{"id":622225,"date":"2024-05-28T15:00:00","date_gmt":"2024-05-28T12:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/en.buradabiliyorum.com\/how-to-build-a-better-remote-team-at-your-digital-marketing-agency\/"},"modified":"2024-05-28T15:00:00","modified_gmt":"2024-05-28T12:00:00","slug":"how-to-build-a-better-remote-team-at-your-digital-marketing-agency","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/how-to-build-a-better-remote-team-at-your-digital-marketing-agency\/","title":{"rendered":"#How to build a better remote team at your digital marketing agency"},"content":{"rendered":"<div id=\"ez-toc-container\" class=\"ez-toc-v2_0_85 counter-hierarchy ez-toc-counter ez-toc-custom ez-toc-container-direction\">\n<p class=\"ez-toc-title\" style=\"cursor:inherit\">Table of Contents<\/p>\n<label for=\"ez-toc-cssicon-toggle-item-6a412af5bf9a8\" class=\"ez-toc-cssicon-toggle-label\"><span class=\"\"><span class=\"eztoc-hide\" style=\"display:none;\">Toggle<\/span><span class=\"ez-toc-icon-toggle-span\"><svg style=\"fill: #dd3333;color:#dd3333\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" class=\"list-377408\" width=\"20px\" height=\"20px\" viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\" fill=\"none\"><path d=\"M6 6H4v2h2V6zm14 0H8v2h12V6zM4 11h2v2H4v-2zm16 0H8v2h12v-2zM4 16h2v2H4v-2zm16 0H8v2h12v-2z\" fill=\"currentColor\"><\/path><\/svg><svg style=\"fill: #dd3333;color:#dd3333\" class=\"arrow-unsorted-368013\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" width=\"10px\" height=\"10px\" viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\" version=\"1.2\" baseProfile=\"tiny\"><path d=\"M18.2 9.3l-6.2-6.3-6.2 6.3c-.2.2-.3.4-.3.7s.1.5.3.7c.2.2.4.3.7.3h11c.3 0 .5-.1.7-.3.2-.2.3-.5.3-.7s-.1-.5-.3-.7zM5.8 14.7l6.2 6.3 6.2-6.3c.2-.2.3-.5.3-.7s-.1-.5-.3-.7c-.2-.2-.4-.3-.7-.3h-11c-.3 0-.5.1-.7.3-.2.2-.3.5-.3.7s.1.5.3.7z\"\/><\/svg><\/span><\/span><\/label><input type=\"checkbox\"  id=\"ez-toc-cssicon-toggle-item-6a412af5bf9a8\" checked aria-label=\"Toggle\" \/><nav><ul class='ez-toc-list ez-toc-list-level-1 ' ><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-1\" href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/how-to-build-a-better-remote-team-at-your-digital-marketing-agency\/#Learn_how_a_personality_strength_assessment_tool_can_help_you_identify_team_members_strengths_and_drive_greater_success\" >Learn how a personality strength assessment tool can help you identify team members&#8217; strengths and drive greater success.<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-2\" href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/how-to-build-a-better-remote-team-at-your-digital-marketing-agency\/#What_is_CliftonStrengths\" >What is CliftonStrengths?<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-3\" href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/how-to-build-a-better-remote-team-at-your-digital-marketing-agency\/#Building_a_balanced_team\" >Building a balanced team<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-4\" href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/how-to-build-a-better-remote-team-at-your-digital-marketing-agency\/#Building_rapport_and_understanding\" >Building rapport and understanding<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-5\" href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/how-to-build-a-better-remote-team-at-your-digital-marketing-agency\/#Why_this_is_especially_important_for_remote_agency_teams\" >Why this is especially important for remote agency teams<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-6\" href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/how-to-build-a-better-remote-team-at-your-digital-marketing-agency\/#Building_better_client_communication\" >Building better client communication<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-7\" href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/how-to-build-a-better-remote-team-at-your-digital-marketing-agency\/#CliftonStrengths_alternatives\" >CliftonStrengths alternatives<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-8\" href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/how-to-build-a-better-remote-team-at-your-digital-marketing-agency\/#Bottom_line\" >Bottom line<\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/nav><\/div>\n<h2 class=\"subhead\" itemprop=\"alternativeHeadline\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Learn_how_a_personality_strength_assessment_tool_can_help_you_identify_team_members_strengths_and_drive_greater_success\"><\/span>Learn how a personality strength assessment tool can help you identify team members&#8217; strengths and drive greater success.<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p><\/p>\n<div class=\"bialty-container\">\nMany agencies have been operating fully remotely or in a hybrid environment for four or more years. But some challenges persist, including:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>A lack of face-to-face interaction and inability to read body language.<\/li>\n<li>Over-reliance on communication tools, such as Slack.<\/li>\n<li>Being unable to meet your boss or team members in person for months, years or possibly ever.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>These and other challenges can lead to miscommunication or make it difficult to build team cohesion.<\/p>\n<p>This can be magnified in matrixed teams, where an account leader may or may not be the person\u2019s direct manager.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p><!-- \/1038259\/SEL_Post-text --><\/p>\n<div id=\"div-gpt-ad-1693000027709-0\"><\/div>\n<div id=\"post-break\"><\/div>\n<p>However, tools such as CliftonStrengths or the Enneagram can help build and optimize remote agency teams. Identifying the individual strengths of your team helps:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Foster better communication.<\/li>\n<li>Enhance team cohesion.<\/li>\n<li>Build an understanding between agency teams and clients.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>Simply put, helping team members understand each other\u2019s preferences and strengths can give managers and leaders insight into why people behave the way they do. This understanding also helps guide those who are responsible for delegating projects and tasks.<\/p>\n<p>In addition to improving your existing team, tracking CliftonStrengths results over time can help agency leaders identify, understand and hire for the strengths that tend to drive the highest performance.<\/p>\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-what-is-cliftonstrengths\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"What_is_CliftonStrengths\"><\/span>What is CliftonStrengths?<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p><a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.gallup.com\/cliftonstrengths\/en\/252137\/home.aspx\">CliftonStrengths<\/a>, formerly known as Clifton StrengthsFinder, is an assessment developed by the Gallup organization. It helps people discover their natural strengths.<\/p>\n<p>The assessment also identifies how individuals lead, including through:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Influence.<\/li>\n<li>Strategic Thinking.<\/li>\n<li>Execution.<\/li>\n<li>Relationship Building. <\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>Those who lead with Influence tend to thrive when working through others, whereas those who lead through Relationship Building may excel at fostering deep connections.<\/p>\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-building-a-balanced-team\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Building_a_balanced_team\"><\/span>Building a balanced team<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p>We have individuals take the CliftonStrengths assessment as part of the interview process to:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Identify where they naturally gravitate.<\/li>\n<li>Understand how they might fit into our team.<\/li>\n<li>Guide the final discussions of the interview process. <\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>This information provides an opportunity to learn how an individual\u2019s strengths manifest when working with their team and clients.<\/p>\n<p>There are 34 total possible strengths. The assessment identifies each person\u2019s top 5 strengths. (One version of the assessment ranks all 34 strengths, whereas the default shows only the top 5. We use the version that ranks all 34.)<\/p>\n<p>Each strength is associated with a color (blue for relationship <a href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/category\/download-scripts-themes-apps\/\" data-internallinksmanager029f6b8e52c=\"9\" title=\"Download Scripts &amp; Themes &amp; Apps\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">theme<\/a>s, purple for execution themes, green for strategic thinking themes, and orange for influencing themes). <\/p>\n<p>Having a balanced team is important \u2013 especially when individuals collaborate with clients. That said, we see notable differences in the makeup of our leadership, SEO and PPC teams. <\/p>\n<p>Our SEO team is a blend of Achiever and Strategic Thinking. Our PPC team is a blend of Arranger, Strategic Thinking and Relationship.<\/p>\n<p>In leadership positions, we look for a blend of colors in the top 5, ideally with at least 3 colors present, with 4 being extremely rare but desirable. Orange tends to present itself in those who come across as natural-born leaders, with the confidence to lead a group. <\/p>\n<p>Command is the rarest of the strengths, yet we have been fortunate enough to find three individuals with that in their top 5.<\/p>\n<p>Our leadership team serves as a good model for diversity. With all colors present, two individuals lead with Influencing themes, one with Execution, and one with Relationship Building. <\/p>\n<p>We balance each other out. The diversity in perspective leads to healthy debates because we all tend to see things through a difference lens.<\/p>\n<p>Although people\u2019s strengths can evolve as they grow in their career, and certain new themes may emerge, I\u2019ve found that 2-3 of mine have stayed in place over the past 15 years. They\u2019ve shifted in position, but remain present.<\/p>\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-building-rapport-and-understanding\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Building_rapport_and_understanding\"><\/span>Building rapport and understanding<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p>To build a more effective agency team with CliftonStrengths, it\u2019s important to share each person\u2019s results openly. Remember, no strength is \u201cbetter\u201d than others.<\/p>\n<p>By knowing what makes each person tick, a manager can better manage their team \u2013 whether it\u2019s a matrixed organization, pods or direct reports.<\/p>\n<p>For example:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Someone who skews to Futuristic thinking may always be ideating, but need a manager to ensure that clear boundaries are set so that day-to-day tasks are completed. <\/li>\n<li>Someone who has strong relationship skills may react a certain way because they are always thinking about the human impact. <\/li>\n<li>Someone who is a high Achiever, may seek to get things done themselves at the expense of working through others.\u00a0<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>No strengths are bad, per se. However, knowing how everyone is oriented helps organize teams for success. (For example, your relationship-oriented members may excel in client-facing roles.)<\/p>\n<p><strong>Practical steps:<\/strong><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Create a spreadsheet with everyone\u2019s strengths. Color code them according to the theme.<\/li>\n<li>Conduct training for your people managers. Help them understand how to lean into each strength.<\/li>\n<li>Encourage team leads to discuss this in their team meetings.<\/li>\n<li>Have peers and direct managers discuss their own strengths in a one-on-one to discover how they can best partner.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-why-this-is-especially-important-for-remote-agency-teams\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Why_this_is_especially_important_for_remote_agency_teams\"><\/span>Why this is especially important for remote agency teams<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p>Statistics show that 93% of communication happens non-verbally. Interpreting those nonverbal cues through video is often tough.<\/p>\n<p>In addition, with communication through Slack or Teams, vocal tone is left behind. Comments can be interpreted more harshly or more passively than in person, which can occasionally lead to unnecessary and unintended friction. <\/p>\n<p>Lastly, learning through osmosis, like in the old days when we all sat side by side, has gone by the wayside.<\/p>\n<p>This is why Strengthsifinder is excellent for teams. It:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Allows people to see what their teammates are best at so that they can delegate work appropriately. <\/li>\n<li>Helps team members see the world from each other\u2019s perspectives, allowing everyone to understand what\u2019s important to their peers and how they operate. <\/li>\n<li>Helps foster trust more quickly.<\/li>\n<li>Reduces misunderstandings.\u00a0<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-building-better-client-communication\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Building_better_client_communication\"><\/span>Building better client communication<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p>When peers start linking behaviors to traits, they become better at understanding their clients, even without knowing their specific strengths. This helps client-facing individuals pick up on cues to effectively shape conversations and meeting agendas.<\/p>\n<p>This can help deepen relationships and ultimately lead to better service delivery. For example:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Marketing managers may note that certain clients always want to chat about their weekends or families at the beginning of calls. These clients may be more oriented to Relationship Building strengths and see that as a critical part of the partnership.<\/li>\n<li>Other clients may want to jump right into numbers and skip the niceties. That doesn\u2019t mean that they don\u2019t care \u2013 it just means that they may be more analytically inclined or lean into execution themes.<\/li>\n<li>Some clients may want to brainstorm and hear about the latest and greatest \u2013 those may be more oriented to futuristic thinking. They will view success based on how often the team brings new ideas to the table.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-cliftonstrengths-alternatives\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"CliftonStrengths_alternatives\"><\/span>CliftonStrengths alternatives<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p>While we use CliftonStrengths to identify strengths and tendencies, you can choose from various tools to get similar results.<\/p>\n<p>Two other popular tools can help facilitate a better understanding of your team\u2019s strengths and foster greater collaboration:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>The Enneagram Test.<\/strong> This assessment provides an understanding of someone\u2019s motivations, core beliefs, and unconscious patterns that underlie their behavior. Nine Enneagram types, including The Reformist, The Helper, or the Challenger, characterize each of us, with one dominant type emerging.<\/li>\n<li><strong>The Hermann Brain Dominance Index (HBDI). <\/strong>This assessment uses cognitive <a href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/category\/sciencee\/\" data-internallinksmanager029f6b8e52c=\"5\" title=\"Science\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">science<\/a> to identify the type of thinking that shapes a person\u2019s personality and behavior. It classifies people as Analytical, Structural, Relational, or Experimental thinkers, with a color assigned to each style. Understanding your style, and the style of others, helps you find common ground and language to improve collaboration for team results.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-bottom-line\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Bottom_line\"><\/span>Bottom line<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p>Building remote agency teams can be challenging. CliftonStrengths, or an alternative personality strength assessment, can help:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>You better understand your own strengths.<\/li>\n<li>Peers and managers better understand each other\u2019s strengths and collaborate. <\/li>\n<li>Enhance client-agency relationships.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/div>\n<p><\/p>\n<div class=\"about-author\">\n    About the author<\/p>\n<div class=\"information\">\n<div class=\"author-module\">\n<div class=\"row\">\n<div class=\"col-12 col-lg-3 text-center\">\n<div class=\"avatar\">\n                        <img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"img-fluid rounded-circle avatar-border\" alt=\"Antonella Pisani\" width=\"140\" height=\"140\" src=\"https:\/\/searchengineland.com\/wp-content\/seloads\/2022\/08\/Antonella-Pisani.jpeg.webp\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"img-fluid rounded-circle avatar-border\" src=\"https:\/\/searchengineland.com\/wp-content\/seloads\/2022\/08\/Antonella-Pisani.jpeg.webp\" alt=\"Antonella Pisani\" width=\"140\" height=\"140\">\n                                            <\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<div class=\"col-12 col-lg-9\">\n<div class=\"about\">\n<div class=\"name\">\n                            <strong>Antonella Pisani<\/strong>\n                        <\/div>\n<div class=\"row g-2 pt-2\">\n<div class=\"col-auto twitter\">\n                                    <a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/intent\/follow?original_referer=https%3A%2F%2Fsearchengineland.com%2F&amp;region=follow_link&amp;screen_name=antonella_tx&amp;tw_p=followbutton&amp;variant=2.0\" aria-label=\"opens in a new tab\"><i class=\"fab fa-x-twitter\"><\/i><\/a>\n                            <\/div>\n<div class=\"col-auto\">\n                                    <a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.linkedin.com\/in\/antonellapisani\/\" aria-label=\"opens in a new tab\"><i class=\"fab fa-linkedin\"><\/i><\/a>\n                                <\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p>                        Antonella Pisani is CEO and founder at <a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.eyefulmedia.com\/\">Eyeful Media<\/a>, where she leads a team of passionate &amp; talented marketers. Over the course of her career, she\u2019s held senior digital marketing &amp; eCommerce leadership positions with Fossil, JCPenney, Guitar Center, and Proflowers but began her career as a web designer in 1996. Antonella is based in Dallas, and her trusty sidekick, Riley (a rescue pup who also serves as the company\u2019s Chief Security Officer), is often sleeping by her desk. She\u2019s been to 37 countries and loves to <a href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/category\/trip-and-travel\/\" data-internallinksmanager029f6b8e52c=\"10\" title=\"Trip &amp; Travel\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">travel<\/a> any chance she gets.                   <\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p><script async src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script><\/p>\n<blockquote><p><strong><span style=\"color: #ff6600;\">If you liked the article, do not forget to share it with your friends. Follow us on\u00a0<span style=\"color: #ff0000;\"><a style=\"color: #ff0000;\" href=\"https:\/\/news.google.com\/publications\/CAAqBwgKMN63nwsw68G3Aw\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener noreferrer\">Google News<\/a><\/span>\u00a0too, click on the star and choose us from your favorites.<\/span><\/strong><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<blockquote>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><strong>If you want to read more like this article, you can visit our <span style=\"color: #ff9900;\"><a style=\"color: #ff9900;\" href=\"https:\/\/en.buradabiliyorum.com\/technology\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Technology<\/a><\/span> category.<\/strong><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p><span style=\"color: black;\"><a style=\"color: #ff9900;\" href=\"https:\/\/searchengineland.com\/build-strong-remote-team-agency-442596\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Source<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Learn how a personality strength assessment tool can help you identify team members&#8217; strengths and drive greater success. Many agencies have been operating fully remotely or in a hybrid environment for four or more years. But some challenges persist, including: A lack of face-to-face interaction and inability to read body language. Over-reliance on communication tools,&#8230;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":622226,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/searchengineland.com\/wp-content\/seloads\/2024\/05\/digital-marketing-team-800x450.png","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[18],"tags":[148094,148407,107942,78070],"class_list":["post-622225","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-technology","tag-advance-your-career","tag-leadership-and-management","tag-ppc","tag-seo"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/622225","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=622225"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/622225\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/622226"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=622225"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=622225"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=622225"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}