Choosing a marketing agency is hard because everyone promises growth. The questions below help you see past the pitch and understand how an agency actually works. We'd encourage you to ask them to us too.
The 10 questions
- What results have you achieved for a business like mine? Ask for specific examples with numbers, and ask if you can speak to that client.
- Which metrics will you report on? Good agencies talk about leads, sales and cost per customer, not only impressions and followers.
- Who will actually work on my account? Find out whether it's the senior people from the sales call or a junior team you haven't met.
- Will I own my ad accounts, website and data? You should. Avoid agencies that run ads from accounts you can't access.
- How is ad spend handled? Ad spend should be paid directly to Google or Meta, or shown separately and transparently from the agency fee.
- What happens first? A clear plan for audit, setup and first campaigns shows the agency has done this before.
- How often will we talk, and how? Monthly reports and a regular call are a reasonable minimum.
- What is the contract length and notice period? Long lock-ins with no exit are a warning sign.
- What will you need from me? Good marketing needs your input on offers, approvals and customer insight.
- Do you guarantee rankings or results? Be wary of anyone who guarantees first position on Google. Honest agencies commit to work and metrics, not outcomes they don't control.
Red flags
- Very cheap packages promising hundreds of backlinks or thousands of followers.
- Reports full of vanity metrics with no link to enquiries or sales.
- Reluctance to give you admin access to your own accounts.
- No clear answer on who does the work.
Green flags
- They ask about your margins, customers and sales process before proposing anything.
- They tell you which channels are not right for you.
- They set measurable goals and explain how they'll be tracked.
See how we work on our process section, or book a free audit and put these questions to us directly.
