There’s always room for improvement. That goes for most any endeavor you undertake and it’s especially true when it comes to digital marketing campaigns. Hand this list over to your digital marketing company, or if you are an agency, print it out and tape it up on the wall so you can easily refer to it. These tips can be applied to any type of campaign, whether you’re working on email, social media, contests, or other marketing promotions. These tips are addressed to digital marketing companies and their clients; both have to be on board to make them work.

1) Know who your audience is. It’s surprising how often digital marketing companies jump into campaigns without doing audience research, or enough audience research – ask your client for everything they know about their customers. You may have to wade through reams of information, but taking the time to do so is critical. Perform research to really get to know the audience and what motivates them. You can directly survey them, talk to them on forums, reach out to them via blogs and in-person events. In fact using multiple ways to learn about them is recommended. Do this before you launch the campaign.

2) Take a look at your reporting and customize it. Is your agency providing the same old reports that barely cover the basics? What about the new acquisition your company made this year, or the new product you launched? Does the data reflect these changes and tell you how your customers are reacting? If not, your digital marketing agency needs to step up and evolve your reporting. If you are the agency, then approach your client; don’t wait for them to come to you. Ask questions and talk about ways you want to create reports that can make their decision making easier.

3) Content is king. It always will be. What new content strategies have the digital marketing company and client been working on this year? If you’re the client, it’s up to you to provide your agency with all the background knowledge they need to create engaging content; i.e., copy, images, video and everything they need to showcase your company and its products and services. As the agency, you need to grab the nuggets from what the client has given you. And if they don’t give you what you need to build your content case, stay after them until they do.

4) Competitive research is something that must be performed continuously. This is not just a job for marketing companies, and it’s not just the client’s job. Open lines of communication between digital marketing agency and client will allow both to stay on top of competitors. Part of every marketing meeting should include discussion of top competitors and what they are doing.

5) We spoke above about open lines of communication. This is the most important thing agencies and clients need to address. Once barriers to communication ensue, then the marketing campaign can’t reach its full potential. Both sides need to remember to pick up the phone, get on the email, text, whatever it takes to stay in touch and keep building momentum. Success comes from working together and sharing the vision of the ultimate goal.

5 tips to live by, surely. Let them lead you to your digital marketing goals!