RE: VISION (Part 1): How to Prepare for a Seamless Feedback Process

Welcome to the inaugural chapter of our two-part blog series, “Re: Vision!” Picture this: you’re gearing up for an exciting creative project with your marketing agency and want everything to run as smoothly as possible. Before you begin, understanding the feedback process is crucial. By setting the stage for clear and effective communication, you’ll ensure that your vision comes to life with minimal hiccups. Let’s dive into how you can set yourself up for success and make the journey enjoyable and efficient for everyone involved.

Understanding the Purpose of Feedback

First and foremost, it’s crucial to remember what feedback is actually for—it is not about pointing fingers or dwelling on flaws. Instead, it’s about understanding that every review is an opportunity to refine and improve. Imagine you’re embarking on a rebranding project. As you prepare your team, emphasize the collaborative nature of feedback. For instance, instead of framing a critique as a flaw, you might say, “Our goal is to elevate the brand. Let’s look at how these design elements align with that vision.” This mindset fosters a constructive environment. Viewing feedback sessions as necessary evils or opportunities to criticize can create a hostile atmosphere where team members feel defensive and less enthusiastic about the partnership. By embracing a collaborative spirit, we build bridges, not barriers.

Focus on Objectives

Clear goals are our North Star guiding every decision and critique. They ensure that every feedback loop propels us closer to success. Consider a website redesign project. From the beginning, you communicate that the primary goal is to increase user engagement and lead generation. During feedback sessions, you consistently refer back to these objectives, saying, “Where can we place the ‘Schedule a Tour’ button to maximize leads?” This keeps everyone aligned and focused on the big picture. On the other hand, providing feedback based on personal preferences, such as “I don’t like the shade of blue,” without tying it back to the goals can lead to unnecessary revisions that don’t contribute to the project’s success.

Establish Clear Communication Channels

When everyone knows who to turn to for guidance or clarification, there’s no room for ambiguity or finger-pointing. By designating a primary point of contact, you provide a single, reliable source for information and feedback. This streamlines communication and eliminates the confusion that can arise when multiple team members offer conflicting directions. Regular check-ins allow for assessing progress, addressing concerns, and course-correcting if necessary. For example, designate a project manager as the main point of contact during a branding campaign. This individual attends all meetings and consolidates feedback from different stakeholders before presenting it to the creative team. They might say, “We’ve gathered everyone’s input, and here are the main points we need to address.” This method prevents miscommunication and conflicting feedback. Conversely, allowing multiple stakeholders to communicate with the creative team directly can result in mixed messages and confusion, such as one person requesting a minimalist approach. At the same time, another asks for more elaborate designs.

Form a Unified Front with Your Team

While having a primary point-of-contact to run point is essential, it’s equally critical that this individual isn’t operating in isolation. Imagine launching a video marketing campaign. Before giving feedback, hold an internal meeting with key stakeholders to discuss their views. When it’s time to provide feedback, say, “Our team agreed that the video should emphasize community and family, which aligns with our brand values.” This unified approach ensures consistency and cohesion.

Conversely, suppose the primary contact person offers feedback solely based on their personal preference without consulting the team. In that case, it might lead to disjointed revisions, such as focusing too much on technical aspects while ignoring the emotional appeal. You must ensure alignment among all stakeholders, preventing the project from being steered solely by one person’s subjective opinions and biases.

Context Matters

Each project is a unique puzzle with its own needs and challenges. By considering the broader context—your target audience and brand identity—you empower us to create work that not only looks great but also serves a purpose. For instance, when working on a new brochure for your property, provide background on your target audience and brand identity. You might say, “Our target demographic is young professionals who value luxury and modernity. This brochure should reflect that with sleek design and highlighting our upscale amenities.” This context helps the creative team tailor their work to meet specific needs. On the other hand, withholding this information can lead to a mismatch in the final product, such as creating a brochure with playful, casual elements that don’t resonate with the intended audience. Context is key, so let’s work together to ensure that every piece of the puzzle fits perfectly into the bigger picture.

Provide Examples Early

A picture is worth a thousand words, right? If a particular piece of inspiration has got you swooning, show us! Sharing examples of work you love (or loathe) gives us valuable insight into your preferences and prevents unnecessary revisions or reworks in the future. Before starting a new website design, share a few websites that you admire. You could say, “We love the clean and intuitive design of Site A and the interactive elements of Site B.” This gives the creative team a clear idea of your preferences. Waiting to share these examples until the project is halfway done can lead to significant reworks and delays. For instance, saying, “Actually, we prefer a more minimalist approach like this site,” can mean the team has to scrap and redo substantial parts of the design.

Remember Scope and Keep Expectations in Check

Whenever you begin a project with your marketing agency, you should have a list of agreed-upon deliverables, scope, and timeline that will outline exactly what the creative team will accomplish. It’s crucial to remember these guidelines when framing your feedback to understand what the team can and cannot achieve within reason. For example, if your project is to create a series of social media posts over two months, understand the limits of this scope. When providing feedback, you might say, “This series looks great and fits within our timeline and budget.” Requesting an additional set of posts or a completely new video without considering the agreed scope can lead to unrealistic expectations and project delays. For instance, saying, “Can we also get an additional video by next week?” disregards the initial agreement and strains the project timeline. Referencing the agreed scope and timeline ensures that every feedback loop remains anchored in reality.

Iterative Process

The creative process is a journey; our path is paved with revisions and refinements.  Understand that our work is iterative, and multiple rounds of feedback and revisions may be necessary to achieve the desired outcome. Imagine you’re developing a new logo. Accept that initial drafts are part of an evolving process. Provide constructive feedback like, “The color palette works well, but let’s try a different font for a more modern look.” This acknowledges the iterative nature of creative work.

On the other hand, expecting a perfect logo on the first attempt and expressing disappointment with comments like, “This isn’t what we wanted at all,” can be discouraging and unrealistic. Embrace the journey, knowing that refinement leads to excellence. Rest assured that we’re committed to working with you every step of the way to ensure that the final product meets your expectations.

Trust the Expertise of Your Creative Team

Remember that you’ve hired a team of skilled professionals for a reason – they’re experts in their field! Trust their expertise and judgment, and be open to their recommendations and suggestions. Consider a scenario where you’re creating a promotional video. The creative team suggests a unique storytelling approach. Trusting their expertise, you say, “I like your idea and am excited to see how it brings our story to life.” This empowers the team to use their skills effectively. Micromanaging with comments like, “No, do it this way,” without giving room for creative input can stifle innovation and demotivate the team, resulting in a less impactful final product. Collaboration is a two-way street, so let go of the reins and allow your creative team to shine.

Wrapping it Up: Key Takeaways

By laying the groundwork by understanding the purpose of feedback, focusing on objectives, establishing clear communication channels, unifying with your team, providing context, offering examples early, remembering the scope, embracing the iterative process, and trusting the creative team, you can set the foundation for a more substantial feedback process. This solid base ensures that your project runs efficiently and effectively, ultimately leading to a successful outcome.

Now that you are armed with the tools to prepare for a smooth feedback process, read on to Part 2 of our series to learn how to deliver that feedback successfully.