How to choose a marketing agency without regretting it
What to decide before you contact anyone, how to read a proposal, the questions that separate a real team from a good pitch, and when not to hire an agency at all.
Most bad agency relationships were visible at the start. The proposal promised outcomes nobody could promise, the person on the sales call was never seen again, or the business never decided what it wanted, so the agency decided for it. Choosing well is less about finding the best agency and more about ruling out the wrong ones early.
What should you decide before you contact anyone?
- The one result that would make this worth it: more booked calls, more online orders, a launched store, a working ad account.
- What you can spend, in total, for at least a few months, including any ad budget on top of the fee.
- Who on your side will answer questions, approve work and supply photos, products or access.
- What you will not hand over: your ad accounts, your domain and your customer list should stay in your name.
An agency that receives a clear version of this can tell you quickly whether it is a fit. One that receives "we need more marketing" will sell you whatever it sells most.
How do you build a shortlist?
Look for agencies that have done your kind of work for your kind of business, and can show it. A studio that builds Shopify stores well is not necessarily good at Google ads. A team that makes beautiful brand films may not know how to sell a product through a phone screen. Ask for examples close to your situation, and if the examples are all logos with no explanation, ask what exactly they did for each one.
| Good sign | Warning sign |
|---|---|
| Prices published, or a clear range given early | No price until after several calls |
| Names the people who will do the work | A senior pitch team you will never hear from again |
| Explains what the first month delivers | Talks only about long-term growth |
| Says what it does not do | Says yes to everything |
| You own every account and file | Accounts set up in the agency's name |
| Short notice period, clear exit | Long lock-in with fees for leaving |
What should you ask on the first call?
- Who will actually do the work each week, and can I speak to them?
- What will you deliver in the first month, specifically?
- How will you report, and who writes the part that explains what the numbers mean?
- What happens to my accounts, files and data if we stop working together?
- When would you tell a client they do not need you?
The last question is the most revealing. An agency with a real answer has turned work away. We keep the full list as a free tool at /tools/questions-to-ask-an-agency, with what a good answer sounds like for each.
Listen for how they talk about the work they turned down or lost. An agency that can describe a client it was wrong for, and why, has a clear idea of what it is good at. One that has never lost a client either has not had many, or is not telling you. Neither answer rules it out, but the second should make you check its references with more care, by speaking to a past client on a live call rather than reading a quote on its site.
How do you read a proposal and contract?
Check three things before the scope. First, the exit: how much notice you must give and whether anything is owed for leaving. Second, ownership: whether the ad accounts, website, content and designs belong to you during and after. Third, the fee: whether it is flat, a percentage of ad spend, or a mix, and what is not included. A percentage fee is not wrong in itself, but it pays the agency more when you spend more, whether or not spending more is good for you. Our checklist of contract red flags is at /blog/marketing-contract-red-flags.
How should the first month be set up?
Treat it as a trial for both sides. Agree in writing what will be delivered, by when, and how you will judge it, and keep the first piece of work small enough that a disappointment is cheap. Give the agency the access it needs on day one, in your name, and put one person on your side in charge of answers so the work does not stall waiting on you.
At the end of the month, ask three questions. Did they deliver what they said, when they said? Did they tell you something about your business you did not already know? Did anything arrive that you had to chase? A good agency passes all three in the first month, because the first month is when it is trying hardest. If it struggles then, it will not improve once the novelty wears off.
When should you not hire an agency at all?
When the business does not yet know what it sells or to whom; an agency will spend your money finding out. When the budget only covers the fee and leaves nothing to spend on ads or production. And when the work is small and steady enough for one good freelancer or a part-time hire, which is often cheaper and closer. Our comparison of agencies, freelancers and in-house hires is at /compare/agency-vs-freelancer. We publish our own prices at /pricing so that this decision can be made before a call, not after.
Questions we get asked
A few, all chosen because they have done your kind of work. More than that and the calls start blurring together.
Sometimes, for a narrow, well-defined job. Be wary when a low price covers a broad promise, because the gap is usually filled by junior staff or missing work.
Start with a short term or a single project. If the work is good, you will stay anyway, and if it is not, you are not stuck.
An honest one will not. It can promise the work, the effort and how it reports. Results depend on the offer, the market and the budget too.