Strategy
10 questions to ask before hiring a marketing agency
Ask who will do the work, who owns the accounts, how results are measured and how easy it is to leave. Good agencies are happy to answer all of these plainly.
The questions
- 1. Who will work on our account day to day?
- 2. How senior are they, and how many other clients do they look after?
- 3. Will we own the ad accounts, analytics and website?
- 4. How will you measure success, and how often will we hear from you?
- 5. What will you do in the first 90 days?
- 6. What does the fee include, and what costs extra?
- 7. How long is the contract, and what's the notice period?
- 8. Can we see results from similar clients?
- 9. What would you not recommend for us?
- 10. What do you need from us to make this work?
What good answers sound like
Specific, honest and in plain English. If an agency can't tell you who'll do the work or won't give you access to your own accounts, keep looking.
How we'd answer
A senior specialist runs your account. You own everything. Reports show spend, leads and sales. Contracts are 30 days, rolling.
FAQs
Should we sign a 12-month contract?
Only if there's a good reason. Rolling contracts keep the agency focused on results.
Is it a red flag if an agency guarantees results?
Usually. No one controls Google's rankings or ad auctions.