the golden-elevator, nirvana I opened this post up with.

The best agency/client partnerships are built on communication and trust. The more we know about your business goals and the more you keep your account team informed of zigs and zags along the way—the more value you will see from your investment.

We try not to take ourselves too seriously, but we do take the work we do for our clients very seriously. We understand the impact it can make on your business and we know you worked hard to weed out the good from the bad in your agency selection process.

We’re humbled that you chose us and we promise to do our part. We’ll be honest with you and make our best recommendations—even if they differ from yours. And it’s true, sometimes they do.

No matter your industry or the path that brought you to Oneupweb, our goal is always the same for our clients: Make them absolute marketing rock stars and deliver tangible business value.

If we aren’t already, I hope we can work together soon!