From John Maroon, Founder and President, Maroon PR
I recently spoke with one of our nonprofit clients, and she shared something that truly resonated with me. It captured what I believe defines Maroon PR—how we engage with our clients and approach our work.
We’ve been working with this client for nearly three years, and our relationship with them has become very strong. But it didn’t start that way. Our work began with a single project, and over time, has expanded into serving as their agency on all of their initiatives.
Initially, the CEO brought us on board, and the marketing department was informed that an agency would be assisting them with this project. There was a bit of hesitation or a “chill,” so to speak, in our early interactions, and recently, the client shared why…
“I worked with agencies in the past and I never had a good experience, so when I was told that we were utilizing Maroon PR I was skeptical.” I appreciated her honesty. I understood that it wasn’t her idea and oftentimes bringing on an agency can cause more problems than bring solutions, so she was right to be skeptical…But, here comes the cool part…
“Not long after we started working with you, I noticed something different.” She went on to explain that our relationship felt more collaborative and friendly than her past experiences with agencies. She appreciated that she never felt nickel-and-dimed, always had access to our leadership team, and felt like she was important to us.
This got me thinking—what exactly do we do that’s different? I asked a few of our other long-term clients, and the same points came up. That’s when I realized our approach, which developed organically, has become part of our DNA. I believe a big reason for that is because none of our team came from a traditional agency background. We never really bought in to how agencies typically operate— I just figured things out as I went along, always trying to do what was best for each client and adapting accordingly. That has served us well as we approach 19 years in business this April.
Here are some of the major takeaways I had from these conversations:
Be Genuine
We like to say we’re the agency you want to grab a beer with. By that, we mean we pride ourselves on being approachable and building honest relationships. We don’t use agency jargon, and we value listening over speaking. We are up front about our strengths, and we don’t upsell or make suggestions that aren’t in the best interest of the client. “We drive growth through relationships” isn’t just a tagline—it’s something we believe in. Over time, this pays tremendous dividends.
Listen!
We always tell our team to first find out what’s important to the client. As the experts in our field, it’s easy to assume we know what’s best from the jump, but we know that what we think is best and what the client values most aren’t always the same thing. So, we bring value by helping them to achieve their goals, adapting our processes to fit their needs.
Bring Value
When I started the agency, I didn’t like the concept of billing by the hour, so I never implemented it. Sure, we may have left some money on the table over the years, but the loyalty and appreciation we’ve gained is far more valuable. Don’t get me wrong, we do track our hours internally, but that is to help us assess how our time is spent and if we need to adjust. We always start by discussing how to achieve our client’s goals, agree on a retainer or project fee, and then get to work. Once a relationship is built and success is achieved, we can reevaluate the contract and its value with the client.
Be Available
Every one of our clients has access not only to their dedicated account team, but also to agency leadership—me, our COO, or our VPs. One of the common frustrations we hear about typical agencies is that leadership is present during the pitch but disappears after that. We make it clear that while we may not be on every weekly call, we are always available, remain engaged with the account, and stay personally connected to the client.
So, while we are technically an agency, we believe we separate ourselves from the pack by simply being ourselves; listening and adapting, being genuine and honest in our work and interactions, providing ongoing value, and remaining engaged. These are the principles that have guided Maroon PR for the past 19 years and will continue to do so in the future.
As we move into 2025, we are reimagining our news feed to act more as a blog! This is the first post for “The Maroon Brew” and when we are not busy attending to clients, we will aim to share updates that help people understand what makes us a Non-Agency, Agency… and why we are the agency you want to have a beer with. Cheers!