Choosing a marketing agency is hard because most of what you are buying cannot be seen in advance. Every agency says it is strategic, creative and results-driven. These eight questions cut through that, and the way an agency answers is often more telling than the answer.
1. Who will actually do the work?
Some agencies sell with senior people and deliver with juniors or subcontractors. Ask who will work on your project, whether they are employees or contractors, and whether you will be able to speak to them directly. There is nothing wrong with specialists or partners, as long as you are told.
2. How will we know it is working?
A good answer names things that matter to your business, such as enquiries, calls, bookings or sales, and explains how they will be counted. A weak answer talks about impressions, followers and traffic without saying what they are for.
3. What will reporting look like?
Ask to see a sample report. You should be able to read it without a glossary, and it should say what did not work as well as what did. If you would not read it, you will not act on it.
4. What do you need from me?
Good work needs your time, honest answers and access to your accounts. An agency that asks for very little may not be planning to learn much about your business.
5. Who owns what?
Ask about the domain, hosting, website files, design files, ad accounts, analytics and social profiles. There is no single right arrangement, and agencies differ, but you should know the answer in writing before work begins, and what happens to each item if you part ways.
6. What happens if it is not working?
Every channel has slow patches. Ask how problems are raised, how quickly you will hear about them and what the agency does about them. Be wary of anyone who treats the question as an insult.
7. What are the terms?
Read the agreement. Check the length, the notice period, what is included and what is charged extra, and how ad spend is handled. A fair agreement is easy to explain in a few sentences.
8. How do the pieces fit together?
If you are buying more than one thing, such as a website, search and ads, ask how they will be planned together. Channels run by separate teams with separate goals tend to drift apart, and you end up as the person holding them together.
Warning signs
- A guaranteed ranking or result. No honest agency controls Google, Meta or your market.
- No questions about your business. A proposal that arrives before anyone has asked how you win work is a template.
- Vague deliverables. "Digital strategy" and "content" should be listed as specific things.
- Pressure to sign quickly. A limited-time discount on a service that takes months to deliver is a sales tactic.
- Reports full of vanity numbers. Reach and likes are not customers.
What to do with the answers
Ask the same questions of two or three agencies and compare how clearly each one answers. Choose the one you understood best, and who seemed most curious about your business. You will be working with them for months, so how it feels to deal with them counts for a lot.
We are happy to answer every question on this list. Our answers are on the about page and in the FAQ, and you are welcome to ask us anything else.
Our own answers are on the about page and in the FAQ.