Let’s be honest—most marketing agencies are terrible at training. The typical approach? “Shadow so-and-so, and you’ll pick it up.” This lackluster training method leaves employees feeling unprepared and the agency struggling with inconsistency and high turnover. If you want to build a high-performing team, you need to stop relying on hope and start training like the pros.
Training isn’t just about showing someone how to do their job. It’s about fully immersing new hires into your agency’s culture, processes, and goals. Done right, training sets the foundation for long-term success. Here are three key tips to elevate your agency’s training process and ensure your team is set up to win.
1. Spend Time Teaching Company Culture
One of the biggest mistakes agencies make is assuming new hires will automatically understand and absorb the company culture. But the truth is, you need to spend time teaching it. This isn’t just a quick speech about your mission statement—it’s about winning over the hearts and minds of your team from day one.
Start by reviewing the company’s history, and not just in a timeline format. Tell the story of how your agency began, the challenges it overcame, and how it evolved into what it is today. Then, dive deep into your core values, but don’t just rattle them off in a bullet-point list. Show how the company actively lives out those values day-to-day. Provide real examples of employees and leadership embracing these values in their work. Let your new hire see that these aren’t just words on a wall—they are the principles that guide every decision and action in your agency.
Winning hearts and minds right away is crucial. When new employees connect emotionally to your company culture, they become more engaged, more loyal, and more likely to work hard to contribute to the agency’s mission. By fostering this emotional connection early, you’re setting the foundation for long-term commitment and success.
2. Track Your Training Process
Training shouldn’t be a “wing it” exercise. You need a structured process, and that means tracking it like any other project. Use your project management system—whether it’s ClickUp, Asana, or any other tool—to document every step of the training process. Create an SOP (Standard Operating Procedure) for training new employees, complete with due dates, milestones, and responsibilities.
Your training SOP should break down everything from the first week to the 90-day mark. Include specific training sessions, resources they need to review, and skills they need to master. Assign mentors or team members who are responsible for different aspects of the new hire’s training, and hold them accountable for their role in onboarding.
Tracking your training process is more than just keeping everyone on schedule—it helps you spot gaps, identify bottlenecks, and ensure no important information is missed. Plus, it sets clear expectations for both the new employee and the existing team. Everyone knows what’s expected, when it needs to be done, and how the new hire is progressing.
By tracking the process in your PM system, you create a replicable training program that can be applied to every new hire. This ensures consistency, which is key to building a team that performs at a high level across the board.
3. Review 90-Day Goals and Track Progress
One of the most important parts of training is setting clear expectations. Your new hires need to know exactly what success looks like at the 90-day mark—and they need to know it from day one. Sit down with your new employee and review the specific goals they need to achieve by the end of their first 90 days. Be crystal clear on what tasks they should be able to handle independently, what benchmarks they need to hit, and how their performance will be evaluated.
Once the 90-day goals are set, don’t just leave the new hire to figure it out on their own. You need to actively coach them throughout the process. Schedule monthly check-ins to assess their progress, offer guidance, and adjust the training plan if necessary. These meetings are crucial for ensuring the new hire knows where they stand at all times. There should be no surprises at the end of the 90 days—they should have a clear understanding of how they are performing and what they still need to work on.
During these monthly check-ins, focus on coaching rather than criticizing. Help the employee overcome any roadblocks they’re facing and give them the tools to succeed. If you notice they are falling behind on certain goals, address it early and offer solutions. By providing ongoing feedback and support, you can ensure the new hire stays on track and is fully integrated into your team by the end of their first 90 days.
Conclusion
Training your team like the pros isn’t just about handing them a checklist and hoping for the best. It requires a thoughtful, structured approach that immerses them in your company’s culture, tracks their progress through a documented process, and sets clear, measurable goals for their success. Most marketing agencies drop the ball when it comes to training, relying on outdated methods like shadowing and crossing their fingers that it all works out. But with these three key strategies—teaching company culture, tracking your training process, and reviewing 90-day goals—you can build a team that not only performs but thrives.
Start training your team like the pros, and watch your agency grow stronger and more successful than ever before.