Bringing clarity to account management: Q&A with Major Tom expert Tamara Shepherd

Marketing is changing fast, and some old tactics just don't cut it anymore. Unlike some agencies of old, Major Tom understands that every brand, market, and audience is different — so we build strategies that actually work for each client. The bottom line is that we can tell you what advice to listen to and what advice probably won’t work for your industry. Let’s explore a few ways you can use that clarity to benefit your marketing going forward.

We recently sat down with Tamara Shepherd and the account management team to understand what sets our approach apart. They shared how their methods stand out in a crowded market and how they consistently deliver the results our clients need.

How does Major Tom’s approach to account management stand out from what’s typical in the industry, and why does that matter for our clients?

While Account leads are common in other agencies, Major Tom differs due to 3 main components:

• Experience: All of Major Tom’s Account Strategists come to the role with a plethora of experience. We first became experts in our chosen field and then moved to guide the direction of the accounts as a whole. All of our conversations and decision-making are rooted in our expertise.
• Strategy: Account managers are present at most agencies; Major Tom differs because we don’t just manage the accounts—we are strategic in all of our decision-making. Based on our experience running top-performing campaigns, we know what levers to pull—and what levers not to pull—to drive growth and success for our clients. We're your strategic leads, so we'll help you develop a strategy that solves your business problems, not just structure a campaign.
• Cross-departmental collaboration: Our Account Strategists are multifaceted. While we may have become experts in a given field, our experience has given us opportunities to work on projects involving many departments, including web, brand, creative, media, and more. This allows us to have a wider-view lens when looking at your account. Our goal is to achieve your business goals not just in one area but by engaging the right teams at the right time and having them work cohesively and efficiently together.

Major Tom differs from other agencies in this aspect not just because of the Account Strategists but also because of how the agency itself is set up to operate successfully. Interdepartmental collaboration is intentional & encouraged – we don’t work in silos.

Can you share a time when following the usual account management playbook wouldn’t have worked, but our way did?

Recently, one of our clients came to us with a campaign request using digital ads. Typically, an account manager would review the brief, determine whether we were provided with all relevant information, coordinate with the client and relevant team to align on a direction, and then build a proposed plan for the campaign. 

But our Account Strategist went deeper. Upon further investigation, we discovered that not just their landing page but their entire website needed to be updated to maximize the performance of the upcoming campaign. So, we engaged with the web team to propose a website upgrade prior to the campaign launch. The client was very pleased that we took the time to identify this opportunity so they wouldn't be unnecessarily missing out on conversions in both the immediate future and all future campaigns as well.

What’s one tip you’d give clients about challenging their assumptions about their audience or market to get the best results?

Your audience often behaves in ways that will surprise you. While you may have a strong grasp of your core audience, there are likely outlying audience parameters or behaviors that you were unaware of. By performing audience analysis prior to building a strategy, we can ensure that we find our complete audience where they actually are—and when they’re actually there—rather than making educated assumptions.

What’s a question clients should be asking about their marketing strategy before starting with us but usually don’t? How would you answer it?

Often, the pieces that are missed are the ones that seem obvious in hindsight. A common missing element that clients should be asking our advice on (but often wait too long to do so) is aligning on conversion priorities before requesting a campaign or project. A client may think the conversion answer is obvious: sales. They build a campaign or project request around generating more sales before engaging with us for the request. But, if the client were to come to us during this process, we could do further investigation before they go too far down a path.

For example, if you want to generate sales ask:

• How can your customers buy from you?
• Is tracking even a possibility on that platform?
• How can we integrate that into reporting to see results?
• Are there limitations, from a user-experience perspective, that should first be resolved?
• Are there secondary conversions that need to be considered and part of the campaign (e.g., newsletter signups, in-store promotions, etc.)?

If our clients come to us with their idea before making a fully-baked campaign request, we can investigate before they get too far down the wrong (or incomplete) road.

What’s a risk in marketing strategy that clients are often unsure about, but you think is worth taking for better outcomes?

Awareness. Often—and especially when—clients are limited in budget, their first priority is generating conversions. However, in order to generate the maximum number of conversions, we need to first find your audience, familiarize them with your brand, educate them on the benefits, and then move them through the funnel toward conversion. Without investing in the upper funnel, the results in the lower funnel will not reach their full potential.

Also, invest in analytics support. Campaigns perform best when we can properly track and report on the results. This not only allows us to provide valuable insights into how the audience is interacting with the brand and our return on investment, but it also ensures optimal performance within the platforms during the campaigns. When campaigns are properly tracked, the platform can properly optimize and utilize its algorithm to its fullest potential, ensuring maximum results.

Finally, ensure the website & SEO are optimized prior to launch. Do not underestimate the power of the user experience in securing those final conversions and the importance of your audience being able to find you organically!

Ready to find clarity in chaos?

At Major Tom, we know that real clarity in marketing starts with truly understanding what makes your brand tick. If you’re over the one-size-fits-all approach and ready for something that actually works, we can help you cut through the noise and find the strategy that fits. Contact us today to make your marketing work smarter.